UWO Alumni Award For Towhid

 Waterloo: Imagine arriving alone in a foreign country thousands of kilometres from your home in Bangladesh — just 22-years-old, a foreign student with limited English and no money. That was the reality for Towhid Noman, in 1983, a recent recipient of the Community Service Award. After several years of struggle, he was admitted to Western, where he completed a degree in math and statistics. As a student he supported himself and helped his family in Bangladesh by working at two jobs 35 hours every weekend. He spent much of his scarce free time helping others in his immigrant community.

Noman went on to complete teacher training at the University of Windsor, eventually joining the Toronto District School Board in 1994, where he is now a special needs teacher. He continues to volunteer, this time in Toronto’s south Asian community, and gives his time as a tutor, counselor, mentor, advocate and organizer.

Among the many young people Noman has supported and mentored is Araf Khaled, who won the prestigious TD Canada Trust Community Leadership Scholarship in 2011.

Last Friday, Sept. 28th his wife and he joined UWO Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Amit Chakma attending the 38th Annual Awards Diner to receive his 2012 UWO Alumni Awards of Merit for outstanding community servces. Noman is the first Bangladeshi Canadian to receive Academic Award of Merit for Outstanding Community Services. Noman credits his mother and his wife and children as his inspiration.

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