Paying it Forward

Memories of the financial challenges experienced while attending university inspired a group of eight alumni—the Next Generation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Alumni Group—to create an award for current Ontario Tech University students.

Four students from the Faculty of Science or the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science in need of financial support will each receive the $1,000 Next Generation in STEM Award, first handed out in 2022. “This has been a goal of mine, personally, given the struggles that my friends and I had,” says Raoul Akakpo, who joined forces with his fellow Engineering graduates—Baker Baha, Nelson Baro Motu, Rocky Khasow, Kimal Lloyd-Phillip, Raef Roman, Jimi Shogo and Brianna Roman (née Strong)—to create the award.

“We’ve all been blessed to graduate from university and have good jobs and the means to help the next generation. Some of us might have fallen through the cracks without financial assistance at university.”

The Next Generation in STEM Alumni Group recognizes that many factors outside of school can affect a student’s academic performance, such as worries about covering transportation costs or needing to help with family finances. This dedicated group of alumni hopes their award will help alleviate some of the financial burden and stress for students, allowing them to focus on their studies.

“Personally, I received help during school,” notes Brianna Roman. “Having been a broke student, it’s nice to know that someone else will have the feeling that there’s a helping hand available.”

The group views the award as a long-term commitment and hopes this is just the beginning of a legacy of alumni giving. “We hope this is infectious and other alumni get on board to help students, too,” Raoul adds.