Brady Yano

Alumnus Brady Yano (BA, Political Science,’16) earned a spot as a 2022 McCall MacBain Scholar at McGill University. He will begin his MA degree in Urban Planning in September 2022.

Brady is currently working as senior advisor to BC’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and had the unique opportunity to travel to Montréal in March, joining aspiring leaders from across Canada in the McCall MacBain Scholarship’s round of final interviews. 

Upon his return to Victoria, Brady received word he had been selected among 20 others as a 2022 McCall MacBain Scholar, chosen from nearly 700 total Canadian applicants in a rigorous seven-month process.

As a McCall MacBain Scholar, Brady will pursue a fully funded master’s degree at McGill University while connecting with mentors and participating in an intensive leadership development program.

Brady worked in policy and politics for four years after graduating from SFU. He was an outreach manager for a provincial government caucus during the first year of the pandemic and spearheaded a new direct mail campaign connecting constituents with their elected representatives. He also served as regional representative on the provincial government executive in BC and is a board member of CityStudio, Vancouver.

He says his experiences serving as vice-president of the student union while at SFU gave him many opportunities to grow and nurture his leadership skills.

“By putting my name forward for student government, I was introduced to incredible people, difficult policy challenges, and a platform to help students,” said Brady. “This applied learning brought my coursework in political science to life and helped me develop the critical leadership skills required to tackle problems in our communities.”

“I’m excited to learn new approaches to addressing issues as an urban planner,” he continues. “This is an opportunity to take my leadership skills to the next level by learning from colleagues from all disciplines and explore how we can collectively solve 21^st century problems.”