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Ralston Kwan pays it forward with student award

September 16, 2024
Ralston Kwan

Ralston Kwan

Hospitality and Tourism Management ’14
Technology Management (MMSc) ’23
Business Systems Support Analyst, Ted Rogers School of Management

Ralston Kwan encountered a fork in the road before finding his academic path, and as someone whose parents didn’t have access to a post-secondary education, Ralston had to find his way with fewer supports and guidance. 

First-generation students often encounter more socioeconomic challenges and are at risk of dropping out, compared to continuing-generation students, for whom one or both parents have a bachelor’s degree.

“The full story is I flunked out of six programs,” said Ralston, reflecting on his first year at another university in southwestern Ontario, where he explored programs from engineering to science to psychology to arts. “I took some time to reflect and to really figure out what I wanted to do. So I took a few years break and then I came across my research that I was interested in the food and beverage side.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice for you to also impact the future legacies of people who graduate.”

Ralston Kwan

Ralston landed at the Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program at TMU. But financial hurdles remained. With the encouragement of the administration office, Ralston applied for student awards and scholarships, funded through donations to the university. “[They] definitely helped, being able to pay for transit to go downtown, to pay for your meals, things like that,” he said.

Knowing first-hand how these funding supports made a difference in his life, Ralston decided to pay it forward by creating the Ralston Kwan Information Technology Award, which is given annually to an HTM undergraduate student. “I want to give back to the community because I know the feeling that I experienced … and how grateful I was to receive that money.”

For alumni who might not have considered donating to their alma mater, Ralston has some words of encouragement: “Wouldn’t it be nice for you to also impact the future legacies of people who graduate either in your program at TRSM or TMU.”

Create your own legacy by supporting scholarships for students. Consider giving today.