backpack 2 Briefcase - “So you’re getting a degree in religion – what’s next?”
When and Where
Speakers
Description
Join us on March 25 and meet U of T alumni who turned their studies in Religion into exciting careers!
This moderated panel of professionals will tell us how they transitioned from U of T student to career professional, how their degree helped shape and inform their career choices, and provide advice to students on lessons they learned since graduation. The panel discussion will be followed with a reception and chance to meet and mingle with the panelists. Our panel moderator is DSR faculty member Professor Simon Coleman, chair of the DSR's Alumn Relations Committee. Simon is Chancellor Jackman Professor in the Arts and an outstanding anthropologist of religion with interests ranging over the globalization of Pentecostalism, contemporary ritual forms, and the theory and ethnography of pilgrimage. He researches urban religion, sustainability, and religious infrastructures and urban development. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2024 for his pioneering work in the development of both the anthropology of Christianity and the study of urban forms of religious expression.
We are pleased to introduce our panelists:
Rachel Browne
Rachel’s work appears in The Walrus, Texas Monthly, Maclean's magazine, Global News, Politico, VICE News, Thomson Reuters, and other outlets. She is the host of the 2024 true crime podcast series The Greatest Scam Ever Written for Sony Music Entertainment. Her documentary work includes VICE's The Dark Side of Comedy (2023), The Weather Network's Water is the New Fire (2023), CBC's Witness (2023), and Amazon Studios' The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith (2022). Previously, Rachel was a senior reporter at VICE News where she produced feature docs including Steel Town Down (2018), and the CRAVE original Rat Park (2019). Rachel also works with production companies around the world, including Muse, Blue Ant, ITN, and others, on documentary/podcast development and production. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Ethics, Society & Law from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Shari Golberg
Shari is Assistant Director, Faith & Anti-racism at the University of Toronto, providing strategic advice and consultation to members of the university community on matters where race and religious/spiritual identities intersect. With a PhD in Religion from U of T, she has taught courses and workshops across Ontario in post-secondary, public sector, and corporate environments on religious accommodation, antisemitism and Islamophobia, and creating inclusive workplace cultures. She has served as a researcher, facilitator, policy advisor, and community organizer for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the Ontario Public Service, and the 2018 Toronto Parliament of World Religions. For eight years, she facilitated Shema & Iqra: The Jewish-Muslim Text Project, a grassroots initiative which collaborated with over 20 organizations, bringing Toronto-based Muslims and Jews together to explore issues of mutual concern, including gender and religious leadership, environmental ethics, and creative expression. In her spare time, she volunteers for an organization called Carrying Testimony, where she shares her grandmother’s experiences of survival during the Holocaust with middle school and high school students in Ontario. She is also working on a collection of short stories to find other ways to share her grandmother’s experiences with wider audiences.
Natalie Michalagas
Natalie is an award-winning communications strategist. She currently serves as Director of Global Communications at Manulife, providing comms consult to executives and creating global strategies that bring the company’s mission and values to life for employees, customers, and communities. She is passionate about the power of storytelling in corporate environments, and specializes in content creation that drives engagement by connecting the dots between what people do and why it matters.
Natalie holds a Master’s degree in Religion and a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Toronto, and is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist through Toronto’s Institute of Holistic Nutrition. She lives in the city with her husband and two sons, and still loves reading, learning, and daydreaming about “what’s next.”
Jonathan Trentadue
Jonathan is the Director, University Relations for U of T, responsible for providing direction and oversight across a number of areas, including university relations, sector-based organizations (Council of Ontario Universities, Universities Canada, U15 Canada (Canada's fifteen leading research universities)), and U of T's Government Relations Office operations. He also liaises with senior university administration to ensure alignment of advocacy objectives, helping to coordinate responses to emerging issues. Prior to joining U of T, Jonathan served in various management roles within the Ontario Public Service and Cabinet Office, and is an alumnus of the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme. Jonathan holds a double major BA from U of T in Religion and Political Science, and an MA in Political Science from McMaster University.