MEET THE BOARD AND COMMITTEES

Margaret Zanel is an accomplished board member and strategic advisor with over 25 years of executive experience spanning Fortune 100 companies, start-ups, and private equity ventures in North America's professional services, technology, and consumer packaged goods sectors. Margaret is Co-founder and Partner, Strategy and Leadership at Wentworth Strategy Group providing expert advice to boards, CEOs, and leadership teams to support their growth and long-term sustainability. Margaret has deep expertise in strategy, scaling, culture, and change management, excelling in executive alignment, risk management, and strategic execution. Margaret currently serves on McMaster University’s Senate and is a member of the McMaster Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Previously, Margaret served on the advisory boards of two Canadian women-owned start-ups in ride-hailing services and bio-conservation tech.  She also served as a subsidiary board member of Xerox Canada Ltd. Margaret holds an MBA in International Business from McMaster University and achieved her ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. Margaret is an instructor with the Executive Education program of the DeGroote School of Business, teaching courses on strategy and equity, diversity, and inclusion. She is also a lead facilitator for the World Trade Centre's Trade Accelerator Program (TAP). In 2018, Margaret was selected as one of Diversity MBA Magazine's "Top 50 over 50", and in 2020 she was recognized as one of Diversity MBA Magazine’s, "Top 100 Women of Influence".

Serkan Eskinazi has 25+ years of experience in financial services industry spanning audit, strategy, finance, and private equity. He is currently the Managing Director and Head of Merchant Banking, the group which encompasses the private equity activities of BMO Capital Markets. In addition to his business oversight responsibilities, Serkan is responsible for managing the private equity fund and equity co-investment programs under BMO Capital Markets. He is a member of the investment committee of these programs and represents BMO on the limited partner advisory committees of several private equity funds. Prior to joining BMO Capital Markets, Serkan worked in the Audit and Assurance Services group of PwC in Istanbul. Serkan immigrated to Canada from Turkey in 1999. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Management from the Middle East Technical University in Turkey and an MBA degree from McGill University. He is a CFA Charterholder and holds an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.  Outside of work, Serkan volunteers in Non-for-Profit organizations, and previously served as a Board member and Treasurer of St. Stephen’s Community House, a social service agency that offers free programs to address poverty, homelessness, mental health, and youth unemployment in Toronto.

Leslie is a former HR executive with a law degree and more than 30 years of diverse experience in global corporations, as well as in consulting.  She has worked with many executive teams and Boards on strategic talent and culture programs.  Leslie has a proven track record for driving change and leading the integration of acquisitions.  She also has broad expertise across a range of human resource areas including compensation and benefits, culture change and employment branding, attraction and retention, labour relations, diversity and inclusion and HR processes and systems.   Leslie was the head of Human Resources at Extendicare most recently and, prior to that, at OpenText.  Both are large, Canadian-based publicly traded companies.  Leslie also spent more than a decade in various HR leadership roles at Agrium (now Nutrien) based out of Calgary.  In addition, she worked for 15 years as an HR consultant with Mercer, including as a Principal with the Executive Compensation Consulting practice. Leslie holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from Queen’s University and has completed the Advanced HR Executive Program at the Ross School of Business of the University of Michigan.  Leslie is currently a member of the People & Culture Committee of Diabetes Canada’s Board.

