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What is the Ignition Program:
The Ignition Program offers post-secondary students a 10-week program that gives access to training, mentorship, resources, ecosystem connections; and honorariums to support personal and business development. Students will be awarded $10 for each session they engage with!
What’s in this session:
This session is an honest, grounded conversation about what it truly takes to succeed as a Black student, beyond grades and titles. We'll explore identity, resilience, and what excellence looks like when you're navigating spaces that weren't always designed for you.
Students will leave with a reframed understanding of success on their own terms, practical strategies for accessing the opportunities and networks available to them, and the confidence to take their next step whether that's pursuing a business idea, making a bold ask, or simply showing up more fully.
This session is for every Black student who has ever questioned whether they belong, felt overwhelmed by the journey, and showed up anyway. It's a space to be inspired, gain clarity, and walk away with something actionable.
Speaker's Bio:
Alma Alao is a Program & Partnerships Leader, Social Entrepreneur, and Black Student Success Advocate with over four years of experience in community programming, nonprofit development, and innovation ecosystems. As an international student at the University of Windsor, Alma balanced a double major in Forensic Science and Psychology, served as AfroFest Coordinator for two years, and simultaneously built her own social enterprise, an early signal of the leader she was becoming. She is the founder of Uni Abroad Hub, a non-profit hub designed to ease the transition for international students, and Zomi, a workplace wellness platform built around the idea that how we work matters as much as the work itself. Most recently, she served as Program Coordinator at WEtech Alliance, where she led accelerator and innovation programs across Windsor-Essex. Alma is passionate about equipping the next generation of Black students and founders with the tools, networks, and confidence to show up fully, and to win.
Zoom link will be provided after registration to the Ignition Program
