Alumni Digest / U of T / Ideas /
Benji Jacob finds room to grow
Psychology, student art and community research helped UTM's 2026 valedictorian turn a broad set of interests into a direction.
Benji Jacob, UTM's 2026 valedictorian and founder of the Studio X art collective.Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
The context
Where the work begins
Benji Jacob arrived at U of T Mississauga expecting to study neuroscience. He found himself more interested in social and personality psychology, graduating as a psychology specialist with minors in biology and biomedical communication. As the campus's 2026 valedictorian, he credits the people around him with helping him find his footing.
The takeaway
What follows
Art remained part of that experience. In 2022, Jacob started Studio X, a student collective that creates campus installations and addresses social justice through art. He also worked in Joanne Chung's lab, coordinating the Giving Voice study of personality and wellbeing among undergraduates, and pursued independent research on queer person of colour identity development.
Source reporting
Benji Jacob finds room to grow
Original summary by Alumni Digest, based on public source reporting. This independent publication is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Toronto. Source image retained for editorial review; rights clearance is still required before any broader reuse.
