Often the story of an organization is told in the service of commemoration or celebration of the goals and achievements of that organization. Beginning with the Stories of UTSC: 1964-2014 Legacy project, faculty and student researchers began collecting the “untold” stories of our campus. Our goal with this project, in addition to extensive archival research, is to build on that earlier collection and continue to capture the lived experience of the members of our campus community – faculty, students, and staff at all levels – through the collection and preservation of oral histories. The oral histories, with permission from participants, are digitally archived in a collection external to this website as part of Scarborough Storytelling administered by the UTSC Library Digital Scholarship Unit. Many thanks to those who have generously agreed to share their stories.
Below are a few examples of the stories that have been preserved. Clicking on the image will take you directly to the audio and transcript files in the digital archive. There are many more to come so stay tuned….
If you are interested in participating and contributing your story to the collection, please contact Christine Berkowitz at chris.berkowitz@utoronto.ca.
Diane Hill talks about the barriers she faced as a First Nations student while attending UTSC. She touches on the transition between her life on the Oneida Nation of the Thames and Scarborough. Diane reflects on how the history of Indigenous peoples and their education has shaped her peers and
Shirley Criscione shares her student experiences as one of the first graduates of Scarborough College in 1968. Shirley highlights how the campus culture was during those years, particularly the impact of having such a small student body (totalling less than 200 students). The campus community was tight knit, where “everybody
Naresh Sritharan began his student career at UTSC in 2013. Growing up in Scarborough, Naresh looked forward to experiencing university in the community; he took programs in Human and Physical Geography, Psychology, and Statistics. During his undergraduate years, Naresh also worked in the student recruitment and admissions office advising prospective
Anthony (Tony) McWatt immigrated to Canada from Guyana during the 1980s to attend Scarborough College as an undergraduate student. He reflects on his both exciting and painful experiences as an international student and the ways that the sense of community at Scarborough College helped him navigate feelings of isolation in
Curious to know more? Browse all of our collections