Naresh K. Vohra joined Musashi Auto Parts in August 2019 as Chief Financial Officer, part of the Americas executive team. He is responsible for leading finance and IT functions along with Digitization and Standardization across all plants through cross function team efforts. He has been leading the change management brought in by Covid and electrification of vehicles, to streamline supply chain, manage significant investments and cash generation and to make the processes more streamlined to bring further efficiencies. As a Chartered Public Accountant and Certified Management Accountant, Naresh has extensive background in finance with the commercial and operations side of service and manufacturing environments, underscored by the understanding and successful application of lean and six sigma principles and brings over 20 years of experience across the tech, supply chain in an automotive manufacturing & aftermarket environment and financial services industries. Prior to joining Musashi, Mr. Vohra joined BrandProtect and Nulogx, where he was responsible for leading finance, HR, Legal and IT functions. Prior to that, Naresh was Director of Business Operations & Process Optimization at CDTi, CFO with Cash 4 You Corp., in Cambridge, Ontario. He worked with Honeywell (NYSE:HON) for 10 years in various positions, the most recent being Director of Finance for their $400M division manufacturing antifreeze and car care products, and Vice President of Finance of three Canadian divisions worth $100M of Atchison Castings Corp for 5 years. Naresh holds a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from GND University in India. He holds professional designations of CPA, CMA, a Diploma in computer programming, analysis and design from Chandigarh, India, and is Honeywell Six Sigma Green Belt certified. He was member of F.E.I. (Financial Executive International) and served on the Board of Directors of its Hamilton Chapter for four years as a treasurer. Naresh lives in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, with his wife Jyoti and two young sons.        

With a vast experience in the Technology sector of the corporate world, Vaswatii’s specialty lies in Service Delivery through Technology Management for Global Operations. She currently leads Operational Support Strategy and Optimization for Liftion with a focus to drive global operational expansion for improved strategic positioning and better customer service. Throughout her career, Vaswatii has worked for many Fortune 500 companies around the globe helping them make the best use of technology to solve business problems thus promoting growth. Vaswatii is the Regional Director for iWIN (International Women’s Inclusion Network) Canada, a Business Resource Group for corporate women in her company. She uses this capacity to promote a culture of empowering women ‘to sit at the table.’ She believes the world needs more women in leadership roles.    

Tracey Taylor-O’Reilly brings over two decades of executive experience.  Before joining Pathways to Education Canada as President & Chief Executive Officer, Tracey held leadership and teaching positions at York and McMaster universities and worked in the public and consulting sectors. She joined York University in December 2013 with the mandate to create a pan-university School to support adult and non-traditional learners, and founded the York University School of Continuing Studies. Tracey and her team created what became an internationally award-winning School in English language and professional education that is among the largest of its kind in North America, serving students from over 130 countries. In 2021, Tracey was honoured with the WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada award, and with a Stevie award as the global Female Executive of the Year in the large government and non-profit category.  A Chartered Director (C.Dir.), she has also served as a Director and as President of the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education.  

Kim Warburton is a strategic communications and public affairs executive with extensive experience building corporate reputation and brand, stakeholder relationships, and employee engagement. She has held senior global and national positions in the multinational, financial, advertising and telecommunications sectors, including roles with TD Bank Group, GE, and Bell Canada. She has worked in the Ontario government focusing on workforce skills and economic development. Kim is currently Vice President Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at Geotab. Kim’s interests include navigating the changing nature of work, economic participation and opportunity, and life-long learning. She recently served as Chair and Director of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and is a Director of Actua, a national organization engaging youth in STEM to build employability skills and confidence. She has also served as advisor on Mississauga’s Economic Development Advisory Board, and as Chair and Director of the Trillium Health Partners Hospital Foundation.

Marlon has over 15 years of experience working in senior level leadership roles in financial services, not-for-profit and consulting industries. He is currently the CEO of Optimal Growth Financial, responsible for crafting the strategic direction and long-term vision of its start-up investment fund. Before that, Marlon was the Director, Finance at ICES, where he provided financial and operational leadership, accounting expertise and guidance to the organization. He was also the Director of Finance at ACT, where he provided strategic leadership and vision for the financial functions of the organization. In addition, he worked in senior roles at Optimal Growth Consulting, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, and the Government of Bermuda. Marlon has strong leadership experience in financial reporting, strategic planning, analytics, risk management, process automation, governance, project management, mentoring and coaching people. Marlon holds a Master of Business Administration from Oxford Brookes University, CPA, CGA designation from CPA Ontario, and he is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant.

