Student and Associate RGDs are invited to apply for a virtual mentor
Apply for the RGD Mentorship Program to be paired up with a Mentor who can guide you prepare to enter the professional design industry.
Fill out an application by January 26, 2026. On the form, you will be asked to select your top three choices from the list of mentors presented below. This program is only open to Student and Associate RGDs.
Once the pairings of applicants (Mentees) to Mentors has been finalized, Mentees will be put in touch with their Mentor and to start the program! The RGD will provide Mentees with a list of discussion topics for each session, however, it is completely up to you and your Mentor what you want to cover in each session. (You are expected to have 5-6 virtual sessions with your Mentor, approx. one hour each between February and July.)
Any Associate RGD not paired with one of our Mentors will be given the opportunity to participate in the Program with a different professional in the industry. (For this Round, we are not able to ensure participation for all Student RGD Members who apply.)
If you have any questions about the program, email zaria@rgd.ca.
Mentors:
Sebastian Abboud RGD, Nanaimo, BC
Freelance Illustrator & Designer
As your mentor, I can provide advice drawn from a wide range of experiences across in-house roles, teaching undergrads, freelancing and running a small creative studio. Having collaborated with brands from Adobe, Figma and Google to Shopify, Intercom and MEC, I'll offer practical insight, portfolio support and guidance on navigating the industry.
Abbas Albadri RGD, Baghdad Governorate, Iraq
Founder and CEO at Sketch iraq
As your mentor, I will help you bridge the gaps between your creative passion and professional execution. With expertise in advertising, motion graphics and cinematic visual storytelling, I can guide you through visual concept development, storytelling structure, motion design logic and directing visuals for brands and campaigns. Together, we can discuss how to translate strategy into visuals, how motion enhances meaning and how design decisions support narrative and audience engagement. I can also provide practical insight into collaborating with clients and agencies, managing feedback, presenting creative work with confidence and balancing creativity with deadlines and budgets. For designers interested in motion or advertising, I offer portfolio direction that reflects industry standards—not just aesthetics, but clarity of thinking and execution. Beyond skills, I can support you in understanding your role as a visual problem-solver, developing leadership awareness and positioning you for growth in our competitive creative industry.
Miki Arai, Scarborough, ON
Senior Manager, AI & Data at Deloitte
Finding your unique creative path can be daunting, and it is rarely a straight line, especially now with the buzz of AI all around us. As your mentor, I can offer a broad perspective gained from working in environments ranging from boutique studios, government agencies to global corporations. As an immigrant and Asian woman, I have also navigated many unique obstacles to get to where I am today, and I am happy to share those insights with you. As your mentor, I am here to be an active listener and a partner in your growth. Together, we will validate your unique gifts, sharpen your competencies and build a clear roadmap to reach your creative and career goals. I’m excited to hear your story and help you find your way forward.
Maria Jose Arias, Toronto, ON
Senior Designer at Frontier
As your mentor, I can offer practical, honest support in navigating your creative career, finding your voice, preparing and refining your portfolio, understanding process, research and development and helping sell through ideas both internally and to clients. Having worked across ad agencies and design studios as an art director and designer, I bring experience crafting ideas to life through wide-ranging collaborations, working with photographers, illustrators, animators, directors, type designers, creative coders, CG artists and musicians to realize a vision. I can offer insight into what makes the best collaborations and how to set up a project for success. Having worked in Canada, Colombia and the UK, I can also speak to what it’s like to adapt to new work cultures and find your footing in unfamiliar environments. Above all, I have a genuine interest in helping others grow and giving fuel to what they’re passionate about, with care and a pragmatic streak.
Santiago Barrera Associate RGD, Vancouver, BC
Brand Director at Style in Form
I truly love helping emerging designers find their footing and build confidence in their creative journey. Having had the privilege of exploring branding, editorial, motion graphics and web design & development, working everywhere from boutique design studios to in-house teams, I'm excited to share the lessons and insights I've gathered along the way—the kind of guidance I wish someone had offered me when I was starting out. Questions like "What's the difference between working at a design studio versus in-house and how do I figure out which path is right for where I am in my career?" are ones I asked myself early on and I'd love to help you navigate these decisions with clarity, purpose and a sense of direction that feels authentic to you.
