Emmanuel College Alumna and Student Receive King Charles III Medal

^{L-R: Dr. Aruna Alexander and Shaffni Nalir.}

By Sam Chater

Two members of the Emmanuel College community have been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for their contributions to diversity, equity and community service. The medal commemorates Charles’ coronation as King of Canada.
 
Rev. Dr. Aruna Alexander, who earned a Doctor of Ministry in 2006, was recognized for her leadership in promoting religious and cultural literacy. Shaffni Nalir, a student in the Master of Psychospiritual Studies program, was awarded the medal for his dedicated community service.
 
Nalir has volunteered with several organizations across Toronto for more than a decade, including SickKids Hospital and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. He currently works at the Toronto Islamic Centre, where he was recently promoted to general manager. Last year, he addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights concerning the rise of Islamophobia in Canada.
 
Nalir, who began his studies at Emmanuel in 2022, credited his parents—who immigrated to Canada from Sri Lanka—with shaping his values. 

“My father grew up in a Buddhist orphanage in Sri Lanka and was raised as a Muslim,” he said. “He taught me to seek the good in others and their beliefs.”
 
Nalir expressed gratitude for his time at Emmanuel, emphasizing the program’s diversity of thought. 

“The highlight of the program is being in a classroom where diverse perspectives come together to exchange ideas thoughtfully,” he said.
 
Dr. Alexander, a founding member of the Quinte, Ont., branch of the United Nations Association in Canada and a United Church of Canada minister, has dedicated her career to advocating for diversity and inclusion and fostering interfaith dialogue. She chairs the East Central Ontario Region’s Anti-Racism, Interfaith Intercultural Forum and Belleville City Hall’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee where she is researching and implementing programs related to religious and cultural literacy in her community. 
 
Emmanuel Principal Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg said the college has long prioritized interfaith dialogue in its programs.
 
“Students and faculty who are Buddhist, Christian, Muslim and from other traditions learn from each other’s perspectives while deepening their own traditions,” she said.