Five U of T Law students recognized for exemplary leadership and service to the university

The University of Toronto Student Leadership Award (formerly known as the Cressy Award) continues U of T’s long-standing tradition of recognizing outstanding student leadership, service and commitment to the university. Five U of T Law students (JD 2021) are being honoured for their exemplary leadership and service to the university.

"On behalf of the Faculty, I congratulate this year's University of Toronto Student Leadership Award recipients," said University Professor and Dean Jutta Brunnée. "Their efforts to enrich the student experience at U of T Law do not go unnoticed. I thank the award recipients, and all of our student leaders, for their many contributions to our community."

The 2021 UTSLA recipients are: 

Sophie Barnett

Sophie co-founded the Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Group to help fellow law students understand this increasingly important area of law and best prepare themselves for an impactful legal career.

Ryan Deshpande

Ryan builds institutional changes to improve equity, where he helped guide the Students' Law Society (SLS) and clubs in prioritizing equity through governance changes and continually being a constructive dissenting voice.

Erica McLachlan

Erica is dedicated to building a community of support at the law school. She has developed the mental health initiatives, including co-founding Law Chats, a peer-facilitated student support group.

Robert Nanni

Robert Nanni is president of the Students' Law Society (SLS). He is proud to have prioritized student advocacy and community-building throughout his degrees, both in normal times and otherwise.

Amitpal Singh

Amit has made significant contributions to the law school's research mission through leadership roles on three academic journals. He also founded the Faculty of Law Art Association.

Read U of T Celebrates: 200 outstanding students recognized with University of Toronto Student Leadership Awards