African Scholars Awards

‘A powerful source of inspiration’: U of T community members celebrated at African Scholars Awards

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 07 May 2024 19:10:14 +0000

‘A powerful source of inspiration’: U of T community members celebrated at African Scholars Awards

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 05/07/2024 - 15:10

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Amal Mohamoud, who is graduating with a master’s degree in social work from U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, was among the U of T community members recognized at the GOWN: African Scholars Awards (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Our Community

African Scholars Awards

Alumni

For Amal Mohamoud, contributing to mental health awareness and advocacy is a mission with roots in personal tragedy.

After suffering the loss of her mother Hana to suicide, Mohamoud was determined to foster dialogue and tackle stigma around mental illness, including by sharing her story in a candid episode of The Digital Sisterhood podcast, titled “Her Name is Hana,” that reached nine million listeners across 147 countries.

Mohamoud’s efforts to channel grief into advocacy were recently recognized with an Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, one of 17 awards presented by the University of Toronto African Alumni Association during the seventh annual GOWN: African Scholars Awards at Massey College.

“I feel honoured that, in the midst of sadness and struggle, I found a way to honour my mom and ensure that her story was heard,” said Mohamoud, a mother of two who is graduating with a master’s degree in social work from U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and looks forward to working as a counsellor and therapist.

She added she feels grateful to be in the company of a diverse range of scholars of African descent. “I feel privileged because many of them are my professors that I’ve learned from," she says.

Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, received a Distinguished Influencers Award (photo by Golooba Muzamiru)

Among the professors celebrated at the event was Rhonda McEwen, president and vice-chancellor of Victoria University in the University of Toronto, who received a Distinguished Influencers Award.

“I always live by the saying that, ‘To be a leader, you should know the way, go the way and show the way’ – but among people of African descent, sometimes we have to make the way,” said McEwen, a professor at U of T Mississauga’s Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and in the Faculty of Information. “To be named an influencer in a time where I have had to make the way feels really good and I’m very honoured.”

Ahmed Ilmi, an assistant professor, teaching stream, in U of T Scarborough’s department of global development studies, said he was excited to be recognized with a Community Development Award. “It’s important that we work through community and give students who lack access the opportunity to get a world-class education that is imaginative, innovative and incredibly engaging."

Ahmed Ilmi (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Ilmi said he was especially delighted to be able to share the occasion with his family and children, who accompanied him at the awards ceremony. “I brought the next generation to inspire them and to chart the path,” he said.

For Glen Boothe, who received a Distinguished African-Caribbean Award in recognition of his work as co-founder of U of T's Black History Month Luncheon, the most meaningful honour was being able to gather with scholars, friends and allies from across the U of T community.

"I know I just received an award and that's nice, but honestly the thing for me is that this gathering is a reward – just being amongst these exemplars of excellence in one room is the reward for me," said Boothe, who has worked in U of T’s Division of University Advancement for more than two decades.

Glen Boothe, co-founder of U of T’s Black History Month Luncheon, received a Distinguished African-Caribbean Award (photo by Johnny Guatto)

U of T President Meric Gertler hailed the contributions of all the award winners in a video message.

“Our African Scholars Award winners are making extraordinary contributions in everything from research, teaching and innovation to volunteerism, advocacy and community development,” President Gertler said.

“Your impact and influence are felt widely in the Toronto region and around the world, and you are a powerful source of inspiration not only for Africans and people of African descent, but for everyone at U of T.”

(photo by Johnny Guatto)

Henry Ssali, founder and executive director of the U of T African Alumni Association, thanked U of T for its continued support of the event.

"The only one of its kind in North America, The GOWN has become the most anticipated celebration of African excellence in Toronto," Ssali said. "Our African community is privileged to enjoy the full support of the university, Massey College and our U of T affinity groups."

