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What is Backpack to Briefcase (b2B)?
It's a Faculty of Arts & Science initiative that connects current students and recent grads with experienced A&S alumni to learn about their career paths and stories as they navigated into the world of work.
The insights these events provide are invaluable to our students, who comment how it provides a level of confidence and comfort to hear how alumni have faced their own challenges and found solutions to setbacks. Uncertainty is natural at the point where you're about to graduate and aren't quite sure how to leverage opportunities, and it's reassuring to hear from those who are further along the road but who have been in exactly the same position themselves.
Four DSR alumni generously gave their time one evening in March 2025 to participate in a panel moderated by the chair of the DSR's alumni relations committee, Professor Simon Coleman. We framed the event with the overarching question on many students' minds: "So you're getting a degree in religion – what's next?"
[HAVE QUOTE TEXT FROM NATALIE TO WORK INTO THE TEXT, PLUS ALSO GOING TO ADD A QUOTE BOX WITH HER PROFILE]
It was fascinating to hear the panelists address from their unique perspectives such questions as "Did you plan to be in the role you're in today?", "What part did networking play in your job search?" and "With hindsight, would you have done anything differently?". A lively and engaged audience benefited from the panel's thoughtful and candid exploration of these and other topics, with the discussion continuing as students had the opportunity to speak with our guests informally over refreshments. In his closing remarks, moderator Simon Coleman expressed the DSR's gratitude for these alumni taking time from their busy lives to help new graduates as they transition through the maze of career choices and job search. He also noted how benefical to students it was to hear the astute reflections of these experienced alumni, and how those perceptive observations bolster the confidence of those at the beginning of their career paths.
Our special alumni guests were Rachel Browne (BA (Double Major in Religion and Ethics, Society & Law), 2012), Natalie Michalagas (MA Religion, 2009), Jonathan Trentadue (BA (Double Major in Religion and Political Science), 2008) and Shari Golberg (PhD Judaism and Islam, 2013) and you can find more about their individual career trajectories below.
We will hold another b2B session in the spring of 2026 – we'd be delighted if you would consider participating! Please contact Simon Coleman, simon.coleman@utoronto.ca, who leads our Alumni Relations Committee; he will be very happy to discuss it with you.
The 2025 DSR Backpack to Briefcase Alumni Panel
Rachel Browne
Rachel’s work appears in The Walrus, Texas Monthly, Maclean's magazine, Global News, Politico, VICE News, Thomson Reuters, and other outlets. She is the host of the 2024 true crime podcast series The Greatest Scam Ever Written for Sony Music Entertainment.
Her documentary work includes VICE's The Dark Side of Comedy (2023), The Weather Network's Water is the New Fire (2023), CBC's Witness (2023), and Amazon Studios' The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith (2022).
Previously, Rachel was a senior reporter at VICE News where she produced feature docs including Steel Town Down (2018), and the CRAVE original Rat Park (2019). Rachel also works with production companies around the world, including Muse, Blue Ant, ITN, and others, on documentary/podcast development and production.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and Ethics, Society & Law from the University of Toronto, and a Master’s degree in Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Natalie Michalagas
Natalie is an award-winning communications strategist. She currently serves as Director of Global Communications at Manulife, providing comms consult to executives and creating global strategies that bring the company’s mission and values to life for employees, customers, and communities.
She is passionate about the power of storytelling in corporate environments, and specializes in content creation that drives engagement by connecting the dots between what people do and why it matters.
Natalie holds a Master’s degree in Religion and a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Toronto, and is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist through Toronto’s Institute of Holistic Nutrition. She lives in the city with her husband and two sons, and still loves reading, learning, and daydreaming about “what’s next.”
Jonathan Trentadue
Jonathan is the Director, University Relations for the University of Toronto, responsible for providing direction and oversight across a number of areas, including university relations, sector-based organizations (Council of Ontario Universities, Universities Canada, U15 Canada (Canada's fifteen leading research universities)), and U of T's Government Relations Office operations.
He also liaises with senior university administration to ensure alignment of advocacy objectives, helping to coordinate responses to emerging issues.
Prior to joining U of T, Jonathan served in various management roles within the Ontario Public Service and Cabinet Office, and is an alumnus of the Ontario Legislature Internship Programme. Jonathan holds a double major BA from U of T in Religion and Political Science, and an MA in Political Science from McMaster University.
In a highly competitive field of job applicants, a degree in the study of religion can help you stand out from the crowd. It is a point of differentiation. There are core competencies and knowledge gained through the study of religion - providing unique skillsets for job applicants that help them connect with the people and places they hope to work for. — Jonathan Trentadue
Shari Golberg
Shari is Assistant Director, Faith & Anti-racism at the University of Toronto, providing strategic advice and consultation to members of the university community on matters where race and religious/spiritual identities intersect. With a PhD in Religion from U of T, she has taught courses and workshops across Ontario in post-secondary, public sector, and corporate environments on religious accommodation, antisemitism and Islamophobia, and creating inclusive workplace cultures. She has served as a researcher, facilitator, policy advisor, and community organizer for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the Ontario Public Service, and the 2018 Toronto Parliament of World Religions. For eight years, she facilitated Shema & Iqra: The Jewish-Muslim Text Project, a grassroots initiative which collaborated with over 20 organizations, bringing Toronto-based Muslims and Jews together to explore issues of mutual concern, including gender and religious leadership, environmental ethics, and creative expression. In her spare time, she volunteers for an organization called Carrying Testimony, where she shares her grandmother’s experiences of survival during the Holocaust with middle school and high school students in Ontario. She is also working on a collection of short stories to find other ways to share her grandmother’s experiences with wider audiences.
Try to cast a wide net and meet with people in a variety of disciplines and professions, as you never know where this might lead you. — Shari Golberg
