Spring | Summer 2025
A Message from Dean Nate Horowitz
As we move into the spring and summer months, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey we’ve shared in the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design.
Change is never easy, but it can also be a time of renewal, and one thing that remains constant is the strength and spirit of this school. The School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design remains a creative and dynamic place to learn, grow and explore. Our students are pushing boundaries. Our faculty lead with passion and innovation, and our staff continue to support our community in numerous ways.
It has been a privilege to serve as Dean and to witness the remarkable talent and dedication that defines this school. The work being done here matters. The stories you tell, the art you create, the media you produce—they reflect the world around us.
As the school turns the page on a new chapter, I am confident that its future is bright. The foundation we’ve built together is strong, and the community that will carry it forward is outstanding.
With appreciation and warmest wishes,
Nate Horowitz
Another Big Win for the Team Behind the Short Film DOSA
DOSA is showing no signs of slowing down. The short film, which was created as a class project by students in Centennial’s Script to Screen program at the time, has earned yet another award, reinforcing its growing reputation and the talent behind it.
DOSA has not only made its rounds at multiple festivals, but it has also won Best Film of the Festival at the Couch Film Festival and Best Comedy at the Toronto Independent Film Festival of CIFT. Now, the film has received recognition for its editing. Monark Arora, the film's editor, is this year's Student Merit Recipient, awarded by the Canadian Cinema Editors. Congratulations, Monark!
The Donny Awards Celebrate Another Year of Creativity
The Donny Awards brought the School of Communication, Media, Arts and Design's academic year to a celebratory close. This year's event was an incredible showcase of talent and teamwork, and we are honoured to have highlighted the work from students across several of our programs.
Awards spanned several categories, including animation, music videos, games, short narrative films, commercials/PSAs, and more. We also gave out craft awards for director, camera, script/writer, editor, production design, and sound design. Congratulations to all those who received an award and those who submitted their work!
Centennial Talent Shines at Skills Ontario
The School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design is celebrating multiple student wins at this year’s Skills Ontario competition! Graphic Design student Juliana Tino and Game Art student Chang Ho (Kevin) Ahn earned gold medals for their outstanding work. These achievements reflect the creativity and skill cultivated across programs.
We'd also like to give a special shout-out to our Graphic Design program, with wins in 2022, 2024, and now 2025! Centennial’s momentum continues, and we couldn’t be more proud.
Both winners advanced to the National Competition in Regina, where Kevin took home a Bronze Medal in the 3D Digital Game Art category.
ICYMI: Catch Up With Our Talented Graduates
Real grads. Real stories. In our Where Are They Now? series, we reconnected with graduates of the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design to see what they've been up to and how their time at our school helped shape where they are today.
From Enrique Miguel Baniqued, (Lifestyle Media, 2020 and Script to Screen – Advanced Television and Film, 2021) who kicked things off to Simon Chen (Interactive Media Management, 2022) who concluded our series, and all the incredible graduates in between, don't miss the invaluable advice shared in each of the submissions.
Here are some of our posts to catch you up:
- Nilu Seneviratne - 2020 graduate of our Interactive Media Management program & UX Designer for Innovate By Day Inc.
- Caitlyn Leatherdale - 2023 graduate of our Interactive Media Management program and a UX Researcher and Writer at BDO Australia
- Anthony Petrucci - a 2017 Broadcasting graduate & freelancer for Rogers Sports & Media and Bell Media
Follow us on Instagram, @StoryArtsCentre, where you can see all our Where Are They Now posts.
Graphic Design Alumni Work with Holt Renfrew on Award-Winning Designs
Congratulations to Edwin Yang and Victoria Chen, graduates of our Graphic Design program and the founders of Astro Circo Studio, who have received the prestigious "Promotional-Social Media - Series" illustration award from Applied Arts magazine for their incredible work created for the retailer Holt Renfrew.
The illustrations are part of a series to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, a harvest festival celebrated in Chinese culture.
Want to learn more about Edwin and Victoria's journey? We spoke with the pair back in 2021 for our GRAD-preneur series.
Image credits: Astro Circo Studio
Theatre Arts & Performance Grad, Deval Soni, Lands Role in the Crave Series: Late Bloomer
Congratulations are in order! Deval, a 2023 graduate of our Theatre Arts & Performance program, landed a role in the Crave Original series Late Bloomer, created by Jasmeet Raina.
We’re incredibly proud to see our talented alumni making their mark in the industry. Way to go, Deval!
You can catch a scene with Deval here.
Instructor Lisa Whittington-Hill Awarded the 2025 Outstanding Achievement Award by the National Media Awards Foundation
We are thrilled to share the news that Lisa Whittington-Hill, an instructor in our Publishing – Book, Magazine and Electronic program, is the recipient of the 2025 Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
The Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement is the National Media Awards Foundation's most prestigious individual prize since its inception in 1990. We couldn't be more pleased that Lisa's work in this field, including her role as the publisher of This Magazine, is receiving this recognition.
You can learn more about Lisa by reading our Q&A where she talks about teaching and her career thus far and by listening to this episode of our podcast that highlights the topics that surround her two books her two books, Girls, Interrupted: How Pop Culture Is Failing Women and The Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat.
Planning Your Child's Summer Activity List? Add a Creative Camp to the Mix!
Get ready for your child to ignite their creativity and dive into a world of imagination with our Creative Summer Camps!
