The Team

Below you will find the lovely collection of individuals known as the Orientation Week Executive Team. These are the upper year students who have toiled tirelessly all summer to make Orientation Week 2011 a rip-roaring success. Get to know them a little bit better by reading their lovingly crafted, completely-fabricated-as-placeholders-until-we-get-the-real-ones biographies.

Orientation Week Executive Co-Chairs

Promise Holmes Skinner

The Pumba to Cary’s Timone, Promise is never far away from her Blackberry. She can be seen BBMing close friends at all hours of the day, and has even been known to BBM in her sleep. Promise’s personal motto is, “mo’ money, mo’ Promblems.” She is a 2L caucus representative on the Students’ Law Society and a co-chair of the Aboriginal Law Students Association. Promise loves Aboriginal law and her dog, Cloudy.

Cary Ferguson

The salt to Promise’s pepper, Cary can eat 7 saltine crackers in under a minute. During 1L, Cary volunteered for Pro Bono Students Canada, the Journal of International Law and International Relations, and the Law and Development Society. He likes play guitar, taking pictures, and making omelettes. An avid squinter, Cary can be seen staring into the sunset all over Toronto.
—

Orientation Week Executive Team

Catering

Fidelia Ho
Fidelia is co-chair of Catering, for which her only qualification is managing to feed herself throughout 1L while keeping Subway lunch outings to a respectable minimum. She earned her BA in Chinese Language and Literature with a minor in English at the University of Alberta. She also dabbled briefly in the art and design program before setting off for law school. When not studying diligently for her classes, she volunteered at Downtown Legal Services and fenced for the U of T fencing team.

Andrew McLean

Andrew is the other co-chair of catering, for which he is most suitably qualified given his extensive love for food and his inability to cook/care for himself. Andrew went to the London School of Economics where he received a BSc in International Relations with History. Andrew is a man of leisure. Outside of law school he enjoys sports such as skiing, golfing and cricket. Andrew likes travelling and used his time in London to the fullest exploring as much of Europe as he could reasonably afford. He also enjoys television and movies, especially if they involve Will Ferrell. Andrew volunteered at Downtown Legal Services and for the Journal of International Law and International Relations while in first year.

Communications

Bart Makowski

Bart is a bender by day and a super-hero by night. Going by the name, “The Incredible Blart,” Bart’s superpower lies in his ability to anticipate exactly what an opponent is going to say and say it before him or her, catching Bart’s opponent off-guard and giving him the opportunity to strike. Unfortunately, Bart cannot control his ability, which has led to many unsatisfying games of Blurt. Unsatisfying, that is, for his opponents.

Jeremy Ozier

You may know Jeremy better by his stage name, Simon Cowell. When he’s not busy making withering remarks about someone’s vocal abilities, Jeremy likes to relax by experimenting with different omelette recipes. Thus far, Jeremy has successfully (and tastefully) incorporated tire rubber, palm leaves, and half a spice rack into his concoctions.

External Events

Matt Brown

Law school has launched Matt into the insufferable zone between hipster and yuppie: he becomes more obnoxious with every day. He spends most of his time complaining about the dubstep remixes clogging his Hypemachine and trying to fit as many law school references as possible into his Okcupid profile. He is a renowned repeater of anecdotes and untagger of photos. Seasons of The Wire in order of preference: 4, 1, 2, 3, 5.

Sabrina Radia-Bramwell

Sabrina completed her undergrad at UWO in Political Science. During April exams of her 4th year, she realized that she wanted to go to law school (what else do you do with a Poli Sci degree?). Since it was too late to apply to law school for the following academic year, she spent her time working random jobs (this was during the heart of the recession) and traveling South East Asia (amazing). In an equally last-minute decision, she decided to apply to the joint JD/MBA this past April (6 law finals and 2 papers weren’t enough, so she decided to add in the MBA application and GMAT as well). She’ll be completing the first year of the MBA come September and will be graduating with the incoming 1Ls in 2014. Her favourite things include last-minute decisions (aka procrastination), ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s or Marble Slab), and dancing (though not well).

Finance

Tatiana Lazdins

In a previous life, Tatiana applied her electrical engineering skills as a controls strategist developing automotive software. Since attending law school she has learned that this job was so difficult because of the agency costs arising from a very widely dispersed shareholder base as well as the intricacies of defining and enforcing equality rights. She likes frisbee, yoga, and pub nights. She also likes technology, especially robots, which is why she is directing her legal career towards high technology patent prosecution. Her long term goals include driving a two-seater hardtop convertible roadster, becoming an advocate for policy issues relating to science and technology, and holding sirsasana pose for more than three seconds.

Marta Rochkin

Before law school, Marta studied business administration at the University of Western Ontario. After a short time traveling, she jumped right into her studies here at U of T. During 1L, she volunteered with Downtown Legal Services and the Journal of International Law and International Relations, and helped organize the SPINlaw public interest conference. She cannot wait to meet the new class of 1Ls!

