Introduction to Sameer Fathazada

Director: Sameer Fathazada

1. Where in the GTA did you grow up, and what high school did you attend?

I grew up in Scarborough, Toronto. I attended my local high school David and Mary Thomson which was only a few minutes walking distance from my apartment building. Unlike what the perception is, Scarborough is a beautiful place full of talented and amazing people. This place produces some of the smartest and brilliant individuals.

2. What is your current profession?

I am currently a graduate student pursuing my Masters Degree at Fordham University in New York City while playing Division One soccer. My aspirations are to be a professional footballer and successful businessman one day.

3. What is one important life lesson in your journey so far?

The most important life lesson is to believe in yourself because nobody else will consistently. Believe that you can achieve amazing things and that you can overcome any obstacle. You create your own story. Give everything you have in whatever it is you are doing, and great things shall await you.

4. What does the Epiphany Initiative Foundation mean to you?

The Epiphany Initiative Foundation is fundamental and defines certain values. The backbone of EIF is education and athletics which is what has made me who I am today. Seeing the sacrifices my mother made inspired and gave me strength to keep moving. I stuck with soccer and academics to continue developing as an individual while also searching for opportunities to ‘make it out’. Unfortunately however, these opportunities weren’t always easily accessible. I was lucky but I have seen some incredibly talented individuals despair due to lack of these opportunities. The social barriers result in many of them giving up. Scarborough, like the entirety of Toronto, is filled with some of these talented and amazing individuals. EIF uplifts and empowers them while providing academic and athletic opportunities to change their world. It is my dream to help provide this platform for underserved youth and bring change to a better world.