Although spots are closing quickly, we still have several options* that can be a great fit for your children.
*Spots are currently available at the time of publication.
Animation and Design Camps
- Roblox Innovators Workshop – Ages 12-14 (July 7-11)
- 3D Printing and Design – Ages 12-14 (July 28-August 1)
- Let’s Animate – 3D Animation – Ages 8-11 (August 11-15)
Media Camps
- Video and Photography – Ages 8-11 (July 28-August 1)
- Virtual Reality (VR) for Video – Ages 12-14 (August 18-22)
Photography Students Showcase Work at the 2025 CONTACT Photography Festival
Students in our Photography program exhibited a dynamic collection of photographs at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport from May 2–12 as part of the 2025 CONTACT Photography Festival.
The exhibition showcased a diverse range of work, from personal projects to program-specific assignments, highlighting student talent across commercial, expressive, architectural, portraiture, product and still life photography.
Click here to get a glimpse of the exhibition with this walkthrough video and click here to see the students with their work.
Game - Art Students ARE BRINGING THEIR WORK TO THE MAIN STAGE
GAME ART STUDENT WIN 🏆
Centennial Game Students Shine at Level Up
Centennial’s Game Development students impressed at the 2025 Level Up Showcase, earning two honourable mentions for Make a Hit, an 80s-inspired puzzle game. Billy’s Cookies drew publisher and media interest, while two joint projects with the University of Toronto secured third-place finishes. These achievements highlight the program’s innovation, talent, and growing presence in the digital games industry.
Here's a look at the incredible wins:
- Game - Cooking with a Gun | 1st Place - Achievement in Audio | 2025 Level Up Showcase | Student Collective
- Game - Cooking with a Gun | 3rd Place - Best Overall Game | 2025 Level Up Showcase | Student Collective
GAME ART STUDENT WIN 🏆
Game - Art Students Made Waves at the Ubisoft Toronto NEXT competition
Centennial students stood out in Ubisoft Toronto's annual game design competition, with all three Game–Art applicants reaching the top five in their categories. Xiaoyi (Leo) Zhu placed second in Animation–3D, and Anya Ng Chee won first in 3D Art (you can check out Anya's award-winning work here).
Remarkably, Centennial now accounts for 25% of all 3D Art winners since the contest began!
2025 DEAN'S AWARDS
The 2025 School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design Dean’s Awards were awarded on May 15, 2025. The Dean's Award for Academic Excellence, Dean’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Award, and Peter Dickinson Award were awarded to students across our program. Missed the ceremony? Check it out here:
Student-Led PR Campaign Wins Gold at the ACE Awards
The 2025 Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto Chapter's Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards held their gala, and we're thrilled to share that the now-graduates of our Public Relations - Corporate Communications program received gold in the "Student Public Relations Campaign or Event of the Year, Executed" category.
Their award-winning campaign - When Parents Are Not Okay, There Is HOPE - was part of their work for Hope4Parents, a Canadian charity that supports parents and guardians of youth and emerging adults struggling with mental health issues, addiction, school, legal issues and more. Learn more about the campaign here.
Graduating IMM Students Impress at This Year's Student Showcase
The graduating class of our Interactive Media Management program showcased their outstanding work at this year's student showcase: IMMAGINE a World of Possibilities.
Throughout the year, students have been honing their design thinking abilities, and their work is nothing short of incredible.
Journalism Student Stories Take the Spotlight
Journalism students were recognized at the 2024 Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) Better Newspapers Competition, earning multiple awards for their notable work.
Student winners included:
- Haruka Ide (Contemporary Journalism program) – Second place, Student Feature Writing, for a piece on a long-running Toronto storytelling group that has been spinning yarns since 1978, making it one of the oldest groups of its kind in North America.
- Zachary Phillips (Sports Journalism program) – Second place, Student Photography, for a dynamic close-up sports photo of swimmer Jacob Hamlin.
- Christian Zdravko (University of Toronto/Centennial College Joint Journalism program) – Third place, Student News Writing, for an article on dangerous dogs following a local tragedy.
Additionally, The Toronto Observer was named the Best College or University Newspaper Website in Ontario, marking an incredible milestone for the student-led news platform.
These achievements reflect the talent, hard work, and dedication of Centennial’s journalism students. Congratulations!
Public Relations Alumni and Faculty Gather to Mark 45 Years of Success
On April 2, some 200 faculty, alumni and students from our post-grad Public Relations program gathered at the Story Arts Centre to mark 45 years of success. The event drew alumni, former coordinators like Gary Schlee and faculty such as Ted Barris, guest speakers like Fred Martin, PAC members, employers and PR association leadership.
Managed and executed by PR students for their Event Management class, which is led by instructor Laurie Hall, this event was a true cross-campus collaboration. Students and faculty from multiple programs contributed their talents, such as Script-to-Screen students filming guest interviews, Photography students capturing the evening, among several other contributions.
This event became a memorable showcase of the creativity, professionalism, and community spirit that make this program so special.
Credits:
Created with images by NARANAT STUDIO - "Gradient background Color Blur colorful ,Watercolor pink, violet, blue abstract texture. " • aerogondo - "camera recording theater performance" • Seventyfour - "Close up of 3D printer making plastic models during engineering and robotics class at school with children in background, copy space" • kamonrat - "African black boy wearing 3D gadget and looking out above and having the simulation mechanism robot model wooden on table in classroom."