Fundraising

Ryann Atkins

Ryann is from the oh-so-important city of Welland, Ontario. Never heard of it? Sigh! Nevermind, she’s from Niagara Falls. Before law school, she studied political studies and global development studies at Queen’s University, where she was also the Critic (Vice-President) of the Queen’s Debating Union. This year she volunteered for Downtown Legal Services, Law Review, and the International Human Rights Program. She also competed in the Cassels Brock Cup (first year moot). This summer she is working as a research assistant for Professor Colleen Flood in health law and policy. Ryann enjoys watching musicals, playing piano, going to karaoke, and beating Louis at flip cup.

Diego Beltran

After becoming the youngest actor to join the Royal Shakespeare Company at the tender age of 8, Diego decided that to truly pursue his art he had to cast off the oppressive shackles of materialism and travel the world performing a one man show, I Am Diego. Diego received worldwide acclaim for his show, leading to John Malkovich’s performance in Being John Malkovich being called “something approaching the level of Diego Beltran.” Diego can recite all of Hamlet, Macbeth, and King Lear by heart.

Andrew Clark

Andrew grew up in Ottawa and completed his undergraduate studies at Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina with a double major in business administration and economics and a minor in humanities. His parents had always encouraged him to become a lawyer (no doubt due to his sharp analytical skills and precise grammar, not his incessant arguing over semantics) so after a brief stint working at a large car rental company, he enrolled at U of T. Here at law school, he has been involved with the Responsible Investment Committee, a student group that seeks changes in the way the University manages its investment portfolio. He was also a part of the U of T delegation to Law Games in Quebec City and a member of the law school intramural soccer team. He spent his 1L summer working as a research assistant here at the law school. He enjoyed most of his first year courses and is still trying to figure out exactly what kind of law he’d like to practice in the future.

Louis Tsilivis

Louis (pronounced “Lewis”, but called Louie by most of his friends) is part of OWET’s fundraising committee. He earned a commerce degree with an option in classical studies from Queen’s University, went on an international exchange in applied economics at the University of Antwerp, and worked in internships in corporate finance and politics. At law school, he volunteered for Downtown Legal Services, competed in the Cassels Brock Cup (the first-year moot), was part of the Law Review’s private law group, and debated with U of T’s Hart House Debate Club. After law school, Louis aims to work in litigation or corporate law. He also enjoys running, politics, trivia, writing for his avant-garde food blog (The Last Duck), and stabbing allies in the back in Diplomacy. He was also named by Ultra Vires newspaper as one of law school’s most eligible bachelors, which noted he had “moods like a roller coaster – a roller coaster that only goes up” and “is decent at flipcup.”

Internal Events

Luke Gill

Luke comes from a large family of Internal Events co-chairs. He studied economics in undergrad at a different university in Toronto, and is still uncertain as to whether a demand curve slopes up or down. This is the main reason why he came to law school. When not on Facebook at the library, Luke volunteers with Pro Bono Students Canada, served as an Associate Editor with the Indigenous Law Journal, continues to serve as a student representative on the Student Law Society, and writes decidedly unfunny pieces for both Ultra Vires and Law Follies.

Hayley Peglar

Hayley Peglar was born and raised in Ajax, Ontario (yes, that is the hometown of pop punk sensation Sum 41) and completed her BAH in Political Studies and History at Queen’s University. Her favourite extra-curricular activities in first year were the Litigation Association, the BLG Client Counselling Competition, Downtown Legal Services, and the Cassels Brock Cup First Year Moot. When she isn’t busy with law school related activities, Hayley spends her time watching Parks & Recreation, reading, helping out at her sister’s restaurant, and trying to convince her boyfriend that getting a puppy is a good idea. Hayley spent her first year summer working in the family law division at Downtown Legal Services. Her legal interests include constitutional law, litigation, and employment law. During the school year, you can typically find her studying in the Rowell Room, large coffee in hand.

Logistics

Jonathan Charland

Jon is from Thornhill, ON. He studied Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, with a minor in ‘Chillology’. Last year, he took part in the Indigenous Law Journal, the Asper Centre working group on the G20, the Law Hockey team, the Jewish Law Students Association and Aboriginal Law Students Association. He also likes swimming at Hart House, talking sports (baseball, hockey, basketball? not so into football), playing guitar piano, seeing live music, and chilling out. His legal interests are mainly around Aboriginal law and Constitutional law, and, for reasons unknown, he also enjoys legal and political theory. He tends to find simple things confusing and confusing things simple.

T. Cameron Gale

The child of diplomats, T. learned early on that there were many advantages to having only a letter as your first name. For starters, it’s very difficult for people to spell it incorrectly (although in countries with close historical ties to Britain, people inevitably spelled it “Tea”). Along the same lines, it’s also very difficult people to mispronounce it (although in countries where English is not the native language, people inevitable said it incorrectly). He is currently considering going by his middle name instead.