Alumni

When Mark Farrant ’90 discovered there was nothing in place for jurors with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), he felt compelled to do something.

Mark created a campaign that resulted in the provinces of Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia creating juror support programs, as well as other provinces beginning to work on making changes. Owing to Mark’s efforts, in May 2018, the federal government released 11 recommendations to improve the lives of those who serve on juries.

“I think integrity is probably the biggest core value that I got from HTS — truth and integrity. Those things are part of what made me want to undertake this mission in my advocacy work, and I certainly got that from the school.”

After graduating from HTS, Dr. David Flusk ’95 studied immunology at Dalhousie University before moving to Ireland to attend medical school at Trinity College Dublin. Once he finished his coursework, David came back to Canada and completed his residency at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Today, David works in St. John’s at Memorial University as an anesthesiologist and chronic pain physician and supervises medical residents. Despite wearing many hats in his medical career, David manages to find time to give back to the community in a volunteer capacity as the Deputy Director for the Atlantic Mentorship Network — Pain & Addiction (AMN-P&A).

HTS taught David the value of friendship and the power of community, which have been the foundations of his career and volunteer efforts.

Kevin Leung ’06 launched into teaching early in his life as a dedicated peer tutor during his time at HTS. A decade later, he has a successful teaching career as a university lecturer in Industrial and Organizational Psychology — a unique field with fewer than 300 practitioners in Canada.

From the early days, Kevin thrived in the challenging but supportive environment HTS offered. While focusing on academics, he maintained a balanced life by getting involved in Jazz Band, and by volunteering and playing on sports teams. He particularly loved Mr. Rehill’s geography

class and Mr. Doma’s math class and is thankful for how well they prepared him for university.

After graduating from HTS, Seher Shafiq ’08 knew she wanted to pursue her interest in international affairs and continued her studies at the University of Toronto, where she earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in International Relations and Ethics, Society and Law. Following her undergraduate degree, Seher earned her master’s degree in Global Affairs at the Munk School of Global Affairs. 

While completing her master’s, Seher accepted an internship at the United Nations Office in Geneva, where she was involved in the United Nations Population Fund. There, she covered the emergency response to the Syrian refugee crisis, including participating in the UN Human Rights Council.

Seher is currently working at the CivicAction Leadership Foundation and also volunteers with The Canadian-Muslim Vote (TCMV). 

Viren Shastri ’13 graduated from HTS with plans to study engineering at Queen’s University. He initially intended to combine his studies with his passion for athletics by becoming an engineer and designing golf clubs. And while he considered mechanical engineering in his early years, his interest soon shifted toward the field of mining. 

After completing his program at Queen’s, Viren jumped straight into working for a Canadian mining company, Kinross Gold. Kinross is one of the top gold mining companies in the world, with projects in countries including Brazil, Chile and Russia. The cultural adjustments were difficult at first, but he adapted quickly and has even picked up some of the languages. 

Viren says his ability to adapt to new situations is a vital skill that he attributes to his time at HTS and his involvement in co-curricular activities.