Toluwanimi was waiting at a train station in Calgary, when one of the TVs caught her eye.

“There was an ad talking about UBC, but I remember clearly there was an ‘O’ in every scene. That drew me in, so I went back to my house and really looked into UBC—and the Okanagan campus specifically.”

Tolu moved to Canada in 2016 from Nigeria. After arriving she studied for a diploma in social work, before starting work in the field. In the years that followed she considered coming back to school, but felt there were too many barriers.

“I wanted to come to UBC for the longest time! But I wasn’t sure I could afford it.”

A belief in education is something that runs in Tolu’s family. Her parents are both teachers. She and her siblings grew up knowing how important school is. The opportunity to go to university and possibly continue into postgraduate study was a big deal. Having decided to apply to UBC Okanagan, Tolu put her heart into her application for the Beyond Tomorrow Scholars Award.

“I wrote about my involvement in the community and my academic achievements. I wrote about my family and my experiences in Canada. The very last sentence in my application essay was, ‘all I’m asking for is a chance.’ I knew I could do something really, really big if I had the opportunity to be at a school like this.”

So how did it feel when she found out she’d been successful?

“Receiving the award was everything, oh my goodness! I went to check my email and I dropped my laptop! I called my mom and all my siblings got on the call and they were screaming. I was screaming, I was dancing, I was singing. It was joy all over.”

Tolu’s experience in social work continues to play a role in her ambitions for the future. She is studying management at the Okanagan campus, with the belief she can combine her studies with her experiences to bring real change to the lives of people who work in social services—and to the people who rely on their support to live fulfilling lives.

“I have big dreams! After UBC, I intend to take a master’s in public policy. I really want to explore public policy as a tool to challenge the system and bring about positive change in the world. With my background in social work and the skills I’m learning from management, I want to do something that leads change in a way that is people-centred.”

Tolu’s belief that she can go on to make a difference through her studies also reflects a belief that your support for her is not really just for her—but for anyone her work touches in the future. Gratitude radiates from her when she is asked if she has a message for donors who supported her.

“Thank you for thinking beyond yourselves and putting something towards somebody else’s future, because you’ve changed my life! And it just causes a ripple effect of change, because I will go on to change other people’s lives, too.”