Community is at the heart of education. What and how students learn directly reflects our communities and the many societal factors that play a role in the individual and collective learning experience.

As a nurturing ground for future educational leaders, the Faculty of Education at 91亚色 recognizes this profound role that the community plays. By creating an inclusive learning environment with expert educators passing along their direct experience working with diverse populations and designing culturally relevant pedagogy, our aspiring educators are equipped with the practical knowledge and cultural sensitivity needed to make a positive impact on their own students, both inside a classroom and in the world beyond.

And for alumni like Korina Thomas-Reynolds, co-founder of Roots to Routes Academy 鈥� an independent school offering high school credits specifically designed for minority students 鈥� and one of 91亚色鈥檚 Top 30 Under 30 for 2023, it was her time at 91亚色 that helped her understand the important role she and her classmates play in addressing the disconnect between schools and the communities they serve.

By mobilizing mutually beneficial community partnerships as vehicles for experiential learning, the Faculty is bridging academic and scholarly work with real action, allowing students to put their education into practice in non-traditional ways as more than educators, but as mentors. For example, through , 91亚色 students help youth from low-income families or who are newcomers to Canada overcome traditional barriers and support their success as students. Opportunities such as this contribute to our students鈥� preparation as aspiring educators and put them up close and personal with the world their future students will soon venture into themselves.

Throughout all that we do is also a pervasive and sustained commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. As outlined in the new Five-Year Strategic Plan (2023-2027), the Faculty of Education engages in meaningful research that takes marginalized perspectives into account and is built upon social justice to contribute to the improvement and betterment of the world around us as we evolve our understanding of learning and teaching.

One powerful way this commitment has manifested at the Faculty is through the . Inspired by a beloved teacher who came to Canada from India and re-accredited at 91亚色 to continue her passion, the award is given out annually to first-year students who are new to Canada or the first in their family to attend postsecondary education and who demonstrate financial need. By carrying on Mrs. Ahuja鈥檚 incredible legacy and celebrating the many unique stories of our students, the award and its recipients will be drivers for ongoing positive change in education.

To celebrate the Faculty鈥檚 50^th聽anniversary and the many ways our leaders are supporting the future leaders in education, we have created聽a new four-part video series聽showcasing our bold leadership in education which helps create more just communities.

The post Learn how 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education is inspiring tomorrow鈥檚 educational leaders and changemakers appeared first on Faculty of Education.

For Savitri Ahuja, educating others was much more than a personal passion and rewarding career. Over the many decades she practiced in her birth country of India and adopted country of Canada, teaching was a compassionate act of service to humanity, her way to empower others to improve their circumstances and achieve their dreams.

As a teacher at an all-girls high school in New Delhi, Savitri was known for checking in on her students when they didn鈥檛 turn up for class, knocking on their doors at home and, when learning that the family鈥檚 financial struggles were the cause, paying for their daughter鈥檚 school fees out of her own pocket. On the side, she taught young women to sew as a way for them to become employable and independent 鈥� efforts that enabled at least one pupil to open her own sewing business.

鈥淗er mantra was to help one student at a time to succeed. That is what drove her,鈥� says her son, Samir Ahuja.

At age of 40, after immigrating to Toronto in 1974, Savitri attended 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Education to upgrade her teaching credentials. Returning to school required balancing her studies with raising three school-aged children and working multiple side jobs to help her husband support their family. One of those jobs was at a garment factory, where she started off sweeping floors and organizing fabric rolls for $2 an hour. The work was likely not what the bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree holder had imagined for herself, but she knew it was essential for her family鈥檚 well-being and her own betterment.

鈥淪he was a highly respected teacher in India, and she sacrificed a lot for her family coming to Toronto,鈥� Samir says. 鈥淪he put in a lot of time and effort and love into raising us, but also working and going back to school鈥攖hat was not an easy journey for her.鈥�

While Savitri鈥檚 path back to teaching was challenging, her 91亚色 degree led to employment with the Toronto District School Board, where for several years, she worked as a supply teacher, waking up every morning at 5:30 a.m. to be on call for any opportunities, and navigating her way to jobs via local buses. Later, she taught kindergarten and Grade 1 students full time at Topcliff Public School in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood, and was the person students in need could turn to for a granola bar or a hug.

So deeply did Savitri believe in the life-changing power of education that, after she passed away of cancer in June 2020 at age 86, she included a charitable gift in her Estate that inspired her family to establish the Savitri Ahuja Education Award at 91亚色. The annual $5,000 award, which is renewable for a student鈥檚 second year of study, prioritizes Bachelor of Education applicants with international teaching credentials who are new Canadian citizens, permanent residents or protected persons seeking to further their education studies; or whose parents are newcomers to Canada and are the first in their family to attend university.

鈥淪he instilled the value of education in our family鈥攏ot only its importance, but doing something meaningful with it afterwards,鈥� says granddaughter Shyra Khosla, noting she is one of two engineers among Savitri鈥檚 three children and seven grandchildren, whose ranks also include three physicians and two lawyers. 鈥淲e hope this award opens doors for recipients and makes it easier for them to start their teaching career.鈥�

The award鈥檚 inaugural recipient, first-year Education student Saamia Hasan, shares Savitri鈥檚 strong belief in the value of education. An immigrant from Somalia who became a Canadian citizen in 2020, Saamia is the mother of a Black son in the public education system. She has observed how structures in the public education system discriminate against visible minority students. She sees education as a calling that will enable her to uproot systemic inequalities and foster more inclusive learning environments.

鈥淚 am so deeply honoured and grateful to be the first-person to receive this life-changing award, which allows me to pursue my life-long dream of being an educator, and to do so in a way with lesser debt and a greater ability to balance school with parenting,鈥� Saamia says. 鈥淎s a teacher, I hope to address the gaps in the system and transform learning spaces to be more nurturing and protective environments.鈥�

Savitri鈥檚 passion and love of teaching will leave a lasting legacy while supporting students like Saamia for generations to come.

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