Congratulations Graduating Class of 2023

The Faculty, Staff and Practicing Professionals of the Faculty of Law wish you all sincere congratulations on having completed your respective degrees. 

Congratulations UM Law class of 2023!

The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law proudly congratulates our Juris Doctor, Master of Laws, and Master of Human Rights Graduates of 2023.

As you go on either to article and train further to be a legal or human rights professional, or to deepen your knowledge of law and human rights from an academic perspective, you will join the ranks of leaders in this world of uncertainties.

We have every confidence that with the knowledge that this parchment represents, you have the tools to face any challenges that will undoubtedly come your way. After all, you’ve already overcome the hurdles presented by the COVID pandemic.

We now look to you to uphold, advance and live our faculty’s values of justice, integrity and excellence. Don’t forget to stay in touch and tell us what you’re doing!

Juris Doctor (JD) program

    • Shuyao Ai
    • Heather Alexander
    • Jessie Anton
    • Laura Ayres
    • Ashley Bains
    • Sandra Barkho
    • Antonio Barraza-Luna
    • Mikaela Jade Bauerlein
    • Julia Beal
    • Sierra Bednarz
    • Audrey Bews
    • Nikki Boggs
    • Chashandeep Brar
    • Sipy Brar
    • Michael Brennan
    • Ryan Burky
    • Mackenzie Cardinal
    • Carleena Cavallo
    • Katrina Chanas
    • Dion Cheung
    • Harold Chisel**
    • Natasha Chudley
    • Tan Ciyiltepe
    • Sophie Collier
    • Noah Curle
    • Gustavo da Roza
    • Anthony Dempsey
    • Christopher Dick
    • Jana Elazar
    • Richmond Eshikena
    • Masuma Fatima
    • Xiyuan Feng
    • Megan Filyk
       
    • Keenan Fonseca
    • Ashley Fouad
    • Janelle Futros**
    • Sara Fretwell
    • Andrew Gabel
    • Mason Geddes
    • Isanne Goldberg
    • Lauren Gowler
    • Brandon Gray
    • Brayden Gray
    • Samantha Green 
    • Samantha Harvey
    • Jonathan Hinman
    • Ravneet Hothi**
    • Heather Hughes
    • Elise Janzen
    • Housam Jeha
    • Connor Jonsson
    • Alisen Kotyk
    • Adam Kowal
    • Jordan Kreml
    • Evan Kwong
    • Drew Lambert
    • Andrea Lett
    • Brittney Macht
    • Abhishek Makam
    • Benjamin Manness
    • Nicholas Mark
    • Cole McClelland
    • Aiyana McKenzie
    • Liam Menec
    • Gentiana Morina 
       
    • Braeden Ness
    • Derek Novosel
    • Samantha Onchulenko
    • Hazem Osso 
    • Brett Oxenforth
    • Justin Paulic
    • Kennedy Pinette
    • Jodi Plenert
    • Liam Pollock
    • Zackery Porter
    • Matthew Rakar
    • Abhijit Ranade*
    • Tiana Romeo
    • Marko Roslycky
    • Furyal Sadiq
    • Prachi Sanghavi
    • Ty Schmidt
    • Christopher Scofield
    • Dustin Seguin
    • Sarah Sharp
    • Edvanny Silva Burns
    • Davinder Singh
    • Mikal Sokolowski
    • Blaine Speck
    • Hardeep Suri
    • Rhiannon Swan
    • Jenna Symons
    • Johanna Thiessen
    • Kaitlin Trager
    • Justin Vermette
    • Nikolai von Schilling
    • Nicholas Warsza
       

Master of Law (LLM) program

    • Daniel Booy**
    • Nalini Persaud*
    • Ian McIsaac*

Master of Human rights (MHR) program

    • Sabbontu Abdushekur
    • Aayushi Bana
    • Mia Bastien**
    • Michael Campbell**
    • Amy Cherpako
    • Mitchell Defehr
    • Sara Gibson
    • Piper Larsen
    • Kimberly Lenz
    • Omobolanle Sodipo
    • Mandeep Thind
    • Natasha Tomchuk
    • Victoria Weir
    • Stephanie Zirino**

* Graduating October 2022
** Graduating February 2023

Juris Doctor: Valedictorian Address

 

The Juris Doctor Class of 2023 Valedictorian was Megan Filyk. This speech was delivered at the annual Grad Dinner.

