Congratulations to our 2024 Distinguished Catholic Alumni Award winners for inspiring students to achieve their goals and dreams and for living the Catholic Graduate Expectations.
- Dr. Mark Coghlan, All Saints Catholic Secondary School: Mark Coghlan is a proud alumnus of the Durham Catholic District School Board, having attended St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School and St. Leo Catholic School for elementary school and All Saints Catholic Secondary School for high school. Upon graduating from high school, Mark earned a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School. After law school, Mark worked as a corporate and securities lawyer for Wildeboer Dellelce, a corporate, securities and business transaction law firm. He is currently a director of business & legal affairs for Boat Rocker Media, a global entertainment company. In this role, Mark negotiates a wide range of entertainment agreements as well as advises the company on other legal, securities, and corporate matters.
- Roger Santiago, Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School: I always had an interest in the environment and improving the world we live in. After high school I attended the University of Waterloo and graduated with a joint major in Environmental Studies and Biology. As part of the co-op program, I had my final work term with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) working on water sediment and air issues in the Great Lakes. I was hired out of school with ECCC as a sediment dredging officer for managing Great Lakes “hot spots”. Today I am head of the Sediment Remediation Program for ECCC and currently serve as the Project Lead for one of the largest sediment remediation projects in Canada situated in Hamilton Harbour. In my current role, I have fostered the development and growth of innovative and sustainable environmental approaches, as a key factor in how the department while restoring Great Lakes contaminated sites. The ability to bring about meaningful change, and taking measured risks, motivates me in my day-to-day work. Throughout my career, I have made life-long friendships in my travels. I fondly recall representing Canada in Slovenia, as a delegate during NATO talks on the Management of Contaminated Sediment. Over my 30 year career I am pleased to see recent initiatives to support people of colour in positions of management; this is a testament to an advancing and inclusive workplace. I enjoy the ability to pay it forward and as such I serve as a guest lecturer on Contaminated Sediment Management in High Schools, Colleges and Universities in Canada and the US. I also formally mentor students at the University of Waterloo and various High Schools.
- Owen Brady, Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School: At the age of 15 Owen Brady was a top minor hockey defenseman, on the verge of fulfilling a lifelong dream of being taken the first round of the 2019 Ontario Hockey League draft. What started as a visit to a walk-in clinic quickly accelerated to a diagnosis of osteosarcoma – the same form of cancer Terry Fox had – and a 19-hour surgical procedure to remove the tumor and reconstruct his left shin. That was followed by six months of chemotherapy. From a wheelchair to crutches to shoes to skates, Owen never, ever gave up. He worked and worked himself back into shape. Owen returned to Junior A hockey in the fall of 2021. For the past two years he has played in the CCHL in Ottawa and will continue chasing his hockey dream in university this fall while pursuing a Kinesiology degree. Owen, now 21years old, believes his journey, the bad and the good, has given him a more balanced perspective on life. As a Sick Kids Ambassador and a Childhood Cancer Canada representative, Owen speaks publicly to a variety of audiences. He shares the mental and physical battles after his diagnosis, his recovery, returning to playing hockey and the countless lessons he has learned from his journey back to full health. TSN’s Rick Westhead profiled Owen’s story in a CTV W5 documentary entitled: RELENTLESS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAPr95JLfKo
- Caroline Kassee, Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School: I am a graduate of Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School, and Monsignor Philip Coffey Elementary School. I am currently an epidemiologist (Masters of Public Health (MPH), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto), working at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. The main focus of my work is on infectious diseases in the GTA, but I also have experience working in research with people with disabilities, including cerebral palsy, autism and mental health conditions. I serve on the Board of Directors for Participation House Durham, a non-profit that offers housing, employment and life-skills supports for adults with disabilities, and I also volunteer with Community Care Durham as a COPE Facilitator for mental health support groups.
- Saroya Tinker, Monsignor Paul Dwyer Catholic Secondary School: Saroya Tinker is a former professional hockey player who sparks change, pushes limits, breaks barriers, and creates a more equitable future in hockey. Tinker was a Yale University Women’s Hockey Team member before graduating with a degree in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health. She was drafted fourth overall to the Metropolitan Riveters in 2020 before joining the Toronto Six in 2021. In the 2022-23 PHF season, Saroya was named a PHF All-Star and the Toronto Six won the 2023 Isobel Cup.
Tinker runs Saroya Strong, a mentorship program for young Black women in sports. She is also the Executive Director of Black Girl Hockey Club Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates for Black Women in ice hockey. In 2022, Saroya was part of Front Office Sports’ Rising 25 Class, named one of Sportsnet’s Top-25 Women in Hockey, and won the PHF’s Denna Laing Award, awarded to “the player most actively applying the core values of hockey to her community as well as growing and improving hockey culture.” She also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award for Uninterrupted Canada’s Black Ice. Saroya is one of the faces of diversity and inclusion in hockey - she is continuously pushing the boundaries of the sport and improving it for the next generation of players. In the fall, Breaking Down Barriers, a docuseries showcasing stories of diversity in hockey, premiered on TSN. Saroya is the host, writer, and executive producer. Saroya is currently a member of the Professional Women's Hockey League’s broadcasting team, both on panel and color commentary and is also the leagues Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Community Initiatives. - Jalisa Simons, Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School: Jalisa Simons is a recent graduate from Ottawa University in Kansas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She was an amazing Athlete at Notre Dame winning a Gold OFSAA medal for track and field and a gold medal for the girls basketball team. Jalisa played four years of basketball with Notre Dame, then continued her basketball career at a junior college Orange Coast college in California being the lead scorer in state and in conference for her freshman year. She later got a full scholarship for basketball at Ottawa University in Kansas. Jalisa made considerable adjustment to new cities and made some outstanding accomplishments in her basketball and academic career. Jalisa returned to Canada and continue to serve her community by volunteering to assist in coaching the Notre Dame Lady cougars for two for years. Her love of the game wanting to influence, teach, guide young female athletes had her as the head Coach for U13 girl’s rep team for Canada Elite as well. Jalisa Simons was on the first Canada Elite girls’ basketball team, so this was dear to her heart. Jalisa Simons will be continuing her education at the University of Houston getting her master’s degree. She has also been chosen for the 2024 - 2025 semester to be a TA at the university of Houston. Jalisa Simons will continue her education as her ultimate goal is to have her PhD and use that to be a researcher and professor to help impact the youth.
- Dr. Ian Mayne, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School: Attended St. Mary Catholic Secondary School from 1998-2001. During that time participated in the Track and Cross Country Teams. Multiple time OFSAA Track/Cross-Country Medalist. 2001 Graduating Class Valedictorian. Went onto the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a Track/Cross Country Scholarship. 2-Time NCAA Academic All-American. Graduated from University of Toronto Medical School in 2010. Completed Orthopedic Surgery Residency at the University of Toronto in 2015. Travelled to Australia and New Zealand to complete Shoulder and Elbow Fellowships. In 2017 completed a Sports Medicine fellowship at the University of Toronto. Currently an Orthopedic Surgeon at North York General Hospital and Team Physician for the Toronto Marlies. Lives in North York with his wife Aisha and two sons Caden and Caleb.