“I am grateful to be the recipient of this award. It’s a words like these, that acknowledge and Reward, young black youth, like myself that keep us motivated and pushing, we live in a society that build barriers to hold us back with motivation, like this, myself, and many others continue to push beyond the barriers that are put in place to hold us down. Never give up on your dreams because this is never going to be a moment. It’s going to be a movement.”

“Being chosen for this scholarship is a real honour. It means a lot to have my hard work in high school be recognized. This scholarship will make sure I am well prepared for College in the fall. Thank you for supporting young people in the community and for creating so many meaningful academic and employment opportunities for youth.”

“I have always been a firm believer in education and have always welcomed more opportunities to grow and learn despite not growing up with the privilege that allowed me to do so. Nonetheless I am striving every day to challenge these odds, acquire more knowledge and be someone positive in society. This scholarship award is part of my journey, and I am tremendously grateful to Elevate Youth Toronto for believing in me. They truly are elevating youths!”

“I would like to Thank the elevate team for supporting me in different aspects of my growth and education. I am truly grateful for this scholarship. It's going to go along way in helping me with transportation as i will be commuting to and from school this upcoming school year.”

Keziah is a Grade 12 graduating student interested in pursuing Social Work and then possibly going into law school. She believes both social workers and lawyers play an important role in ensuring Canadian society is equitable and fair for all, and she is passionate about working in communities to achieve that goal. In her downtime she enjoys singing, trying out new recipes and reading, lately she’s been reading 10 books a month!

Omar will graduate this year and begin studying at Life Sciences. Omar worked hard this past school year and received Honour Roll distinction. Omar is passionate about giving back and has donated his time to supporting Black students who were struggling with online school in his building. Omar hopes to pursue a career in Dentistry and give back to his community.

Praise will graduate this year and begin her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto in their engineering program. She enjoys taking on complex problems and believes in the power technology can have in having a positive impact in the lives of others. When she’s not studying, she enjoys a wide variety of hobbies such as playing the piano, and volunteering at church and in her community more broadly.

Janelle is a Jamaican-born high school senior who will be attending university in the fall to pursue a career in Health Sciences. She is passionate about healthcare and how it is vital to ensuring the well-being of communities. Janelled has volunteered over 100 hours of her time to organizations within her community and hopes to continue this into her university career and beyond.