Mark Lukowski is an accomplished leader, director, and senior executive who has achieved noteworthy results in six business sectors as well as the not-for-profit sector. He has 25+ years of board membership as a director, chair of the board, vice chair, committee chair and CEO reporting to the board with profit and not-for-profit organizations. Mark served as director, Board Chair, Chair of the Governance/Nominating/Compensation Committee at the NDTC- a large national recycling service provider. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Children Believe where he led the organization’s efforts to develop unique global alliances and advance the organization’s vision of a world where every child can achieve their full potential. During his tenure as CEO the organization was named a “Top 25 Charity in Canada” by the National Post newspaper. Mark also led the organization's efforts to achieve Imagine Canada accreditation. Previous to his not-for-profit experience, Mark worked for over 25 years as a senior executive in multiple business sectors. His leadership experience ranged from working with small family-owned businesses to large multinationals, including Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Clarke Inc. where he was responsible for growing revenue, increasing profits, and implementing global alliances. Mark has MBA and Bachelor of Mathematics degrees, and ICD.D (Institute Corporate Directors) accreditation. Mark was recognized by United College (formerly St. Paul’s University College) as “Distinguished Alumnus Exemplary Service to Community.”  

Ivana Di Millo is an award-winning senior communications leader who has managed all aspects of corporate communications in both municipal government and the private sector, supporting senior executives with employee communications, public relations, marketing campaigns, change management, and crisis communication. Following her retirement from the City of Mississauga where she served as Director, Strategic Communications for 18 years, Ivana transitioned into a new role as Principal and Managing Director of Blue Opal Communications Inc., where she is focused on building great culture through effective communication for her clients. Ivana has a (Hon) BA from the University of Toronto and a post-graduate Certificate in Public Relations from Humber College. She is a Chartered Marketer (CM) through the Canadian Marketing Association, a member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), certified in PROSCI change management, and trained to Level300 in IMS (Incident Management Training). She served two terms as a Community Member on the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Campus Council. In 2022, she was honoured by UTM with the J. Tuzo Wilson Distinguished Alumni Award for her volunteer work supporting the university community.

Branka Halilovic is an accomplished executive with over 25 years of experience driving and efficiently executing technology innovation projects, running business operations, and providing exemplary client services. She is currently the Director, Administration at University Information Technology at York University, where she is responsible for the delivery of administrative services including Finance, Administration, HR, and Space Management. Branka is constantly involved in giving back to her community and supports various global, national and community charity events. Branka served on the Board of Governors at Toronto Metropolitan University and was a member of the Executive, Finance, and Employee Relations and Pension committees. Branka was the President of the Board of Directors at Swansea Kids Place, a community not-for profit daycare, and the team manager for a Toronto Triple Threat basketball team. Branka holds a Master of Business Administration in Management of Technology and Innovation from Toronto Metropolitan University and has a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

Ruth Woods has more than 35 years executive experience in professional services management, investment banking and consulting. She has held the position of Chief Operating Officer of Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where she was responsible for Finance, IT, HR, Facilities and Administration. Prior to Osler she was a founding partner of Hugessen Consulting Inc, Senior Vice President; Global Head of Human Resources at Scotia Capital; and a Founding Director of Women in Capital Markets. Ruth is currently on the board of Scarborough Health Network, and has served on the Bishop Strachan School and Royal St. George’s College Boards of Governors as Vice-Chair and Chair respectively, and on the board of Kinross Gold Corp. Ruth graduated from the University of Toronto with a Masters of Business Administration, and from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Mathematics.

Ana Nunes brings more than 20 years’ experience as a senior executive in the retirement savings industry. She held various leadership roles during her 10+ years at OMERS, including Senior Vice President of Plan Risk, Senior Vice President of Pension Services, and President of OMERS Investment Management. During her consulting career at Mercer, she advised clients on the full spectrum of pension plan issues. Ana is a strategic thinker who is known for deep analytical skills and an ability to clearly communicate key issues. She has led multiple strategic initiatives that grew assets under management by over $2 billion. She brings extensive experience supporting Boards with the oversight of risk management, pension funding, large-scale administration operations and cybersecurity. Ana is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees of the MoveUp/ICBC Pension Plan and a member of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries Enterprise Risk Management Practice Committee. She has been a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the Benefits and Pensions Monitor and has volunteered her time to various charitable causes through the years. In addition to being a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and Society of Actuaries, Ana is a CFA charter holder and holds the ICD.D designation.  

