Hey guys! You may not have heard of a small university in the heart of wine country on the edge of the escarpment in Ontario. I go to that small university and it’s called Brock University. We have just about 18, 512 students with over 85, 000 graduates all around the world. I’ve summed up the top 15 famous alumni from Brock University here for you.
1. First things first, RYAN GOSLING’S MOM!!!
Yes, you read that right. Ryan Gosling’s mom graduated Teacher’s College from Brock in 2012! Ryan was there with Eva Mendes for her graduation and it’s safe to say that I’ve fulfilled my dream of walking the same halls and going into the same gym as Ryan Gosling.
2. Dennis Hull
The former left-winger for the Chicago Blackhawks, Hull graduated with his BA in 1981. After he retired from hockey in 1978, Hull began teaching sports at a local private school in St. Catharines, where Brock University is located and then started his undergraduate education at Brock. What’s amazing is that he was the first person in his family of 11 to graduate university.
3. Marc Jordan
Born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Toronto, Jordan studied film at Brock, then went on to write songs for Cher, Bette Midler, Chicago, Kansas and many more influential artists. Jordan signed a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 1977. Rock on, Marc!
4. Tonya Verbeek
The first woman to win a wrestling medal for Canada in the Olympics? I think yes. Verbeek won silver for Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics, a bronze in 2008 and another silver in 2012. She trains at Brock regularly for the upcoming Olympics.
5. Matt Roik
Roik is a professional lacrosse goaltender. He’s played for Toronto Rock, Chicago Shamrox, New Jersey Storm, Philadelphia Wings and other teams.
6. Matthew Santoro
One of the more famous YouTubers was born in Welland, (my city!!) and went to Brock for accounting and graduated in 2010. Matt’s out here keeping our name alive, love it.
7. Rick Campanelli
Campanelli is the host of Entertainment Tonight Canada AND he went to Brock? That’s awesome.
8. Daniel Adair (I know)
You may or may not recognize him as Nickelback’s drummer. (Do people like Nickelback?) Either way it’s pretty awesome.
9. Kim Campbell
SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA!!! Albeit, it was only a couple months (so she was also the shortest-standing Prime Minister). I truly didn’t know she was Prime Minister but it’s awesome. We need more strong women figureheads.
10. Peter McLaren
McLaren is a super cool professor of Critical Studies at Chapman University and a National Ambassador for UNICEF, along with his wife.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMZiddZhItK/?tagged=petermclaren
11. Kyle Rae
Rae was the first openly gay Toronto city councillor who was an absolute delight. He married his husband Mark Reid in 2003 after Canada finally legalized same sex marriage. Very wonderful. So many of our famous alumni from Brock University are also very inspiring.
12. Kyle Dubas
You may have heard of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a hockey team in the NHL. But what you don’t know is the Assistant General Manager of the Leafs graduated from Sports Management! He is also an interim General Manager of the team now.
13. Jessica Lewis
Currently ranked third in the world, this badass Parapan Am 100m racer represented Bermuda at the Paralympic Games last year in Rio. We’re all extremely proud of her for achieving all that she has.
14. Jared Pelletier
Pelletier is a cool Canadian director who put out some successful films called Hearts of Men and Omega, a Machinima series.
15. Cem Kaner
He is the Director of Florida Tech’s Centre for Software Testing and Education. He is a huge advocate for software usability and software testing. He was a major head in the Silicon Valley scene.
There you have it! 15 Famous Alumni from Brock University. Our university may be small but we make a big impact on everyone we meet and everything we do.
Who is your favorite famous alumni from Brock University? Comment below!
Featured photo source: icff.ca
