BridgeTO Youth Superstars: Rauha
"It’s all on me now"
Even just 5 minutes into conversation with Rauha Ahmed, it’s hard not to be blown away by her accomplishments.
The recent Ar-Risala Academy and BridgeTO Youth graduate finished with an astounding 99% average in Grade 12. She has placed 1st in BridgeTO competitions held in partnership with Roche Pharmaceuticals, RBC and Amazon. In September, she will begin her journey at UofT studying Biomedical Engineering as a proud recipient of the $10K President’s Entrance Scholarship.
These accomplishments are even more impressive when you understand the mountains Rauha had to climb to reach this point.
“When I was in Grade 11, my dad passed away,” she explains. “He was my backup, my support, I always had him there for me. It was hard to get back on track because he was my academic mentor and he helped me out with a lot of things, so it was just hard to get back into everything.”
Amidst the loneliness and grief of losing a loved one, Rauha came to a realization that would fuel her hard work in the upcoming months.
“After he passed away, it came as a shock to me. I realized that it’s all on me now. Whatever I do, whatever I accomplish, it has to be through my hard work and I don’t have that backup anymore.”
Rauha drew strength from the support of her mom and her friends. It was at this time that she was accepted into the BridgeTO Youth program. Rauha credits BridgeTO’s events alongside partners such as Roche, BMO, PwC and more for helping her expand her horizons.
“BridgeTO was a great help and they were able to show me the many different pathways my life can take,” she recalls. “Through the amazing events I was able to attend, I met people from different careers and industries, and I got to see how they were able to get to certain places in their lives.”
Through BridgeTO, Rauha also built a strong connection with her mentor Axelle Mitchell from RBC. One piece of advice in particular really resonated with Rauha.
“Axelle always tells me that life is very flexible, so I don’t need to stress too much about how I begin my career because I can always pivot and take my life in the direction that I want to later on,” she says.
As she begins her next chapter at UofT, Rauha is making sure to stay focused on another important personal goal: making a positive impact. The 17-year old currently runs 2 online blogs focusing on mental health and women’s rights respectively. She also has aspirations of one day opening a women’s shelter in her home country of Pakistan.
“As a Muslim female living in Canada, I have a lot of opportunities and freedoms that I know other people across the world don’t have access to. I think it’s my duty as a human being to use these opportunities to better myself and make the world an easier place for others.”
Over the past 2 years, Rauha has overcome tremendous hurdles and accomplished incredible feats. As she works towards her long-term goals, she finds herself reflecting on the role her late father still plays in her life.
“He would want me to work hard, to make myself a successful individual,” she says. “Even though he’s gone, his memory can still inspire me to do great things.”
