Last Friday, Priya Saha, recipient of the Yuzyk Award for Youth Presented by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, donated the $10,000.00 award to the Nahom Berhane Scholarship fund, spearheaded by Access Alliance.
Priya was born and raised in Toronto, and is very active in her own community: she is involved in the Newcomer Orientation Week (NOW) and has completed peer leader training offered by CultureLink. Priya is the recipient of the first ever Paul Yuzyk Award, which recognizes individuals, groups of individuals and organizations in communities across Canada who have made exceptional contributions to multiculturalism and the integration of newcomers. After considering several organizations, she decided to award the money to Access Alliance. “I wanted to give the money to an organization that provides to the community and makes the community a better place. I found Access Alliance and was attracted to the organization’s focus on multiculturalism,” says Priya.
Access Alliance and Priya met last Friday, November 20, to discuss details around the generous gift. Priya opted to direct the funds to the Nahom Berhane Scholarship Fund, helping future generations of youth striving to further their education. Priya suggests that the scholarship will truly help the community because “If one person is educated, they can educate someone else”.
The Nahom Berhane Scholarship Fund was established to help commemorate Nahom’s legacy as a community leader. The Nahom Berhane Scholarship for Diversity and Inclusion will provide assistance to youth in need of financial support and who are attending a post-secondary institution, including universities, colleges and professional trades training. To be eligible for a $4,000 scholarship, the ideal candidate must have a proven track record of volunteerism, community service and leadership in the community.
“It’s youth like Priya that make me excited about the work that we do at Access Alliance, in particular the Youth Programs” explained Axelle Janczur, Executive Directors of Access Alliance. “She truly embodies the qualities of leadership and inclusion.”
The goal of the campaign is to raise $100,000. To date, more than $44,000 has already been raised, thanks to Priya’s generous gift, Access Alliance, Beck Taxi, BMO Financial Group, and the general public.