The University of Toronto Mississauga Department of Historical Studies has announced its 2025–26 award recipients, recognizing students, a group project, and faculty contributors across several programs. The awards span Historical Studies, Classical Civilization, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and UTM student leadership, highlighting academic achievement, research, teaching, and campus involvement.
Key facts
- The department and its Historical Studies Awards Committee announced the 2025–26 awardees on Oct. 23, 2026.
- Recipients include students in History, Classical Civilization, Religious Studies, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
- One award recognized a CLA337H5S group project completed by five named students.
- UTM student leadership awards also went to Aditi Soin and Samuel Kamalendran.
What this means for students in Historical Studies at UTM
The announcement identifies who was recognized for the 2025–26 academic year and shows the range of work the department rewards, from scholarship and research to teaching assistance and collaborative projects. For students in the affected programs, the awards mark formal recognition of academic performance and contribution within the department and at the university level.
The recipients named in the announcement are:
- Mahima Mann — Ida and Sam Aster Memorial Award in Historical Studies
- Lucas Macinnis — History Emeriti Award; The Desmond Morton Book Prize
- Olivia Mason — The R.E.A. Morton Prize
- Gordon Mangione — The Hans-Georg Neumann Scholarship
- Kevin Xilin Zhou — Hugh Smith Scholarship in Canadian History
- Isabela Marsic — The McNab Scholarship in Religious Studies (Erindale)
- Aliya Pariag — Historical Studies Graduate School Transition Award
- CLA337H5S Group Project — Historical Studies Creative Activity Award, awarded to Tori Boynton, Omar Chublak, Sam Gales, Shania Jayasekera, and Sarah Walker-Petpich
- Chad Hagel — Historical Studies Best Paper Award; Classical Civilization Research and Study Grant
- Gianna Ruffieux — Historical Studies Classical Civilization Merit Award
- Salma Abdelaziz — WGS Student of the Year / UTM Study of Women and Gender Program Award
- Nuzhat Khurshid — Historical Studies Teaching Assistant Award
- Kyle Smith — Historical Studies Teaching Award (Faculty)
The university also reported two UTM student leadership awards for students from these programs: Aditi Soin received the UTM Student Leadership Achievement Award in Equity and Inclusion, and Samuel Kamalendran received the Principal’s Award of Excellence in Student Leadership.
Which programs were represented?
Recipients came from or were connected to Classical Civilization, Diaspora and Transnational Studies, History, History of Religions, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, South Asian Humanities, and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. The announcement also notes that students from these programs received UTM Student Leadership awards.
Why does this award list matter?
The list shows how the department and UTM recognize different kinds of student work, not just final grades. It includes prizes for papers, books, research, scholarships, teaching assistance, graduate transition support, creative activity, and leadership, which gives a picture of the academic and community contributions being valued within the unit.
What happened on Oct. 23, 2026?
On Oct. 23, 2026, UTM published a departmental announcement congratulating the 2025–26 awardees and thanking students, instructors, and teaching assistants for their contributions during the academic year. The post also linked to other recent UTM news items, but the main purpose was to recognize the recipients named above.