Paulo Salomao has 15+ years of consulting and executive experience across strategy, operations, technology, and investments. He is currently the National Insurance Lead at Accenture, where he focuses on helping organizations unlock business value through technology. Before Accenture, Paulo worked at OMERS, where he was a member of the senior executive team between 2014 and 2016. Prior to OMERS, Paulo held executive roles at both Manulife and Aimia, and he also spent five years at McKinsey & Company. Paulo holds a B.Eng. in Control and Automation Engineering from UNICAMP (Brazil), an M.A.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto, and an M.B.A. from the Rotman School of Management, all with distinction. Paulo immigrated to Canada from Brazil in 2004 with his wife. Outside of work, Paulo is an advisor to early stage companies, and a member of the Pension Policy Council at the C.D. Howe Institute. 

Epsit Jajal brings 25+ years of senior leadership experience from a range of diverse industries including banking, consulting services, insurance, mining, construction, telecom, high tech, retail, software, energy, and various levels of the public sector. Epsit specializes in implementing organizational transformation initiatives designed to dramatically improve organizational profitability and enterprise value by leveraging innovative and strategically important digital solutions. His areas of expertise include leading global teams responsible for digital strategy, technology services, finance, professional services, and business operations. Combined with his globally recognized academic credentials in business (MBA from Western University’s Ivey School of Business), finance (CPA, CMA) and outsourcing certification (University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business), Epsit provides insightful perspectives to Achēv that help the management team continuously enhance its operational effectiveness and positive impacts on clients.

Jenine Gregory is a finance professional with experience in the areas of Internal and External Audit, Corporate Recovery, Financial and Investment Operations as well as Risk.  Her industry exposure includes Professional Services, Financial Services, Pension Administration, Investment Management as well as Public Sector, particularly in transit capital build and operations. Jenine believes strongly in servant leadership and is passionate about giving back to organizations whose mandate is to enrich the lives and living standards of individuals. In her spare time Jenine likes taking brisk walks, cycling and generally spending time with friends and family.  She looks forward to and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the mission and work of Achēv.        

Paul Webber is an experienced executive with a history of working with organizational and human resources leaders in the design, management and communications of their health benefit, retirement, and talent management strategies across a diverse range of industries. Paul is the Vice President & Consulting Practice Leader at BPA Financial Group. Paul has extensive operational and consulting experience within the pension & benefits industry. In addition to his consulting experience, Paul has several years of HR leadership when he managed the benefit, disability, and retirement programs for PwC in Canada. Paul values collaboration and honest communication and knows how various HR programs can positively affect Canadians’ financial, physical, and emotional well-being. Paul has contributed as a contributed as Senior Committee member previously with the Community Foundation of Mississauga and is currently a member of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s Pension Technical Advisory Committee.    

Lenna Bradburn has over 25 years of executive leadership experience, primarily in the public sector. She has held executive positions at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, City of Toronto, Borealis Infrastructure, and Ombudsman Ontario. Lenna also had the privilege of being Canada’s first female police chief in Guelph, ON in 1994. Throughout her career, Lenna has had a passion for organizational transformation leading her to become a skilled change agent focusing on strategy, innovation, people, processes, and systems. Today, Lenna is an independent consultant providing a range of consulting services to clients.     

Jay Adhvaryu is a dynamic high energy, results oriented senior finance professional with extensive experience in finance and accounting management roles. Jay is currently the Director of Finance at Match Marketing. Prior to this role, Jay held senior management roles with Shred-it/Stericycle Inc., Aimia Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., SSP Canada Food Services Inc., Oakville Toyota, among others. Jay is recognized as a leader and an exceptional people manager who is a skilled communicator that inspires and motivates teams to move business ahead and achieve desired results by working with leadership teams and collaborating effectively across the organization. 

