When Lunjun (Alan) Zhang began his studies as an international student at Villanova College, he had the words of his father echoing in his ears, "My Dad told me when I began my studies abroad that I was going to be the average and that I was to surround myself with people whom I would look up to and were intelligent and talented. He said to soak in what they have to offer and always be learning."

Lunjun certainly was not average in his years at Villanova College. He graduated top of the class in 2017, and he was incredibly accomplished in the school's STEM and Advanced Placement programs. Lunjun embraced all aspects of school life and was the most engaging conversationalist on topics ranging from physics to computer programming to philosophy to classic literature. He never lost an opportunity to question and contemplate life's mysteries, and it is no surprise that Lunjun's inquiries would lead to his studies in Engineering Science and his work and post-graduate studies in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the University of Toronto.

Like any other first-year university student, Lunjun wanted to experience all that class and campus life had to offer. However, after a conversation with a teacher assistant and an internship at the Vector Institute, he decided to take a deep dive into research. At Vector, he gained a more profound understanding of Alpha-Go and the vast possibilities of AI in the lives of Canadians. In his second year, Lunjun participated in another internship at MILA, Quebec Artificial Institute, in Montreal. Here, he gained more substantial knowledge of algorithms in their abstract form. A third internship at Uber followed, spurring Lunjun's post-graduate application process in AI. After much research into where the best research is being done, Lunjun saw Canada at the forefront of ingenuity and has been accepted as a Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science candidate at the University of Toronto.

Lunjun's research will focus on self-driving technology, as he works with his Ph.D. supervisor, Raquel Utarson, and her start-up company Waabi. As Lunjun stated, "The goal is to teach machines that have intuitive common sense to learn with less human supervision. Cars will be able to navigate the road autonomously and more safely."

Lunjun emphasizes that studies within the Engineering Science program are not for the faint of heart, but during the course of it, he has learned to create a balance between work and school and to develop a mindset that withstands the pressures of a deadline environment.

"I basically went into survival mode for my final year, as I completed my course work and worked part-time at Uber."

Lunjun indicates that the formation of his school and work philosophy crystallized at Kairos after hearing Mr. Stephen Morris' reflection.

"Kairos was the single most important experience of my time at Villanova. It provided a safe and open space where students and teachers came together. Mr. Morris spoke about his life, and in his talk, I realized that life is intrinsically difficult, that suffering is part of the human experience, but it is something for which we are to be grateful. Through suffering, we receive grace. It was a truly magical week, and one that has to happen in person."

Lunjun's profound understanding resonates with Augustine's words in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”

Alumni Affairs wishes Lunjun continued success, as he journeys the world of possibilities in AI. He will be discussing his work and studies with our STEM students this fall.

The World of Sustainability

“The universe puts you where you are meant to be,” and for Darcy Curran ’13, it has placed her in the CPG industry, where she ensures sustainable business development and packaging solutions that will support our world’s longevity.  

When Darcy began her post-secondary education at Queen’s University in the Science program, she freely admits that she “struggled with chemistry and physics in the first year” and worked to find her way in third year when she discovered ecology courses such as macro and micro-evolution. In these areas, she “found her groove” and passion for environmental stewardship. She graduated on the Deans list and with an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. She then achieved her Master of Science in Environmental Resource Management at University College Dublin. From there, she began her work in conservation research and analysis with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority (NVCA). This pathway led to her work as a sustainability analyst with Wonderbrands Canada and now an environmental sustainability manager with FGF Brands.

Darcy speaks passionately about the initiatives she is overseeing at FGF. She designs policies and procedures within the areas of waste, water, carbon, packaging ingredients, and makes certain our food products are sustainably sourced and processed. For example, she has helped the company to responsibly source palm oil from vendors that comply with the RSPO Roundtable’s implementation of global standards. Within this framework, Darcy makes certain that consumers can trust vendors and the merchandise they are purchasing. Another area of FGF in which Darcy has been instrumental is optimization, sanitation operations and waste management procedures. She has investigated how to reduce the amount of water used and disposed in the manufacturing of products and how reduce the amount of waste sent to incineration, working to find a recycling stream for every piece of waste on site.. In Darcy’s profession, she is “everyday learning something new,” and she is excited to be part of “a company that is making a difference and bringing to the table ways to improve sales, marketing, baking and engineering of food products.”

Darcy credits Villanova College for her want to make the world a better place. She was appreciative of the focus of grade 12 World Issues and the social outreach she did with the family sponsorship at Christmas and Sandwich Patrol, “It gave me the opportunity to witness the disadvantaged and to be grateful for the life we live.”

Darcy appreciated her experience in Grade 12 leaders and thoroughly enjoyed competing in sports for all three seasons. Most memorable time at VC was the Senior Girls’ Soccer OFSAA win in her graduating year.

Darcy’s current pastimes include playing in women’s volleyball league with Ms. Amanda Figliano and VC classmate, Samantha Jones. She has regular meet ups with several members of her graduating year. She  spends time hiking, and most recently, she went to Denver and explored Rocky Mountain National Park.

As for what the future holds, Darcy says, “I never could imagine doing something in life that I did not enjoy.” We cannot wait and see in what direction the universe next points Darcy.

The World of Gaming

What do gamification and architecture have in common? This questions was top of mind when we chatted with Shane Thompson ’15, who has combined his Bachelor of Architecture from Laurentian University and his Diploma of Education in Game Development and Animation from Toronto Film school and channeled them into his professional career as a Level Designer/3D Modeler.

Shane is currently an intern at Resistr Interactive. He likens his current role to that of a film set designer who creates scenery. His work consists of two stages, modelling and animation, and he uses the 3D GC technology of Blender to produce a game’s visual and structural effects. When asked how his work in architectural studies is similar, Shane responds, “Both fields share the ability to understand how a human would navigate an environment.” He indicates that whether building a game or a condominium, the architect and the level designer must consider physical requirements, user experience and context/setting. In addition, he states, “Games, like real world structures, are procedurally generated and changes are based on what is happening in the particular universe.” Essentially, Shane is engineering an environment, and thus his architectural background serves him well.

Shane has met with early success in the gaming industry. While a student at the Toronto Film School, Shane won the TFS 2021-2022 award for Best Game, entitled “Rust Bucket.” Shane’s role in the project was art director, leading how the game looks and feels. Although the scope of this game design is small, its platform is like the Mario games. What Shane found most rewarding about the experience was the collaboration with coders, artists, voice actors and sound designers. He realized the many working parts that are required to build the games he so enjoyed playing as a teenager.

The community that Shane values in the creative process reinforces the fond memories he has for Villanova College. Shane says, “From the first week, I felt right at home.” Having come to VC in his grade 10 year, he speaks of the Class of 2015 as a group in which it was “easy to find friendships.” He credits the experiences of Kairos, the musical production of Once on This Island, French class with Mme. Petrescu, and ski club as indelible and formative, allowing him to “try new things” and “make life fun.”

In his spare time, Shane enjoys walking, reading sci-fi series such as James. S.A. Covey’s The Expanse and, of course, gaming, those that tell a story and have a compelling environment that “transfers me to another world.” When his dad pesters him about his preoccupations, Shane says these activities are “inspiration” to fuel his game designs and future.

We cannot wait to see what Shane will create next as he continues to blend his passions and embrace possibilities.