2013-2014 Guest Speakers

Trinity College School is committed to inviting varied and interesting guest speakers to address the School community. Our guest speakers present to our community during a variety of TCS events such as the Mac Campbell Lecture Series, subject specific lectures and other special occasions such as Scholars' Evening.

Elia Saikaly
Date: Monday, February 10, 2014 - 7:00pm to Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - 6:59pm
Location: Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre
Event: Scholars’ Evening

Elia Saikaly is an award-winning adventure filmmaker whose global adventures inspire others to find their most meaningful life and spark positive change. With over 16 high-altitude expeditions under his belt, Mr. Saikaly has proven time and time again that he has the determination, stamina, skill, resourcefulness and vision required to meet the greatest of challenges. Through his extraordinary presentations, Mr. Saikaly shows others how to find the courage and strength to live out their dreams, embrace the unknown and contribute to a better world in the process.

On May 22, 2013, Mr. Saikaly stood on top of the world for the second time. Not only did he climb to the summit of Mt. Everest, he shot a reality television series and shared the journey with thousands of students around the world. He has participated in six Himalayan climbs and has led multiple youth expeditions, all of which were broadcast online through FindingLife, an organization he founded to empower and educate youth around the world.

Once an actor, model, and MuchMusic reporter, Mr. Saikaly is now an adventurer and partner of www.epals.com, the largest Kindergarten-Grade 12 social network on Earth. He is also the featured adventurer of a bilingual television series featuring Canada’s 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites called Our Part of the World.

Mr. Saikaly spends much of this time working in partnership which charities such as Moving Mountain Trust and Childhaven International. His media appearances include Canada AM, CBS, NBC, CTV, CBC and various international media outlets in the Middle East and Europe. His most recent work, Everest – A Time Lapse Film, went viral, hit the number one place on www.mashable.com and was shared the world over.

George Brady
Date: Thursday, January 30, 2014 - 3:30pm
Location: Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre
Event: Mac Campbell Lecture Series

Born on February 9, 1928, in Nove Mesto, Czechoslovakia, George Brady was a lively boy whose life changed when his sister Hana was born. Together, they lived a normal family life, skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer, going to school, making friends and helping out in the store. But when the Nazis came, life changed. More and more restrictions were placed on Jewish families.

When both of their parents were arrested in 1941, George and Hana were lucky enough to be looked after by their uncle and aunt. However, further disaster struck in May 1942 when both children were deported to Terezin, a ghetto set up by the Nazis in an old fortress town. Hana was 11 and George 14.

In September of 1944, George was transported to Auschwitz where he managed to survive by working and with the help of many lucky breaks.

In January 1945, just one month shy of his 17th birthday, George escaped during a death march towards Germany. He returned home to Nove Mesto only to find that his parents had been killed. He held on to hope for Hana’s return but shortly thereafter learned of her tragic fate.

As the only survivor of his immediate family, George decided to leave Czechoslovakia because of the Communist takeover, eventually making his way to Canada. Two years later, he and another Holocaust survivor founded a successful plumbing business; when he retired, over 40 years later, the business had over 200 employees. Having promised himself when he was a helpless prisoner that he would help those in need if he survived the war, George became and has continued to partake in various charitable organizations and maintained an active role in his community.

To learn more about George and Hana Brady, visit www.hanassuitcase.ca.

Note: Mr. Brady will be accompanied on this visit by his daughter, Lara Brady.

Jessi Cruickshank
Date: Friday, December 13, 2013 - 1:20pm
Location: Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre
Event: Mac Campbell Lecture Series/Event: Week Without Walls

Jessi Cruickshank is one of the most beloved TV personalities in Canada and “one of the funniest people on TV, period” (The Province). Ms. Cruickshank became a household name as the face of MTV Canada and the host of MTV’s international smash hit The Hills After Show. The Hills After Show quickly became a television phenomenon, nominated for three Gemini Awards, syndicated in over 10 countries and generating record-breaking ratings in Canada and the U.S.