Here is the complete list of 2024 African Scholars Awards recipients:

Outstanding Recent Alumni Awards: Amal Mohamoud, Justina Kanza
Social Innovation Awards: Rosie Mensah, Pako Tshiamala
Community Development Awards: Nancy Berinyuy Tahmo, Ahmed Ilmi
Global Impact Awards: Liliane Nkunzimana, Templar Kalundu Iga
Emerging Academic Awards: Chukwunonso Nwabufo, Otuto Amarauche Chukwu
Distinguished Volunteer Award: Racheal Kalaba, Fasika Woldesenbet
Distinguished African-Caribbean Awards: Glen Boothe, Cindy Ruvashtre Sinclair
Distinguished Influencers Awards: Rhonda McEwen, Kofi Achampong
Eminent Honorary Award: Charles Arthur Downes

‘Excited, nervous and happy’: African Scholars Awards recipients celebrated at in-person ceremony

mattimar — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 14:46:00 +0000

‘Excited, nervous and happy’: African Scholars Awards recipients celebrated at in-person ceremony

mattimar Tue, 04/12/2022 - 10:46

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Recipients of the African Scholars Awards were recognized at a recent in-person ceremony at Massey College (photo by Golooba Muzamilu)

Mariam Matti

Topic

Global Lens

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

African Scholars Awards

Wisdom Tettey

Alumni

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Information

Joseph Wong

Meric Gertler

U of T Scarborough

Victor Bukenya Muwanguzi remembers the challenge of navigating a big life transition when he moved from Uganda to Canada to attend the University of Toronto – an experience that motivated him to help others who are facing similar hurdles.

Working with several U of T faculties, Muwanguzi mentors current and prospective U of T students of African descent, as well as students in Uganda who want to study abroad or join the tech industry.

Victor Bukenya Muwanguzi (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

“Mentorship in a nutshell is offering the experience I have to someone and using it as a tool to guide them to the next step,” said Muwanguzi, a recent master of information graduate from U of T’s Faculty of Information.

Muwanguzi was one of 17 U of T community members to be recognized at a recent African Scholars Awards ceremony – in his case with an Outstanding Recent Alumni Award (see the full list below). Presented by the U of T African Alumni Association, this year saw the return of an in-person award ceremony at Massey College. Recipients, staff, and faculty were greeted by a red carpet in the college’s common room while the presentation of the awards took place in the upper library.

Henry Ssali, the founder and executive director of the U of T African Alumni Association, said he felt “excited, nervous and happy” for the community to gather in-person again.

“I’m very excited for the recipients who are here to be honoured and hopefully they can carry on the baton to others in the community,” he told U of T News.

Co-hosted by Joseph Wong, U of T’s vice-president, international, and Aanchal Vashistha, author and public speaker, the awards ceremony saw 17 U of T alumni, faculty and staff recognized for their contributions in realms ranging from academic achievement and social innovation to community development and volunteer work.

The event was attended by several senior U of T leaders, including: U of T President Meric Gertler; Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr; Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity and Culture Kelly Hannah-Moffat; and Vice-President, Advancement David Palmer. Sheree Drummond, secretary of U of T’s Governing Council, Jodie Glean, interim executive director, equity, diversity and Inclusion; and Nathalie Des Rosiers, principal of Massey College, were also in attendance.

President Gertler said the annual ceremony has quickly become an important date in the U of T calendar.

Maame Efua DeHeer (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

“As we see here today, it celebrates the amazing range of outstanding leaders among Africans and people of African descent in the U of T community,” he said. “That includes faculty and staff members, students, alumni and friends across our three campuses and well beyond. You have made – and are making – extraordinary contributions in everything from research, teaching and innovation to volunteerism, advocacy and community development.”

“You are a tremendous source of inspiration as role models – not only for Africans and people of African descent, but for everyone at U of T.”

For Maame Efua DeHeer, the ceremony was a particularly special occasion since she got to share it with her mother, who lives in Ghana – and whom she hasn’t seen in six years.

DeHeer, who graduated with a masters of public health in social and behavioural health sciences from U of T’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, works as a policy analyst with the Public Health Agency of Canada and founded the Power of Love Foundation Canada, a grassroots organization that empowers Black women and girls.

“Growing up, when I saw Black women in our community that were making impacts, I always desired to be like them,” said DeHeer, who also received the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award. “To be that big sister who is doing amazing things in the community – it’s really humbling.”

Assistant Professor Onye Nnorom, a family doctor and the associate program director of the public health and preventive medicine residency program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, received the Community Development Award.

Onye Nnorom (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

She said her community work honours her family and ancestors – including her grandmother in Nigeria, a healer who helped women with health issues.