Daniel Dip brings over 15 years of experience in management consulting, corporate strategy, business development, and start ups.  Currently serving as the Head of Strategy at Canada Life, he concentrates on shaping the company's long-term vision and crafting value creating strategies. Prior to his role at Canada Life, Daniel was a Senior Principal at Korn Ferry, leading engagements with Fortune 500 companies on pivotal topics including Digital Readiness, Transformation, and Operational Effectiveness. His career includes tenures at global companies such as Great West Life and Telefonica, as well as three impactful years at Bain & Company, where he focused on Private Equity and Financial Services. Holding a Bachelor of Business Administration from Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV, Brazil), and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern University, USA), Daniel immigrated to Canada in 2014 alongside his wife, and is now a proud father of two children.        

Safdar Abidi is an award-winning architect who has specialized in the design of Higher Education buildings and wide-ranging strategic consulting for post secondary institutions for the last 15 years of his career. By immersing himself in the business, missions, culture, and evolution of higher education institutions he has developed a specialization for bringing architecture and post-secondary institutions in close conversation with each other. Through his wide network of diverse entities related to the post secondary sector, Safdar has also connected and brokered relationships between institutions, constructors, developers, donors, government, and funding agencies. Safdar’s practice thesis positions campus buildings as not just space containers but as venues for cultural change and as environments that are scripts for enriched learning, research, and collaboration.  Typically, in the role of principal architect, Safdar works closely with clients to design their buildings as agents of change and messengers of the unique mission and identity of each institution. He guides teams in developing beautiful, mission-responsive designs, conducting effective consultation, ensuring sustainability and EDI goals are adhered to and project parameters of budget and schedule are effectively tracked and adhered to. Safdar holds a Master of Architecture from the State University of New York, a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. He is a member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Society of College and University Planning, Toronto Society of Architects, the Perkins&Will Higher Education Practice Council, and Perkins&Will Global Council, Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Safdar is the holder of nine prestigious awards and an honour mention, the latest being the Global Excellence Award Winner, International Design Association IIDA, 2021, and the Award of Excellence in Design, Ontario Glass & Metal Association, OGMA, 2023.  

Claire-Anne is a seasoned bilingual business leader with over 25 years of experience in finance, strategic planning, and business development. Currently serving as a Regional Manager at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Claire-Anne leads a team responsible for delivering innovative financing solutions to increase affordable housing in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. With a proven track record of building strong partnerships and driving impactful initiatives, Claire-Anne is committed to making a positive difference in the community. A recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, Claire-Anne is passionate about giving back and supporting charitable causes.

Kim Warburton is a strategic communications and public affairs executive with extensive experience building corporate reputation and brand, stakeholder relationships, and employee engagement. She has held senior global and national positions in the multinational, financial, advertising and telecommunications sectors, including roles with TD Bank Group, GE, and Bell Canada. She has worked in the Ontario government focusing on workforce skills and economic development. Kim is currently Vice President Strategic Communications and Public Affairs at Geotab. Kim’s interests include navigating the changing nature of work, economic participation and opportunity, and life-long learning. She recently served as Chair and Director of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and is a Director of Actua, a national organization engaging youth in STEM to build employability skills and confidence. She has also served as advisor on Mississauga’s Economic Development Advisory Board, and as Chair and Director of the Trillium Health Partners Hospital Foundation.

Terri Lohnes is the founder of Tekama Advisory, a consulting practice focused on advancing health sector innovation and success. She is a dynamic executive with over 25 years of experience in the public, private, and not for profit sectors and is a seasoned strategy, governance and operations leader. Her career has spanned senior roles in the Ontario Government, GE Healthcare, and Optimus SBR, an award winning management consulting firm. Terri is on the Advisory Board for Curious Public, and on Medtech Canada’s National Digital Health Council, Federal Affairs and Ontario Committees. She is an advisor to emerging Canadian health tech innovators for Communitech’s Fast Track Health program and was recently on the Inaugural Advisory Board for GE Healthcare Canada’s Edison Accelerator Program working with start-ups in AI imaging. Terri was a past Board member of Genetic Aortic Disorders Association (GADA) Canada and has served on the CivicAction Champions Council for Mental Health in the Workplace, Ontario Chamber of Commerce Health Transformation Council, and the IAM Health Advisory Board. Terri has an undergraduate degree in Economics and a Master of Public Administration from Queen’s University.

