Good evening.
My name is Christopher Emmanuel. I am a student at the University of Toronto studying accounting. I'm pursuing a degree in that field.
I have been a part of YAAACE for the past eight years and a part of the working team for the past four.
Some of my most memorable moments at YAAACE were not just of the athletic or academic sides of it, but of the mentors we had growing up. Having people who looked like us and people who grew up in that same neighbourhood really showed and gave us the opportunity to look at what we could be in the future as young Black men in these types of areas.
I have been a part of this wonderful team helping young African American youth really strive to be the best possible versions of themselves in their academics. As Mr. Jones spoke about, these past two years I've helped by becoming a student teacher in the math department for our grade eights. They've been working toward a grade nine math credit, so that they'll have that before entering their four years of high school. I've really enjoyed the job. It has really been very beneficial, and not just for me but for my peers and colleagues.
People I've grown up with are still part of the YAAACE team and are still a part of a team where they can benefit not just from making money during the summer or things like that, but from being able to put money toward their tuition or by helping young kids growing up by showing them role models and being those role models for them.
It has been a great opportunity to be part of this team, and it has benefited me in so many ways. It was my first job, and it is still one of the best experiences I've ever had, coming up from being a camper to now being a student teacher helping push the next generation to somewhat resemble me and continue to push for their dreams and achieve their goals—not just athletically but academically.