About Us

Our History

The Jadavpur University Alumni Association Toronto (JUAn) was officially launched in July 1998 at the North American Bengali Conference (NABC).

What began as a small alumni initiative blossomed into a thriving community— inspired by shared experiences, mutual support and a collective commitment to helping newcomers build successful lives in Canada.

The JUAn Founding members are:

• Late Dr. Kanti Hore (Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, 1951)
• Late Rabin Chatterjee (Electrical Engineering, 1961)
• Sumit Mukhopadhyay (Chemical Engineering, 1975)
• Chandreyee Saha (Chemical Engineering, 1990)
• Samit Saha (Chemical Engineering, 1990)

Chandreyee Saha is one of the founders of JUAn Toronto, a past president and an invaluable member of the community. The following is her account of how JUAn was founded and how it gradually evolved over the years.

“When I immigrated to Canada in 1996, I considered myself fortunate. Having already studied here, gained relevant work experience and enjoyed the support of family and friends, my own transition was relatively smooth. Yet I saw many highly skilled newcomers struggling to settle in, find meaningful employment and rebuild their professional lives.

In December 1997, during an informal gathering of friends, some of us decided to create a volunteer organization to support new Canadians. United by our shared roots at Jadavpur University and armed with little more than phone numbers, email addresses and a desire to help— we founded the Jadavpur University Alumni Association Toronto (JUAn)."

What We Do

We set ourselves two goals:

Practical Settlement Support: Help one another with everyday essentials such as writing a Canadian-style résumé, searching for jobs, opening a bank account, buying a car or a house. These were basic yet daunting tasks for newcomers in a pre-internet era, before Facebook and LinkedIn.

Professional Licensing and Recognition: The second goal proved far more challenging. As engineers, we were not permitted to work without a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) license. To qualify, one needed to have worked for at least three years under a Canadian-licensed engineer—a reasonable rule for recent graduates, but an obstacle for experienced foreign-trained professionals.

Guided by advice from our senior members, we decided to organize "Professionals' Day Meets"—networking sessions for foreign-trained professionals. These events included discussions with the Finance Minister, the Human Resources Minister, and the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). A major Canadian bank and several businesses generously sponsored these events.

Over the following years, our continued advocacy helped raise awareness of these issues and contributed to the development of licensing pathways, career-bridging initiatives and mentorship opportunities. Our members went on to earn professional licence, build successful careers and form lifelong friendships.

Over time, JUAn also grew into an important social and cultural home for Jadavpur University alumni and their families in the Greater Toronto Area. As members settled into their new lives in Canada, the need for practical support was joined by an equally important need for friendship, belonging and a continuing connection to the community we had left behind.

Our social gatherings have therefore always been an important part of JUAn. Annual picnics, cultural programs, festive celebrations and informal get-togethers give alumni and their families an opportunity to reconnect, make new friends and introduce the next generation to the spirit of the JU community. For newcomers in particular, these events often provide an easy first step into a network of people who understand the experience of starting a new life in Canada.

These activities have also helped JUAn evolve beyond an alumni network into a broader community organization. Alongside social and cultural programs, we continue to create opportunities for professional networking, mentorship, volunteering and community outreach. At the heart of all these efforts is a simple idea that has guided JUAn from its earliest days: people are better able to build successful lives when they have a community around them.