In 2018, Lakehead alum Sarah Kielek-Caster (BASc’13) learned that she needed a kidney transplant after a workplace injury.

Doctors diagnosed Sarah with chronic kidney disease caused by accidentally inhaling organic solvent due to a malfunctioning fume hood at Sarah’s former workplace. 

Sean Petrus has helped lift more than 10 long-term drinking water advisories across Northwestern Ontario.

Anything can be collectable, according to Cameron MacDonald (BAdm’17), the owner of The Cave Collectables in Orillia.

A love of Russian literature influenced Tamer Ibrahim’s (MA'10) life in an unexpected way.

Singer, actor, dancer…destroyer of invasive weeds? 

Julia Johnston is not a typical university student, but that’s what makes her such a dynamic member of the Lakehead Orillia campus.

People from all over the world dream of making it big in Silicon Valley – the headquarters of tech giants like Apple and Facebook. Lakehead alum Marcus Khoo is one of the select group who has thrived in its rarified atmosphere.

When she was just a high school student, Megan Rafuse (HBSW'09) lost her mother to cancer. 

“Her death really drove my career choices,” Megan says. “It made me unafraid to take risks, because I learned that you don’t get a second chance to live your life.”

Paul Popo-Ola (HBComm'10) has set his sights on helping Toronto inner-city kids escape the lives of poverty to which they are often condemned. In 2020, Paul and a group of friends set up the Black Health and Wealth Fund to provide university entrance scholarships to grade 12 students. It’s Paul’s latest advocacy project, and one close to his heart.

Mike Carlson knows firsthand some of the challenges faced by reporters today. Mike earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Education – both at Lakehead University. He is a professional sports photographer who has covered the National Hockey League, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, and Major League Baseball.

John Hammill is the regional publisher of OrilliaMatters, an exclusively online site that provides breaking news and vital local information to its readers.
After joining forces with Village Media, John and his team launched the site on January 8, 2018 – only six weeks after Postmedia shuttered the Orillia Packet and Times.