Gustavo Belman RGD, Calgary, AB
Graphic Designer at Quorum Software
As your mentor, I can provide insight and guidance on not just the discipline of UX/UI, brand and design, but also on the business of being a creative.
Marlo Biasutti RGD, Toronto, ON
Founder | Creative Director at M81 Creative
As a former instructor at George Brown College, I enjoy supporting emerging designers as they build confidence, clarify their goals and navigate the realities of the profession. As your mentor, I will be a sounding board—listening, asking questions and offering practical, honest perspectives. I understand the different paths designers can take and the challenges that come with each. As you mentor, I hope to support you as you shape your career and make thoughtful, informed decisions.
Andrew Boardman RGD, Montréal, QC
Creative Director at Mangrove Web
I've been a mentor to so many wonderful students running my design studio and then working as creative director. I also taught design studio and design theory and history over many years. I'm currently becoming a certified professional coach.
Patrick Burd RGD, Oakville, ON
Creative Services Specialist at Region of Peel
As a creative who has worked for agencies, studios and in-house creative departments my experience extends beyond art direction and design. I place high priority on the soft skills required for collaboration and consensus building across multidisciplinary teams. As your mentor, I can provide input and constructive criticism in branding, signage, packaging, corporate and user experience design as well as career guidance.
Defne Corbacioglu, Vancouver, BC
Design Lead at The University of British Columbia
I’m a senior creative with experience in advertising agencies, branding studios and now in a higher-education communications team. As your mentor, I can offer a supportive, safe space to talk openly about workplace expectations, growth and real-world challenges. Having hired early-career creatives—including at institutions like UBC—I will share not only industry insights and what employers look for, but also my own learnings and failures to help you step into your career with confidence.
Philip de Castro, Edmonton, AB
Art Director at Iconium Media
The world of design is exciting, fast-moving and often overwhelming. Designers are constantly navigating multiple concepts, creative blocks, collaboration with different personalities, evolving trends and the pressure of choosing the right path among many possible directions. It can be difficult to know where to focus, what skills truly matter and how to grow with confidence. As your mentor, I can help you find clarity within the noise, gain confidence in your decisions and open the door to meaningful questions you may not have even thought to ask. Having worked across UI/UX, web, brand identity, marketing, photography and videography, I can offer insight into how different disciplines connect and support one another. Most importantly, I want to help you stay focused on your goals, build strong foundational skills and learn how to enjoy the unpredictable, rewarding rollercoaster that comes with a career in design.
Tyler Dias RGD, Toronto, ON
Founder, Design Director at Pixels&
As your mentor, I will bring a real-world, end-to-end view of the design industry—from strategy and creative direction through execution, presentation and client management—to our discussions. As a studio owner, I’ve helped designers grow their skills while also navigating the realities of working with stakeholders, managing scope and building a sustainable career. My approach is practical and direct: I will listen closely, give honest, actionable feedback and help you turn your strengths into a clear next step—whether that’s improving your portfolio, showing up more confidently in interviews or levelling up how you communicate your thinking.
John Hotts, Greater Toronto Area, ON
Design Director at OneMethod
As your mentor, I will share candid, real-world experience from spending my career agency-side. My path includes a deliberate shift from traditional advertising into building new (or reshaping existing) brands and scalable design systems, with a healthy mix of digital work along the way. Let’s explore ways to make your work more objective by connecting it to strategy, tricks to building and delivering stronger presentations and process for building cohesive design systems (typography, colour, layout design etc.). Happy to get into the weeds of real projects or zoom out to help you self-discover the early or next phase of your career.
Will Hum RGD, Greater Toronto Area, ON
Co-founding Principal at Clear Space
As your mentor, I can guide you on your journey from graphic designer to critical thinker to creative leader.
Timothy King, Vancouver, BC
Senior Brand Designer at Pendo
As your mentor, I will meet you wherever you are in your career, offering industry advice or project feedback and portfolio guidance, giving you insight into how to excel in your career, whatever form it may take. Regardless of the industry, collaboration, strategic thinking and a willingness to push ideas are instrumental to creating work that cuts through the noise. Let's get to work.