Juris Doctor: Class of 2023 Instagram biographies

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Mikal Sokolowski.

Mikal Sokolowski

Mikal was the MLSA President for 2022-23 and will be articling at Restall & Restall in Winnipeg.

What was your path to get to law school?
My undergrad was in Commerce at the University of Manitoba, majoring in Marketing and Human Resources. As far as my ‘career’ goes, I have worked as a bartender at a golf course and at Canada Life Centre. I also worked at Red River College, assisting students in deciding what they would like to do in the future and with the services they need.

Dion Cheung, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Dion will be articling at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman in Winnipeg.

Dion Cheung

Dion Cheung, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Dion will be articling at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman in Winnipeg.

What was your path to get to law school?
I was finishing up my degree in microbiology and started researching different career options. One fateful day, I ended up on Instagram and stumbled across a friend’s law school acceptance post which got me thinking—why did I never consider law school? I always had an interest in law and had considered it in elementary school, but this career path fell off my radar once I entered high school and focused more on the sciences. After seeing my friend’s Instagram post, I did a practice LSAT and was intrigued with it, going as far as to even think it was fun. I ended up writing the LSAT, applied to law school after finishing my degree, and here I am now, graduating!

Brayden Gray, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Brayden will be articling at MLT Aikins in Winnipeg.

Brayden Gray

Brayden Gray, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Brayden will be articling at MLT Aikins in Winnipeg.

What was your path to get to law school?
I waited and worked for a couple of years out of high school while I figured out what I wanted to do. After deciding to attend university, I completed a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Criminal Justice. Before graduating, I knew I was not done with my education, and in my final two years, I had to decide whether to pursue a Master of Arts or attend law school. I chose the latter, which I believe was the right decision.

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Dustin Seguin. Dustin will be articling at McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto.

Dustin Seguin

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Dustin Seguin. Dustin will be articling at McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto.

What was your path to get to law school?
I was 18 when I was hired as a Sheriff’s Officer in the Winnipeg Courthouse and had the chance to meet some amazing lawyers. One day I brought an individual who was in custody to see his lawyer and an older Sheriff told me that I too could become a lawyer, if I could find a way to get educated. After a few years as a Sheriff’s Officer, I joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Military Police Officer (NCM) in the regular force. After over a decade of policing and globe hopping with the military, I decided it was time for a change. The military paid for my entire undergrad that I was able to complete by correspondence. Once I graduated, someone must have dropped the ball because I slipped through one of the cracks and ended up at Robson Hall.

Megan Filyk, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Megan is the Class Valedictorian and will be articling at Pitblado Law in Winnipeg.

Megan Filyk

Megan Filyk, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Megan is the Class Valedictorian and will be articling at Pitblado Law in Winnipeg.

What was your path to get to law school?
Before law school I completed a science degree at the University of Winnipeg, with a double major in bioanthropology and biology. I studied the diet of ancient Cuban populations through examining the dental calculus left on their remains. I was also a barista at a few local coffee shops before and during law school. As my stepdad likes to say – from barista to barrister.

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Dr. Davinder Singh. Following graduation, Davinder will continue practicing public health medicine in Manitoba while seeking opportunities to combine his interests of public health and law.

Dr. Davinder Singh

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Dr. Davinder Singh. Following graduation, Davinder will continue practicing public health medicine in Manitoba while seeking opportunities to combine his interests of public health and law.

What drew you to law school?
While I was training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, my program director was Dr. Brent Roussin. He also has a law degree and mentioned that he found his legal education helpful when analyzing problems.

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Jodi Plenert. Jodi will be articling at Cochrane Saxberg in Winnipeg.

Jodi Plenert

uris Doctor Class of 2023: Jodi Plenert. Jodi will be articling at Cochrane Saxberg in Winnipeg.