“I’m half Nigerian, half Trinidadian and when my parents came to Canada, they were very involved in community work when I was a child,” Nnorom said. “I didn’t even know what volunteering was because I just thought it was part of life: It’s what you do – you contribute to community, you let people know where you can get resources in this country – you help out.”

Nnorom is also the Black health theme lead at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the past president of the Black Physicians’ Association of Ontario, which has been helping with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

“We know that during this pandemic anti-Black racism is killing Black people,” Nnorom said during her acceptance speech. “But on the flipside: Where we do the work to counter stereotypes, where we do the work to reach forward, where we do the work to celebrate ourselves and each other, then that does the opposite – that’s actually saving lives.”

Some recipients who were not able to attend the ceremony sent video messages or had friends accept the award on their behalf.

Siham Rayale, who has a bachelor’s degree in political science from U of T, was recognized with a Global Impact Award for her work on developing policy and programming that promotes women’s political and economic empowerment in Africa. Maydianne Andrade, a professor in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough, was recognized with a Distinguished African-Caribbean Award.

Wisdom Tettey, vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough, received the Distinguished Influencers Award – and said it was an honour to be recognized.

“I think it’s important to have the humility to say that this doesn’t just represent me,” Tettey said at the ceremony.

“It represents all the people who motivate me every day to do what I do and hopefully carve a pathway for people to reach their aspirations and their potentials.”

Here is the complete list of this year’s African Scholars Awards recipients:

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award: Maame Efua DeHeer, Victor Bukenya Muwanguzi, Fikremariam Gedefaw

Social Innovation Award: Osholene Oshobugie Upiomoh, Rhoda Akuol Philip

Community Development Award: Ibrahim Hindy, Onye Nnorom

Global Impact Award: Lekan Olawoye, Siham Rayale

Emerging Academic Award: Gerald Bareebe, Apondi Judith Odhiambo

Distinguished Volunteer Award: Imanzi Kayitare, Patricia Ssebazza

Distinguished African-Caribbean Award: Andrew Campbell, Maydianne Andrade

Distinguished Influencers Award: Alpha Abebe, Wisdom Tettey

‘Exceptional role models’: African Scholars Awards recognize contributions to university and society

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 16:33:45 +0000

‘Exceptional role models’: African Scholars Awards recognize contributions to university and society

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 02/02/2021 - 11:33

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Left to right, from top: Michel Chikwanine, Antoinette Handley, Eddie Jjumba, Karima Hashmani; Tshweu Moleme, Sulaiman Jalloh, Mercy Lillian Gichuki, Jeffrey Fasegha; Seggane Musisi, Ismail Kibirige, Entisar Yusuf and Rachel Samuel.

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

David Palmer

African Scholars Awards

Alumni

Division of University Advancement

Faculty of Arts & Science

Global

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

U of T Mississauga

As a child growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Michel Chikwanine endured unspeakable horrors of war. He witnessed the torture of his father – a human rights lawyer who was eventually murdered due to his political beliefs – and the rape of his mother. He was forced to become a child soldier at age five and a refugee at age 11.

Yet, Chikwanine retains hope for the future and a belief in positive change. He’s an activist, motivational speaker and leadership facilitator with organizations ranging from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative.

His inspiring journey and his tireless advocacy for peace and human rights were recently recognized with a Global Impact Award presented by the University of Toronto African Alumni Association during its annual African Scholars Awards ceremony. For Chikwanine, who earned a bachelor of arts specialist degree in African studies from U of T and co-authored a graphic novel, Child Soldier: When Boys and Girls Are Used in War, the award served as motivation to continue to work towards the betterment of society.

“As my father always said before he died – he always reminded me that great men and great women throughout history have never been praised for their money or their success, but rather for their heart and what they do for others,” Chikwanine said during the virtual event last last week.

“So I ask all of us – alumni and every part of this community – to be great, with great hearts to make this incredible life and incredible continent that we have be the best that it can be.”

Michel Chikwanine, an activist, motivational speaker and leadership facilitator, was recognized with a Global Impact Award.

Created by a group led by Henry Ssali, the founder and executive director of the African Alumni Association, the African Scholars Awards ceremony saw 16 U of T alumni, faculty and staff recognized for their contributions in realms ranging from academic achievement and social innovation to community development and volunteering. The recipients included Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of sociology at U of T Mississauga, Associate Professor Antoinette Handley, chair of the department of political science in the Faculty of Arts & Science, and Karima Hashmani, U of T's executive director of equity, diversity and inclusion.