Jacqui Lau, Toronto, ON
Co-Founder / Creative Director at Plan of Record
As a mentor, I offer a perspective shaped by an international, multidisciplinary design journey. Born and trained in Melbourne and now based in Toronto, I’ve spent 20 years moving between advertising, branding, tech and entrepreneurship. My career spans global agencies like Sid Lee, DDB Melbourne, TBWA\ Hong Kong and Anomaly NYC, to in-house roles at Shopify and Huge, to now co-founding my own branding studio, Plan of Record. As your mentor, I can help you understand the realities of the industry: navigating agency life, shifting into UX/UI or product design, building a strong portfolio, presenting work with confidence and managing clients directly in a studio or freelance setting. I’m especially passionate about helping designers build clarity in their voice, direction and creative process. Alongside my studio work, I’ve also launched two ventures—Asseto, an AI-powered tool for campaign creation and Babes in Hoods, a kidswear brand collaborating with artists—so I can offer guidance on creative entrepreneurship, self-initiated projects and building a resilient, multifaceted career. Ultimately, my goal is to be a supportive sounding board, sharing honest, practical insight rooted in real-world experience.
Roman Lifshitz RGD, Toronto, ON
Founding Partner and Creative at Co-Effect Creative Inc.
With over two decades of experience in branding, web and print design and experience working in agencies and running a design and communications studio, I can offer mentorship covering any and all elements of project planning and execution from start to finish, helping you bring a more strategic lens to your work.
Dave Malarenko RGD, Oshawa, ON
Senior Graphic Designer at Lasagna
With a background in illustration, I'm a multidisciplinary designer that's been working on branding and design teams both in-house, and in a studio setting for the last 12 years. From leading design teams, to teaching design at Durham College, to presenting to clients, I have a lot of different experience to share.
Cecilia Mok, Toronto, ON
Brand Lead Senior Designer at Sinai Health Foundation
As your mentor, I will offer insights and guidance as a seasoned in-house creative in not-for-profit and healthcare spaces. I will share experiences about how to navigate the complexities of an in-house environment and together, explore raising your value as an individual contributor and team player.
Hilary McHale RGD, Edmonton, AB
Senior Creative Lead at NorQuest College
As your mentor, I will provide a positive and uplifting atmosphere to help you gain confidence and feel comfortable speaking with industry professionals. I will share knowledge that I've gained over the years: including how to be strategic with your clients and technical tips and tricks to strengthen your design skills. I can answer any and all of your questions, as well as collaborate with you on your working design concepts.
Priya Mistry, Toronto, ON
Senior Designer at Hard Work Club
As your mentor, I will offer a grounded, honest perspective for helping you build a creative career that is both sustainable and true to who you are. I can support you in developing clarity around your creative direction, whether that is refining your portfolio, strengthening your visual systems thinking or understanding how to articulate your ideas with confidence and intention. I want to help you think strategically, communicate clearly and advocate for yourself without losing your integrity. We can talk about imposter syndrome, navigating cultural identity in creative spaces, setting boundaries, managing workload and/or learning when to say yes and when to say no. I believe creativity does not exist in isolation from life, and I hold space for the personal realities that shape how we show up to our work. My approach is practical, thoughtful and human. I aim to meet you where you are, ask the right questions and help you move forward with intention, resilience and self-trust.
John Naboye Associate RGD, Calgary, AB
Senior Designer at Funday
Over the past 5 years, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of award-winning agencies working on projects spanning diverse industries. On the side, I take on freelance motion design projects. As your mentor, I will offer my perspective and insights on working with different team members and clients, discovering and adapting your working style and finding a specialized skill to add to your tool belt. Whether you’re looking to build up your portfolio, need a second eye on some designs or even want to try out After Effects, I can help!
Francisco Javier Reyes Delpech RGD, Edmonton, AB
Multimedia Technician at AUPE
With 15 years in motion design, branding and art direction, I bring a balanced skill set that bridges technical mastery and strategic creative thinking. Working as a freelance motion designer and art director with remote teams across Mexico, the USA, Canada and the UK has taught me how to communicate effectively across time zones, cultures and disciplines. I've delivered content for brands including Spotify, National Geographic, Dell and LG on projects demanding both pixel-perfect craft and big-picture strategy. As your mentor, I can help you build your software skills, and also your strategic thinking, project management and collaborative mindset that can help transform you from a talented designer into a trusted creative partner.
