The Top Ten

With ties in two faculties, York has a bumper crop of undergrad  achievers this year.

Staying at the Peak Markian Farenech
Faculty of Health   GPA: 8.94

By Martha Tancock

Lean and keen, that’s Markian Farenech. At 6 foot 2 and 180 pounds, the 20-year-old kinesiology student has been weight training since Grade 10, determined to live forever in peak condition and avoid the bad back that forced his once-athletic father, his idol, into early retirement. This summer, while renovating the family room, he biked every morning and worked out every evening. Winters, he and his friends play hockey; summers, golf. He considered pro golf - he’s that good - but says he can’t bear competition pressure. The Mississauga homebody loves cooking - low fat, high protein, salads and “whole wheat everything”. Next to TSN, his favourite channel is the Food Network; he never misses “Chef at Home” and “Licence to Grill”. Reading is a chore, but Farenech loves to learn and shrugs when his older brother ribs him about perfectionism. In Grade 6, “I got sick and tired of being an average student,” he says. “Mediocrity bugs me.” Like his dad, this Ukrainian Catholic plans to marry, have two sons and teach high school. His mission: to make phys-ed classes mandatory after Grade 9. “For the welfare of our society, I am going to do everything in my power to teach people to be active and to eat properly.”

From the magazine of York University in Toronto, York U –

December 2009 Issue.