Ted Rogers School staff member builds community with care, receives international recognition
A community builder dedicated to helping introduce the Ted Rogers School to Black and Indigenous students has been recognized with an award for female leaders.
Celeste Saddler was recently recognised with an International Women Achievers Award (external link) . Saddler, currently a student recruitment, community outreach & retention coordinator at Ted Rogers School, works to empower young people in the Black and BIPOC community in Toronto and beyond.
Having conversations
Being recognized with the IWAA’s Youth Leadership Award for her support for students is a full-circle moment for her. Saddler first came to Toronto Metropolitan University in 2003, while finishing her degree at York University. She was a program assistant, working with people and recruiting for the retail management program, which was new at the time. She worked on a lot of exciting events, like career fairs, internship fairs and events with retailers to recruit students to the new retail management program.
In 2004, she became the academic coordinator for retail management, where she counseled students and did marketing and promotion for the program. She worked with the Chang School, and travelled to meet potential students at other colleges across Southern Ontario.
“I spent a lot of time just sitting down with people, having conversations,” she explained. “I started to realize at an early point that my passion was really not about sitting behind a desk nine to five. It was really about seeing the excitement and the passion on people's faces when they talk about university and what they want to do.”
That just continued to fuel Saddler’s desire to engage with people. One of her trademade events was a splashy, high-end retail career fair that engaged donors and students alike. Instead of a sit-down dinner, where donors couldn’t speak with students, Saddler created events where attendees, including donors, could have a bite to eat and then engage, socialize and speak with students and award recipients. It was a moment for the students to really shine, to explain what they were doing and what they were about. It was such a success that she replicated the event year after year.
“It became that moment in my life when I realized that I was born for this. This is where I get my juices flowing. This is who I am as a person. I like being around the energy,” she said.
At the Ted Rogers School, Saddler co-chairs the Anti-Black Racism Awareness Committee, a standing committee of Ted Rogers School’s Faculty Council, which works towards dismantling the roots of anti-Black racism, advocating for positive change and fostering a university culture that celebrates diversity. The committee works to increase awareness about the obstacles faced by Black students and work towards fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges they encounter and identifying and eliminating systemic barriers that Black students may encounter during their university journey. In addition, the committee is committed to support for Black staff and faculty, collaboration with Black student groups and building a safe and supportive community where everyone feels valued, respected and included.
As a student recruitment, community outreach & retention coordinator, Saddler works with young people, encouraging them, empowering them. She’s a great resource for youth, for high school students, incoming students and the community at large.
“I am meant to just be that person that will sit with you, have a conversation, encourage you, empower you,” she said. “I don't see myself as a recruiter. I see myself more as a community engagement specialist, engaging my community, speaking to people on a level that they understand.”
She often tells young people the story of where she comes from and what her academic journey was like. “I got streamed out of high school. So did my sister. So did my son. I went to community college for two years before I had an opportunity to go to university. My mom is a single mom. I didn't have anybody to encourage me. So, I became my own motivator.”
Connecting with community
After a serious bout with COVID, she started her own business with her partner, who is a chef. Her company, DJL Kreative Kitchen Incorporated (external link) , focuses on locally sourced, high-quality Caribbean gourmet sauces and catering services.
Saddler also started engaging with the Black community in the GTHA, volunteering for Saturday morning programs with the Black Business Professional Association (external link) . She’s also a member of the Canadian Black Chamber of Commerce (external link) , WorldWide Women Association (external link) (WWA) and Federation of Black Canadians (external link) .
Saddler credits her son and step daughter’s experience navigating life for her inspiration to reach out in the community. She wanted to give them an opportunity to live their best lives.
“I remember how difficult it was for me when I was younger, because I was shy,” she explained. “Because when you think about what you would've wanted, what you would've missed, what you didn't have. I didn't have a champion in my life. I didn't have any auntie to provide advice.”
From there, Saddler’s outreach made waves into the community. “And it became one of those kinds of things where people just would just ask me, whether it was from the church community or others, just come and talk to young people. I want my community to have champions like myself, people who they can call on, people who they can talk to, people who look like them, to see the path that we have taken to know that there is a possibility that they can do this, too.”
There needed to be more champions in her community, to let young people know they’re supported and encouraged, Saddler explained. Just talking to young people, letting them know her story, and asking them about their dreams helps. Young people gravitate towards that.
“My job is about getting them to start thinking about a life, a career,” Saddler said. “So by me being a champion in my community and just having another person that young people can talk to… they need to have people like me out there.”
Recognition
Through all of her work with Ted Rogers School and Toronto Metropolitan University, Saddler was recognized with an IWAA Youth Leadership Award (external link) , which recognizes women who have made contributions to their community, family and school, as well as exemplify leadership and community services values.
“The first time I got the nomination, I didn't know what to feel. I didn’t want to misinterpret because you don't want to get excited because it's so unreal. When I saw myself up on the screen and they put my picture up, I'm like, oh my God, it's me, it's actually happening,” she said.
“I'm finally walking into my destiny that this is who I am, this is me, this is who I was meant to be. This is me. And having people celebrate me was, I don't know, it was just a moment.”
Saddler has been recognized with a number of awards for her leadership and impact in her community. She was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch by CIBWE (external link) . In 2022, she received nominations for Black Entrepreneur and Most Inspirational Entrepreneur by the Canadian Small Business SME Association. She was also nominated for the Women Empowerment Awards (external link) , for a Canadian SME Inspirational and National Business Award (external link) and RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards (external link) .