Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 17

More than half of the students have learning disabilities, which are sometimes only
diagnosed after they've been assessed by
specialized educators at Ryerson.
The Bridges program shows students
early on that they're smarter than they
think, and that they can succeed in university. That confidence boost was life-changing for Daniel Mohammed. In high school
his "slightly wayward" behaviour led teachers to see him as a disturbance.
Though he had always secretly dreamed
of university, his marks weren't high enough,

The gift of a
second chance
-
Over the past 10 years,
Spanning the Gaps
was strengthened
through the generous
contributions of many
donors to Ryerson.
In 2010, part of a
$750,000 gift from TD
Bank Group supported
the Road to Ryerson
program within Spanning
the Gaps, which gives
high school students
who "just missed"
getting into Ryerson a
second chance at postsecondary education.
William and Phyllis
Waters gave Spanning
the Gaps true
momentum in 2008
with a gift of $1 million.
By providing financial
support for students
and enhancing program
opportunities, they gave
access to education for
many youths and adults.
An entrepreneur and
respected academic,
Bill Waters spoke at the
time of the gift about the
importance of helping
others get a education.
"My life experience
has taught me that fate
and chance play roles in
shaping everyone's life
but for some incredibly
more than for others."

so he went into the construction trade. But
his interest in university only grew. At
age 25, he heard about an information night
for Spanning the Gaps, and enrolled for the
next year.
"The math support was really important
because I'd been out of school for so long,
and, with anything, if you don't do it for a
while, you kind of lose it," he says. "The
professors were very personable. You didn't
feel apprehensive to approach them."
For Ajimal, the critical thinking course
offered by the Bridges program gave her the
thinking-outside-the-box skills she needed,
not only for university, but also for life. "I
used to think if I tried something and it
didn't work, that was it. But that course
taught me that, when you are faced with a
problem, you think about it from multiple
perspectives. You think of the different
options you can take...if one option doesn't
work, then you try the next."

T

he Bridges support doesn't end when
students start their undergraduate
degrees. Edwards notes that imposter syndrome often creeps in when students are
surrounded by classmates who are more
privileged. "If you're in a place where you
don't think you're smart enough and you
don't think you deserve to be there, all
those negative inner voices are coming into
your head."
As the case co-ordinator, Pinto helps students overcome these feelings by reminding them of the strength they've shown in
overcoming numerous obstacles. "I tell students, 'I'm a mirror and I'm going to reflect
your strengths back to you.' We're often our
worst critic and we see our weaknesses, not
our strengths," she says.
Pinto is well aware that her students are
not used to receiving help, so they're not
used to asking for it. She encourages the
students to drop-in any time, and is proactive about calling them, usually once a week.
"I felt as if they would not allow me to
fail. It's not like they would bend rules or
anything but they were on it. Are you okay?
Is there anything we can do to help?" recalls
Mohammed. When Mohammed failed to
pay his tuition in time, for instance, Pinto
called him. She talked through options with
him, and told him about a bursary he could
apply for, which ended up covering much of
his tuition.
Mohammed completed his bachelor's
degree in marketing at Ryerson and is now
Winter 2018 / Ryerson University Magazine

17



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

Table of Contents
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - Cover1
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - Cover2
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - Table of Contents
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 2
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 3
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 4
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 5
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 6
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 7
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 8
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 9
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Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 11
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 12
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 13
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 14
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 15
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 16
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 17
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 18
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 19
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 20
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 21
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 22
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 23
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Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 25
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Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 27
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 28
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Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - 48
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - Cover3
Ryerson Alumni - Winter 2018 - Cover4
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