Recent graduates Entisar Yusuf, who founded the Black Graduate Students Association, and Jeffrey Fasegha, who was recently named a Rhodes Scholar, were also recognized (see the full list of recipients below).

David Palmer, U of T’s vice-president, advancement, hailed the award recipients as “exceptional role models” who serve as examples for the current cohort of U of T students.

“I’m always delighted in my role to acknowledge outstanding alumni, especially after reading the biographies of this year’s recipients. I can tell that you are all making a positive difference through your professional excellence, academic achievements and your volunteer contributions to your communities,” Palmer said.

Palmer highlighted the success of initiatives such as the Lester B. Pearson Scholarships and MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program in helping attract and support outstanding students from African countries. He noted that U of T has welcomed 21 outstanding students from African countries in the four years since the Pearson Scholarships were launched.

“The university itself has a strong commitment to supporting African students and programs, increasing its ties with African universities and expanding the number of international students from Africa,” he said.

David Palmer (top row, far left), U of T’s vice-president, advancement, and Henry Ssali (top row, second from left), who works in the president’s office and is the founder and executive director of the African Alumni Association, are joined by recipients of this year’s African Scholars Awards (image via Zoom)

Rachel Samuel is one such example. She came to U of T from Malawi – where she grew up in a refugee camp – as part of the World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program. She went on to receive a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship on her way to earning a bachelor of science degree in human biology and anthropology. She later graduated with a master of public health from Queen’s University.

Samuel, who is currently working on a research project on refugee health and mental health at York University, was one of four recipients of the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award.

“My passion for saving refugee populations really stems from my childhood, so I’m very humbled and happy to be a part of this team that is inspiring and motivated to make a difference,” said Samuel, who is originally from Rwanda.

“To me, this award is an indication that we are all destined to do great things in our communities and society at large, despite our circumstances. This causes me to reflect on my journey and really understand that my thoughts and dreams should never be limited by my circumstances.”

Rachel Samuel, who grew up in a refugee camp in Malawi, earned a bachelor of science degree from U of T and is now working on a research project on refugee health and mental health at York University. She was one of four recipients of the Outstanding Recent Alumni Award.

While Chikwanine and Samuel represent the recent generation of outstanding African alumni from U of T, the African Scholars Awards also acknowledged the achievements of a luminary whose ties with the university go back decades: noted Ugandan psychiatrist Seggane Musisi.

Musisi, who did his specialist post-graduate training in psychiatry at U of T in the early 1980s and was the first Black chief resident at Toronto General Hospital, was recognized with a Global Impact Award for his pioneering research and practice. His areas of specialization include the impact of war and conflict on mental health, HIV/AIDS, mental health of orphans and vulnerable children, dementia and traditional mental health care in Africa.

“I’m honoured to receive this award and to be amongst so many distinguished people and friends of mine,” said Musisi, a professor of psychiatry at Makerere University College of Health Sciences and senior consultant psychiatrist at the Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital and Uganda Ministry of Health in Kampala.

“I don’t know what to say, except to encourage – especially young Africans – to continue working and impacting not only where you are, but more specifically Africa, so that we don’t keep lagging behind despite the many resources and talent that we have on this continent.

“I believe the problems we have in Africa are solvable if only we dedicate ourselves to their solutions. Wherever you are in the diaspora or on the continent, always make sure you give something to better the continent.”

Musisi also thanked U of T for supporting his training in psychiatry and enabling him to “use that knowledge to impact mental health care in Canada, later in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.”

Here is the complete list of recipients of the 2020 African Scholars Awards:

Community Development Award – Rev. Eddie Jjumba, Tshweu Moleme

Outstanding Recent Alumni Award – Rachel Samuel, Entisar Yusuf, Jeffrey Fasegha, Sulaiman Jalloh

Social Innovation Award – Ismail Kibirige

Global Impact Award – Michel Chikwanine, Seggane Musisi

Emerging Academic Award – Mercy Lillian Gichuki, Morris Komakech

Distinguished Volunteer Award – Joan Kasozi, Ayaan Abdulle

Influencers’ Award – Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Antoinette Handley, Karima Hashmani