Business alumnus takes pride in giving back

“I didn’t come out to my friends and family until I was twenty-one,” says Marc Castillo, an Accounting ’16 grad. “Once I did, it was a benefit to me as a professional. For one, organizations want to be more diverse and inclusive, and people reach out to you more, and more opportunities come your way because of that. But also, many within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community actively help other community members get into the field and encourage you to have no fear about who you are.”

It was that support that got Castillo thinking about how he could help others within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community at the Ted Rogers School of Management. Shortly after graduating, Castillo established the Marc Castillo – Filipino Canadian Association of Ryerson Award for Student Engagement. Having witnessed how that award generated awareness and exposure for Filipino students at Toronto Metropolitan University, he wanted to create similar impact for 2SLGBTQIA+ students with financial need. Recently pivoting into human resources and finding success with his own firm, Castillo HR Consulting, he decided to increase his contribution to his alma mater and create the Marc Castillo 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Award.

"One of the university's explicit goals is to substantially increase the number of students from equity-deserving groups in programs and industries where they have been marginalized and/or historically underrepresented,” notes Anver Saloojee, interim vice-president, Equity, Community and Inclusion at Toronto Metropolitan University. “This award will increase 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in business and management by addressing barriers, creating new pathways and opportunities. A huge thank you to Marc for giving back in this way. His contribution, which exemplifies his immense generosity, is vitally important to the creation of an even more vibrant and inclusive campus for all."

Castillo adds, “I asked myself, ‘what other communities am I a part of that I could make more visible on campus and help to take pride in who they are?’ If I can alleviate some of their financial burden so they can focus on their studies and on opportunities that help them build their careers, that’s something I can be proud of too.”