With the success of The Hills After Show, Ms. Cruickshank went on to co-host, produce and write the spin-off prime time talk show The After Show, where she provided her quick-witted commentary and refreshing perspective on the day’s entertainment news. Ms. Cruickshank’s self-deprecating humour, irreverent interview style and eclectic flair for fashion quickly made her a fan-favourite and she went on to host celebrity satire series Jessi Cruickshank’s Real Hollywood Survival Guide, The MTV Movie Awards Pre-Show, acted as a judge on Canada’s Next Top Model and made regular guest appearances on E!’s The Soup, Fashion Television, Degrassi, Canada AM, CP24 and The Marilyn Dennis Show. In 2010, Ms. Cruickshank was hand-picked from journalists across the country to cover the Vancouver Olympic Games as a co-host of Olympic Morning on CTV.

Garnering the attention of top producers in the U.S, Ms. Cruickshank re-located to Los Angeles in 2011 to create a documentary series with Ellen Rakieten, executive producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, act as the L.A. correspondent for Etalk! And, this summer, she will be making her U.S. network debut as the host of the new CW game show, Oh Sit!

Born in an A&W restaurant, Ms. Cruickshank grew up in Vancouver, B.C., honing her comedic skills as the only girl on an all-male improv troupe alongside Seth Rogen. She then went on to study theatre in London, England and graduated at the top of her class with a degree in drama and English from the University of Toronto. Soon after, Ms. Cruickshank was discovered in MTV’s nationwide search and was thrust onto the national stage, interviewing the likes of Tom Cruise, Justin Bieber, Mark Wahlberg, Tom Hanks, the cast of Twilight, Will Ferrell, Drake, Rhianna and Bill Gates, to name a few. Often pushing the boundaries, Ms. Cruickshank’s daring and hilarious interviews with Taylor Lautner, Adam Lambert, Heidi and Spencer, and her “date” with Bradley Cooper quickly became online sensations, garnering over a million views worldwide.

Ms. Cruickshank’s ability to connect to her audience has also allowed her to tackle global issues in a refreshingly relatable way. As the ambassador for charity organization Free the Children, Ms. Cruickshank traveled to India in 2008 for the critically acclaimed documentary MTV Presents: Jessi in India, where she encountered child labour, hunger and poverty first-hand. In 2009 she produced the much-anticipated follow-up MTV Presents: Jessi in Kenya that documented her experiences living in a mud hut for 10 days with a traditional Massai family. Ms. Cruickshank’s social activism has made her a renowned keynote speaker, appearing at colleges, universities and national conferences alongside the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Richard Branson and Mia Farrow. Last year she teamed up with the cast of The Hills to auction off her designer dresses, raising over $30,000 for charity.

Known for her unique and eclectic sense of style, Ms. Cruickshank has been named TV Guide’s “Best Dressed Host,” and she has appeared in top fashion publications Elle, Flare, Fashion and Verve Girl. In 2008, Ms. Cruickshank launched her own line of eco-friendly T-shirts for Me to We Style that sold out across the country; her second collection, released last summer, was the fastest selling T-shirt line in Me to We history.

Ms. Cruickshank currently resides in Los Angeles.

Chris Selby ’06
Date: Monday, September 23, 2013 - 7:00pm to Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - 6:59pm
Location: Osler Hall
Event: Scholars’ Dinner

Chris Selby is a 2013–2014 articling student at Cassels Brock, a full service law firm in Toronto. He joined the firm as a summer student in 2011 and has contributed to a number of business law, securities law and litigation files.

Chris is a graduate of the J.D. programme at Western University’s law school and the H.B.A. programme at the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. He graduated from Ivey on the Dean's List.

Chris has researched extensively in the area of electric utilities regulation as a research assistant in the economics and public policy group at Ivey. He also co-founded the Ivey Law Club.

Chris’ experience in public policy includes working for federal cabinet minister Monte Solberg and as a researcher at the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, a public policy think tank in Toronto. He has volunteered on a number of provincial and federal election campaigns.

Chris enjoys spending time on his family’s farm in Newcastle, Ontario. He is an avid skier and volunteers teaching ski lessons to individuals with disabilities.

At TCS Chris was (proudly!) in Hodgetts House, served as a prefect, played in Jazz@4, was on the swim and baseball teams, and travelled to India and Europe.