What was your path to get to law school (your undergrad, what you did before law school, etc.)?
Before law school, I earned a Bachelor of Arts while playing post-secondary volleyball and then proceeded to become a touring musician in an indie rock band. I was fortunate enough to get play shows across Canada, the US, and Europe with my band.

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Chris Dick. Chris will be articling with Norton Rose in Calgary.

Chris Dick

Juris Doctor Class of 2023: Chris Dick. Chris will be articling with Norton Rose in Calgary.

What was your path to get to law school?
After my NBA dreams were crushed as a teenager, I finished high school a year early and began on my path towards law school. I attended Providence University College and Theological Seminary where I took General Studies, played basketball for three years, and visited more places in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa than anyone ever should. Between my time in undergrad and law school I spent a year working for the Public Guardian and Trustee of Manitoba.

Samantha Harvey, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Samantha will be articling at Fillmore Riley in Winnipeg. She is also this years Gold Medalist!

Samantha Harvey

Samantha Harvey, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Samantha will be articling at Fillmore Riley in Winnipeg. She is also this years Gold Medalist!

What drew you to law school?
Law was something I never really thought was a real option, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to write the LSAT. Even once I got in, I still didn’t think I’d be a lawyer. I thought I would just use the degree for some other career. However, once I started law school, I found the classes incredibly interesting and quickly became quite passionate about pursuing a career as a lawyer.

Justin Paulic, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Justin will be articling at KGS Group in Winnipeg.

Justin Paulic

Justin Paulic, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Justin will be articling at KGS Group in Winnipeg.

What drew you to law school?
I was nearing the end of my engineering degree and I realized that having a better understanding of law, in general, could be useful when combined with my engineering knowledge. I hoped that by pursuing both engineering and law, I could carve out a unique and interesting career path.

Lauren Gowler, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Lauren will be pursuing an LL.M. at Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom)

Lauren Gowler

Lauren Gowler, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Lauren will be pursuing an LL.M. at Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom)

What was your path to get to law school?
Before law school, I completed my undergraduate degree at U of M in English Literature. During that time, I was also a part of the Black Hole Theatre Company, a community of like-minded individuals who collaborated on theatrical productions. I think taking English and Theatre classes in my undergrad – which focused on developing written and oral communication skills – provided a huge advantage for me in law school when it came to writing memos, giving presentations, or arguing in the moot courtroom.

Adam Kowal, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Adam will be articling with the Ministry AG Ontario Civil Law Division in Toronto.

Adam Kowal

Adam Kowal, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Adam will be articling with the Ministry AG Ontario Civil Law Division in Toronto.

What was your path to get to law school?
With an aptitude for science and utilitarianism, I thought the best way I could be fulfilled and serve at the same time was to be a physician so I got a great degree in philosophy and went to medicine. I left medicine to pursue a graduate degree in philosophy, working as a teaching assistant in medical ethics at the medical school I went to. After that I ended up bartending to pay the bills and to see what life was like not studying. That couldn't last and I was briefly interested in air traffic control before going to law school.

Tan Ciyiltepe, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Tan will be articling at MLT Aikins in Winnipeg.

Tan Ciyiltepe

Tan Ciyiltepe, Juris Doctor Class of 2023. Tan will be articling at MLT Aikins in Winnipeg.


What was your path to get to law school?
Shortly after high school, I moved to Toronto to pursue an acting career. After working on some fun projects and getting called in for hundreds of auditions, including two failed auditions for a spot on the TV show, Suits, I shifted my attention to music in my mid-twenties, which had always been my primary passion. I played in bands for over a decade and, with my writing partner, licensed some of our music for use in TV and Film. In the midst of my creative pursuits, I returned to school at 30 to pursue an English degree at the University of Toronto, which eventually led me to Hamilton in pursuit of a master’s. Once I defended my thesis, I moved to Winnipeg with my spouse to raise our family.

Stay connected with us

Faculty of Law

224 Dysart Road
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

lawalumni@umanitoba.ca
lawinfo@umanitoba.ca
204.474.6130
204.474.7580
Our office is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.