Lifelong Leadership Institute celebrates graduating students from the Leadership by Design Program

BY PAUL JUNOR

It was a day filled with powerful motivational speeches, wonderful inspirational anecdotes and fanciful improvisational recollections at the Isabel Bader Theatre on Saturday, June 29^th. Students, parents, volunteers and community members gathered to celebrate and support the Grade 12 students (LBD Cohort 21) who completed three years of Leadership by Design (LBD), the signature program of the Lifelong Leadership Institute (LLI). For the past nine years, LBD has led in providing: leadership development, mentorship, career exploration and other student success opportunities to Black high school youths in the GTHA region and beyond – all the way to Niagara Falls and Kitchener.

The day’s program commenced with a reception at the Goldring Student Centre located at Victoria College on the campus of the University of Toronto. In attendance at the reception were: graduating Grade 12 students, their parents, other guests and directors of the LLI including: Dr. Pamela Appelt, Joe Halstead, Dr. Carl James, David Taylor, Tka Pinnock, Delford Blythe and Linda Massey. LLI chair Trevor Massey introduced other special guests including Donette Chin Loy Chang, newly appointed chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University.

The Convocation event, held at the Isabel Bader Theatre at Victoria College, UofT, was a celebration of the: talents, achievements and aspirations of Black youth in Grades 10, 11 and 12. It also recognized the primary role of parents in the education of their children. Some 57 LBD Grade 12 students were featured – each destined for post-secondary studies in September. It was a student-centric event where most speakers were students. There were reflections by current Grade 12 students who started the LBD program as grade 10 students in September 2021. Student speakers included:

• Jola Akinloye, who has an 8-year full-ride scholarship to pursue medicine at Wayne State University in Michigan, USA.
• Naomi Henry, who will study Psychology at Queen’s University.
• Tobi Adelekan, who is enrolled in Mechatronics & Robotics Engineering at Queen’s University.
• Toni Adelekan, who will study Management & Organizational Studies at University of Western Ontario.
• Michaiah Ivri, who will begin a degree in Architectural Studies at University of Waterloo.
• Misimi Sanni, who will pursue a degree in Chemical & Biological Engineering at Princeton University in New Jersey, USA. Having achieved a 100 percent score in her SAT, Misimi addressed a ‘Dear Student’ letter to LBD Grades 10 and 11 students.
• Qimora Bergman, pursuing a degree in the Humanities at Victoria College, University of Toronto, reflected on the importance of the cultural arts.

The keynote speech was delivered by Dr. Erica Walker, Dean of the Ontario Institute of Education (OISE) located at the University of Toronto. She completed her doctoral studies at Harvard University and was appointed Dean in 2023.  Dr. Walker, the author of two books, addressed three factors that are critical to making a difference in the world. She encouraged students to demonstrate courage, exhibit perseverance and inspire. She shared personal and powerful stories of young people making changes all over the world. In encouraging students to ‘Go make a Difference’, she told them “You are already great, and I look forward to what you will do in the future.”

There was a musical performance by soprano Jonelle Sills, a 2019 Dora Award winner. A graduate of York University, she was listed as one of “Canada’s 30 hot classical musicians under 30” by CBC Music in 2020. She performed the song “Summertime”. Hannah Flores, an award-winning spoken word artist and TEDx UofT speaker recited a poem: “Words that are Spoken: To the Only Black Person in the Room”. Ms. Flores is in year four of a degree program at UofT and participated in the LBD program.

Ten students were granted CIBC Leader Scholarships by Douglas G. Carter, SVP., Technology Operation, and Monique Ambersley, VP., Compliance, CIBC. Another eight students were awarded PepsiCo Canada Leader Scholarships by PepsiCo representatives Jennifer Duncan, Finance Control & Reporting, Simone La Ronde, Shopper Marketing Manager, and Shawna Vassel, Communications Manager.

Families with academically motivated, self-identified Black GTHA students can learn more about the LBD program via this website: https://llileaders.com/lbd. Applications open early August for students entering Grade 10 this September.