With over three decades of distinguished leadership in technology, Rekha Rao-Mayya is a seasoned technical leader, who has made a lasting impact across companies such as Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Oracle. As the former CEO of a Not-for-Profit organization, she has demonstrated her commitment to social impact. Rekha is an engineer by education, and also holds an executive leadership certification from George Mason University and a board governance certification from Wharton, further highlighting her commitment to excellence. She is a sought after speaker at prominent platforms, including distinguished venues like The Walrus. Leveraging her wealth of experience, she serves on the board of two Canadian technology startups and contributes her expertise to the advisory councils for OntarioTech University and the Canadian Red Cross. Widely recognized for her inclusive leadership, she has garnered awards from organizations like CSPN and WCT for her outstanding contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Most recently, Rekha co-founded a technology startup (currently in stealth mode) and desires to use her skills to solve interesting problems that impact the planet.

With over 30 years in corporate Canada, Pat Tremaine has been instrumental in shaping iconic brands. Starting at Nabisco, she refined her skills managing products like Oreo and Ritz. At Bell Canada, she led Sympatico to market leadership as GM and directed the company's western expansion as SVP Marketing. After a successful consulting career with clients such as RBC Insurance and Sobeys, Pat now focuses on guiding pre-revenue start-ups in business and marketing strategies. She is also dedicated to mentoring young women and contributes to the International Women’s Forum and Achēv’s business development committee.

Nabeel Khan brings 18 years of experience in financial services, specializing in Credit, Investment, Insurance & Wealth Management. Known for leadership, strategic thinking, business acumen, community engagement, he is dedicated to lead RBC’s strategic priorities, Newcomer Integration in Canada and Youth Empowerment. As Regional Vice President at RBC, Nabeel oversees and provides leadership to 150 plus members, operational network, stakeholder engagement, community representation and ensures key strategic priorities are delivered.

An experienced communications practitioner, Janice leads with a passionate focus on delivering smart, creative and insightful strategies to help organizations successfully navigate the ever-changing business and social ecosystems. A firm believer in the power of integration, her expertise lies in building and leading campaigns and teams to leverage the bridges between policy, issues, products and audiences to attain desired outcomes. During her 20+ year career she’s worked with some of the most prominent companies in the world on some of the largest issues in Canada. Janice is dedicated to the infusion of diversity and inclusion in everything she does - working towards a future where there’s equity for all.

I’ve always been curious about people and their stories.  Why do they make the choices they make?  Why take one path and not another?  I studied psychology at university and switched to marketing because I loved advertising.  In my early marketing and advertising career, it was fun to visit businesses and talk to them about their customers to understand who they were and what they wanted. It wasn’t enough, though.  It was natural for me to move from that into understanding organizational culture and what people wanted from their work.  Since those days, I’ve focused my life and career on helping leaders to understand themselves and their teams.  As an ICF Certified executive coach, I question, persuade, guide, challenge and help individuals build their self-awareness and appreciate their impact on others. I’ve transformed and designed organizational structures in both public and private sector environments which improve decision making, work processes, communication, and teamwork.  My teaching background has helped me design and deliver practical leadership programs.  Over the years, I’ve developed mentoring programs, led women’s workshops, developed assessments and programs on building trust.  I’ve spoken on many stages.  I’ve interviewed thousands of people in my career and coached and mentored hundreds.  I’ve worked with Inuit and First Nations communities and mentored women entrepreneurs.  There isn’t a people issue or dilemma that I haven’t encountered.  I have a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from Concordia University.  In my 30’s, I took a leap and went back to school for my Masters in Environmental Studies from York University.  I loved research and learning so much that I continued on to my PhD at the University of Toronto.  I successfully graduated despite giving birth, dealing with the death of my husband and raising my son alone.  He’s an adult now and I’m so proud of him.  I learned so much about life and never giving up; I bring to my work every day.