When 9/11 occurred, Sammer Haq was a child. Overnight, many in the world painted all Muslims as terrorists. Sammer chose to counter this ignorance by being a role model for showing her religion’s beauty and all it stands for.
She wanted the world to know that Islam is a religion that empowers women, focuses on peace, strives for excellence and gives back. She played high school sports in a Hijab and excelled in math.
Growing up in an under-served community, Sammer saw beauty in Canada’s diversity, creativity and ingenuity in how people survived. She saw math as a crucial bridge to future STEM-related jobs, so she started to tutor her classmates, giving them a chance at post-secondary education. Very quickly, a handful of students grew into a classroom of fifty. Three years ago, she founded a not-for-profit called BridgeTO Youth that provides free tutoring, mental health workshops, outreach support, mentorship and exclusive career-related events to bridge the gap to success for youth in under-served and under-represented communities.
Sammer is now also the Head of Data and Analytics at Mydoh, an RBC venture that helps kids gain fundamental money skills through coaching and collaboration with parents. She chats about why she joined RBC, the meaning behind the awards she has earned there and the winning teams she has built.
A rising star in the workforce and her community, Sammer Haq spreads inspiration, advice, peace and happiness in her quest to lift youth and share the magic of diversity, community and belonging. She proves that even in the hands of a single person, a bridge can be built to close the divide and to get humans back to believing in humanity.
Tony Chapman created the Chatter That Matters podcast to counter the storm of negativity and impossibility with true stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. He chats with Olympians, Advocates, Celebrities, Leaders, and people who battled what seemed like insurmountable odds.
In doing so, listeners hear life lessons that inspire all of us to do more and to be more, to help us get to where we need, want and deserve. RBC is the presenting sponsor.
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