Dr. Vanita Jassal and Kevin McAnena - Alumni of Queen's University, Belfast

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Vanita Jassal and Kevin McAnena. This was the first ever live episode of Irish in Toronto and I would like to thank Daniel Patton for making it happen. Daniel is the Development and Engagement Manager for North America for Queen’s University Belfast. This event was about allowing members of the Queen’s alumni to share their stories of what brought them to Toronto. 

In this episode, you will hear from Dr. Vanita Jassal who has been in Toronto for around thirty years. She shares her story of growing up as a visible minority in Belfast during the Troubles. Her success in Toronto has been remarkable and she shares how this was achieved, as well as the more honest negative experiences she has had. Kevin McAnena, from Co. Tyrone, has been living in Toronto for close to a decade now. He shares the curiosity that led him here and how he has managed to maintain strong links with Ireland. 

I would still encourage people to download the episodes and to share them with friends and family. Downloads are the easiest indicator for me to gauge how many people I am reaching with these conversations so I would really appreciate it.