Brookfield Peter F. Bronfman Scholarship Recipients

Education: Double Major, History and Archaeology 

Future plans: Graduate school and career in academia

Following a life changing accident, Beau sustained a spinal cord injury resulting in him becoming a C4/5 quadriplegic. Beau was determined to regain his independence and contribute to society and take the opportunity to pursue an education at the University of Toronto. He is a graduate of the Millie Rotman Shime Academic Bridging Program and his current area of research is focused on 20th-century American labour and social history. 

Throughout his time at the University of Toronto, Beau has pursued volunteer positions both within the University and in his community. As a Student Initiatives Leader with the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Board (EDIB) through the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Beau founded multiple programs to facilitate the participation of students living with physical disabilities in sport. Through sport, persons with disabilities build community, develop independence, and become empowered to act as agents of change. He has worked alongside the AODA office at the University of Toronto as a Community Accessibility Consultant for numerous construction projects. Beau has also been an invited lecturer for several Masters of Science Occupational Therapy selectives covering assistive technology, mobility device fitting, and pressure ulcer awareness. In the community Beau has volunteered at Lyndhurst Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Centre to consult with Administration, onboard PSW staff, and act as a peer mentor. In his free time he plays wheelchair rugby with the Toronto Titans Wheelchair Rugby Club. 

After graduating, Beau intends to complete a graduate degree specializing in 20th-century American labour and social history and would like to pursue a career in academia. 

Education: Double Major, Psychology and Criminology & Sociolegal studies

Future plans: Masters in Psychiatry with a specialization in mental health; Law school

Tamara is majoring in Criminology & Sociolegal studies, and Psychology at the University of Toronto. As the founder and co-president of MealCare Toronto, she partnered with food services and the student union to establish a food bank on campus and divert leftover food to students in need. Through this student-led non-profit, she also organized a free cooking class for students using common leftovers, several Holiday Care Package initiatives providing winter necessities to local shelters, and is leading two research teams focusing on food insecurity and food waste in Toronto. She is currently working on establishing a Campus Fridge in partnership with UTSU, which would implement the Take What You Need, Leave What You Can model, and serve as an accessible community fridge on campus.

Tamara also co-founded a campus-wide food coalition, which is working to launch a zero waste café and create a third-space grounded in food justice. Previously, she co-led the Woodsworth branch of a student group supporting survivors of sexual abuse, facilitated outbound student internships, and worked part-time for a court reporting and transcriptions company. Her experiences in the Jackman Scholars-in-Residence program, Summer Abroad in Italy, and as a Climate Positive Energy Fellow deepened her passion for community-based human rights interventions. She hopes to expand her leadership in work on human rights.

Education: Double Major, Criminology and Political Science

Future plans: Law school; Crown attorney 

Soban Atique is a Honours Bachelor of Arts student and Dean’s List Scholar at Woodsworth College. He is a TEDx speaker, recipient of the Peter F. Bronfman Leadership Award and Ruth Kirkland Scholarship from Woodsworth College, and the J.S. Woodsworth Service Award from the Woodsworth College Students' Association.

Soban is currently a governor at the University of Toronto Governing Council, the highest governing body at the University. He is an active member of the University of Toronto community as President of the Woodsworth College Students' Association, Secretary-General of the University’s Model UN, Senior Tour Guide in the Office of Student Recruitment, and former Foreign Policy Analyst at the University of Toronto Policython.

Soban is also a competitor of the University of Toronto Pre-Law Society’s Canadian mooting team, winning various awards from Osgoode Hall Law School, Lincoln Alexander School of Law, and more. He has also attended and won awards at numerous Model UN conferences across North America.

Education: Major, History and Double Minor, Sociology and Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity

Future Plans: Law school

Kavery is completing an Honors BA with a History major and double minors in Sociology and Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity. Kavery began her academic journey at the University of Toronto as a mature student in the Academic Bridging Program. In her 2nd and 3rd years, Kavery served as a Student Liaison in the Academic Bridging Program. In this role, she shared campus resources and learning strategies and provided academic support to mature students returning to post-secondary education. Kavery also works as a Community Liaison at a Toronto-based non-profit, Sistering, which serves women and gender-diverse people experiencing housing insecurity, poverty, and social isolation. As a Community Liaison, Kavery works with various stakeholders, including the Business Improvement Association (BIA), the Councilor’s office, the Member of Parliament’s office, and the local police division, to collaborate on strategies that help maintain positive community relations.

