Stories of Struggle, Resistance & Success: African Black Caribbean, Latin American, Southeast Asian & First Generation Students

University of Toronto Student Life will host an open, caring, empathetic and validating space to connect and share / listen to personal experiences of challenge, perseverance and thriving at post-secondary. 

In small group conversations, with supportive guests who will analyze how they confronted their own struggles in university, registrants will benefit from naming how each of us have pushed through barriers and self-doubt, accessed our campus and communities for support and empowerment, redefined what individual growth and success looks like, and remind each other that we don’t have to navigate, survive and succeed at U of T alone.

Guests: 

Dr. Shirley Yeung (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Teaching Stream. Shirley was a first generation student who grew up in Toronto’s east end community of Scarborough. Her multi-ethnic (Filipinx, Southern Chinese, African American) heritage informs her research and teaching interests in diaspora, care, education, and critical pedagogy. In her teaching, she strives to build joyful learning communities where students can reflect on lived experience through the lens of language, making connections between everyday communication, social inequality, and social transformation. 

Ian Marquez (he/him) has been a higher education and student affairs professional at the University of Toronto for over 17 years. As a proud Filipino and first‑generation university graduate, Ian brings a deep understanding of the challenges and possibilities that shape the student experience. He believes that every student deserves a supportive community, a strong sense of belonging, and the opportunity to grow into their full potential. In his current role as Program Coordinator, Global Careers and Alumni Programs at the Centre for International Experience, and as a former student himself, Ian has learned the importance of empathy, representation, and collaboration in helping students learn, develop, and thrive.

Dr. Beyhan Farhadi (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Educational Policy and Equity at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. She is an abolitionist scholar researching surveillance and learning technologies in Canadian public schools. Dr. Farhadi is queer, “upwardly mobile,” and a first-generation university graduate and the child of immigrants of Turkish and Indian (from East African) heritage who grew up in conditions of economic precarity. In addition to English, she has working proficiency in Spanish.