Zhang, a Trinity College member who studied economics and math, started a podcast asking alumni what people in her field actually do — and became an adviser at Sun Life. “Be brave — there’s nothing to lose,” she says.
Leo Li built skills through IEEE U of T, hackathons and software projects before his professional experience year co-op placement at Red Hat turned into a full-time offer, arriving during exam season. Tanya Kaur Talwar, a Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship recipient who graduated with a specialist in psychology and a minor in applied statistics, cold-emailed professors across the country; Zachary Hawes at OISE replied, and she is now lab manager in his Mathematical Thinking Lab.
Valentina Bravo, who double-majored in human biology and political science with a minor in biomedical communications, pitched a student-run careers blog while working part-time — and became a career readiness coordinator at the UTM Career Centre.
Reported from Recent U of T grads offer tips on finding a first job, by Adina Bresge (U of T Alumni News, April 22, 2026).
More from the original reporting: alumni.utoronto.ca/news/recent-u-t-grads-offer-tips-finding-first-job