Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 18

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the marketing research and analytics manager of the Women's Executive Network,
where he encou rages top compa n ies
to include more women on their boards
of directors. When Edwards thinks of
Mohammed's journey, he chuckles in awe.
"Isn't that just amazing? Daniel used to
work in construction and now he's working
at the Women's Executive Network. It's absolutely awesome."
Ajimal completed her undergraduate
degree in sociology at Ryerson and is the
student life and events co-ordinator with

the Real Institute at Ryerson University.
With her ESL students, Ajimal says, "I try
to reflect as much as I can on the way Janice
treated me. We want to know if there is anything personal going on, if there are any additional ways we can support them."

dwards sees the ripple effects of
Spanning the Gaps programming,
both at Ryerson and in the larger community. "We're building a civil society.
Spanning the Gaps is not just transforming

AFTER A CHALLENGING TIME AT HIGH SCHOOL,
DANIEL MOHAMMED (BELOW) RECEIVED A LIFE-CHANGING
CONFIDENCE BOOST FROM THE BRIDGES PROGRAM.

Ryerson University Magazine / Winter 2018

the individual's lives but the lives of their
kids and maybe their friends," he says.
Like Ajimal and Mohammed, many alumni
of the program go on to support diverse
voices in their workplaces and communities
and they're an asset to their university peers.
"They're incredible role models," says Pinto.
"There's a lot of resilience and determination already built in them."
Mature students, students who are parents,
and students from marginalized communities offer points of view that their classmates
might not have considered. "They contribute
immensely to classroom discussions from
another lens," adds Edwards.
In an effort to ensure that more universities benefit from diverse classrooms - and
more students benefit from university -
Spanning the Gaps has expanded its programming over the years. Two years ago,
Edwards launched the Summer Academy, in
which 25 Grade 9 students are given a taste
of the university experience. The students
take a course designed for their age group,
and are encouraged to roam the campus.
After the experience, students take a survey.
"I feel better about myself. I know I can get
to university," one wrote. Another said the
program inspired a dream - "to be the first
one in my family to go to university."
Another program, Ryerson University Now
(RUN), provides older high school students
the opportunity to take an actual university
credit course, which they can use toward
their degree at Ryerson or elsewhere.
Kimberly Burke-Levy, program facilitator at Pathways to Education Regent Park,
says the RUN program has been eye-opening for the high school students her organization supports. "Thinking of going to a
post-secondary school can be daunting and
intimidating," she says. "The course allowed them to become comfortable with
the environment and gave them a good understanding of what the expectation would
be, of the differences between high school
and university."
Spanning the Gaps also offers programs
aimed at veterans, Aboriginal students and
students who are upgrading their marks
through the high school system. To date,
324 Spanning the Gaps students have
graduated with an undergraduate degree.
They're students Edwards, Pinto and all
the support staff have fought for - struggling alongside them to conquer financial,
psychological and numerous other barriers.
Why? Because they believe in the power of
education to transform lives.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018