Seneca College RED 2020 - 40

5,798

GIVING
BACK

Number of gifts received
in 2019/20

Nicolas Esper's belief in education
creates two awards

Lifelong learner

40

RED

2020

Aside from classes, Mr. Esper gave him so much.
had several transformative
" I feel a lot of gratitude to
experiences along the way. He
Seneca for helping me get
founded the Liberal Arts Club,
to where I am. I hope by paying
presented a TedTalk at Tedxit forward, I can help other
Seneca, and twice represented
students to succeed like I have. "
Seneca at the Education Without
Mr. Esper credits the Liberal
Borders student conference
Arts Program with giving him
in Dubai.
a clear understanding of what
After graduating from Seneca, a successful educational experiMr. Esper went on to receive
ence should be. He has applied
his undergraduate degree in
that to his own school, Seneca
philosophy and political science Hill Private School, which
at the University of Toronto.
serves students from juniorNow, while leading his own
kindergarten to Grade 12.
school as principal, he is pursu " It really did shape what
ing a master's degree at the
I do today and the delivery of
Ontario Institute for Studies in
content in our school. "
Education.
But it's not only Seneca to
" I haven't really left school
whom he feels a debt of gratitude.
since kindergarten, " Mr. Esper
In honour of his grandmother,
laughs.
Mr. Esper created a second
He decided to create the
financial aid award, the
Nicolas Esper Liberal Arts Award Leila Esper Early Childhood
to give back to the program that
Educator Award.

A single mother who fled
war-torn Lebanon with her two
children, Leila Esper achieved
her dream of becoming an
educator after she graduated
from Seneca's Early Childhood
Educator program in 1980. She
went on to establish Seneca Hill
Private School.
" I come from a family of
entrepreneurs who emphasized
education to not only help you
get a good job, but to help you
to become a well-rounded
person. My grandmother really
started that for our family and it
is important for me to carry on. "

To learn more about creating your own
award, bursary or scholarship, please
visit senecacollege.ca/awards.
Pictured above: Nicolas Esper and son, Lucas.

PHOTO: IAN PATTERSON

LIBERAL ARTS ALUMNUS Nicolas
Esper has spent the greater part
of his life in school - in fact,
he has never really left.
After attending many
schools and collecting many
degrees, he finds himself now
as the principal of a private
school in North York. His
educational journey has had
many ups and downs, but he
credits Seneca as playing
a vital role in illuminating his
passion for education.
His first foray into postsecondary education didn't go
as expected.
" I attended McGill University
right out of high school, " he
says. " I didn't have the tools or
mindset at the time to succeed
at a university level. I ended
up getting kicked out. "
But that disappointment led
Mr. Esper to find the Liberal
Arts University Transfer program
at Seneca.
" I felt like I finally found
the right program and the right
place for me, " he says. " The
experienced professors, along
with the emphasis on foundational skills helped rekindle
my love of learning. I was also
very involved with student
life and loved feeling part of the
community. "
http://www.senecacollege.ca/awards
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