Kavery is passionate about advancing equity for historically marginalized groups by centering the values of anti-racism and anti-oppression. To further this goal, Kavery helped launch the Hidden Homelessness Research and Outreach Project at Sistering in partnership with the Multi-disciplinary Urban Capstone Project (MUCP) at the University of Toronto. This project will help develop an outreach tool to assist women and gender-diverse people experiencing hidden homelessness in Toronto. After graduation, Kavery aims to pursue law school and practice human rights law. Ultimately, in all her work, Kavery hopes to enhance social justice by advocating for underserved groups and strengthening solidarity for collective liberation.

Education: Double Major, Sociology and Peace, Conflict and Justice studies, and Minor, Digital humanities

Future plans: Law school while also embarking on an educational journey with a local madrasah

 In his time at U of T, Mohamed has excelled both in academics and in community involvement – within and beyond the university. 

Since his first year, Mohamed has been deeply involved in supporting students at the Faculty of Arts & Science in various positions within the Recognized Study Group program. As a Senior Study Group Assistant, he has supported the academic journeys of nearly 3,000 students each term. He is also a nominated member of the Student Advisory Committee with the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education, representing the concerns and interests of Faculty of Arts and Science Students at the St. George campus. Mohamed has served the U of T’s Muslim community as a Religious Services Director with the Muslim Student Association. In his third year, he co-authored a policy analysis on Toronto’s Moss Park under the guidance of Moss Park Coalition, which proposed solutions to the effects of gentrification on low-income and unhoused populations. Mohamed is proud to also be a part of Professor Rie Kijima’s team of students who have worked to launch the World Education Reform Database, one of the world's largest databases on educational reforms.  

Beyond the university, Mohamed is passionate about supporting the settlement of refugees in his community and has successfully organized a grassroots effort to deliver essential supplies and knowledge to newcomers in his neighbourhood. He has been working as a Policy Analyst Intern on the Afghanistan Coordination and Engagement team of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. Mohamed has received multiple scholarships acknowledging his excellence in both of his majors. He is a UTEA Research Fellow, a Jackman Scholar, and a University of Toronto President’s Scholar.

Education: Double Major, Molecular Genetics & Microbiology and Human Biology and Minor Art History

Future Plans: Masters in Translational Research, and then Medical School

Throughout her time at UofT, Sheryl has devoted her experiences and academics to serving diverse communities. Committed to mentorship and fostering community, she played a pivotal role in supporting first-year students as a Woodsworth E-mentor and Orientation Head Leader. Additionally, she works as a UofT Campus Tour Guide providing tours for thousands of prospective students and UofT guests, and holds the position of Senior Tour Guide in the Office of Student Recruitment. 

Moreover, she is enthusiastic about serving underprivileged communities which led her to become the Co-President of the UofT Trek for Teens club, where she collaborated with her team to host events raising awareness for homeless youth and biannual donation drives that acquired $2,000 worth of items. As the Co-president of the UofT Best Buddies chapter that aims to foster friendships with adults living with intellectual disabilities, she worked on creating accessible and safe spaces for buddies to feel supported by promoting sensitivity training and providing resources for peer buddies.

Driven and passionate about translational and organ transplant research, patient-centered care, and healthcare innovation, Sheryl is a clinical research trainee under the Multi-Organ Transplant Student Research Training Program. She leads multiple teams working on data work, clinical research, and quality improvement projects and has led her team to win the MOTSRTP Dragon's Den Competition. After graduating, Sheryl plans to pursue a master's and then a medical degree toward a career as a physician.

Education: Specialist in Psychology, Major in Human Biology, Minor in Physiology

Future plans: Healthcare/Biotechnology

Benjamin Shaw (he/him) is in his fourth and final year of undergraduate study as a Psychology specialist, Human Biology major, and Physiology minor. Ben would say that his time at the university was equally divided between his academics, extracurriculars, and having fun! He is committed to leadership and mentorship while always striving to improve himself through helping others.

Within Woodsworth College, he is currently a Residence Don and was previously a Head Leader and First Responder for WCSA’s Orientation in 2022 and 2023. He has been the President of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Chapter (LLC) for three years and a Supervisor/Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) for the University of Toronto Emergency First Responders (UTEFR) for two years.

Research has also been an essential part of Ben’s time in university, where he conducted an equity-focused Quality Improvement (QI) project for the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute that aimed to better the efficacy of medical examinations for children with severe behavioural complexities. Within the Josselyn-Frankland Lab at SickKids, he’s worked on two projects; one exploring hippocampal neurogenesis in mice and one analyzing neuronal network organization in cerebral organoids.

After graduating, Ben will be taking a year to explore career options in the healthcare and biotechnology industries. After that, he plans to apply to medical school. He is immensely excited for the future and incredibly thankful for his family, friends, and colleagues supporting him on his way there.