Over the past 20 years, Ontario Tech has established a culture of community support for student success through a growing base of philanthropic groups and individuals. Among these generous organizations is The Joyce Family Foundation, a private, family foundation created by the late Canadian entrepreneur Ronald V. Joyce, whose philanthropy reflected a deep-rooted sense of responsibility to give back to his community. 

In 2016, a donation of $1 million from The Joyce Family Foundation to Ontario Tech established two new awards to help students turn their dream of post-secondary education into reality. The Joyce Family Foundation Success Awards, and The Joyce Family Foundation Success Award in Honour of Mike Harris, support first-year students from Durham Region and Northumberland County attending Ontario Tech.

Every year, two students each receive a $4,000 award, renewable annually over four years, based on set academic criteria.

Students who receive this award have achieved academic excellence in their final year of high school and enter university highly recommended by their teachers and guidance counsellors. In their first-year studies, award recipients are invited to participate as mentees in the Office of Student Life’s Mentorship program and will be encouraged to act as mentors in subsequent years.

2024 Joyce Family Foundation Success Award recipients:

• Tobi Pflanzer of Brooklin (Brooklin High School)
• Rishani Ravindran of Oshawa (O’Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute

Tobi Pflanzer

We are excited to welcome Tobi to Ontario Tech University this fall within the Faculty of Science’s Biological Science and Co-op program. Tobi’s passion for the medical field and dream of becoming a pathologist or pharmacologist are anchored by demonstrated independence and dedication to academic excellence despite facing adversity. Tobi’s resiliency through the loss of their mother, on top of financial constraints, make them a deserving recipient of the Joyce Family Foundation Success Award.

Rishani Ravindran

We are thrilled to grant Rishani the Joyce Family Foundation Success Award in recognition of their commitment to academic excellence and strong sense of community involvement. Rishani will start this fall in the Commerce and Co-op program in the Faculty of Business and Information Technology, and has displayed a proven ability to expertly balance academics with multiple commitments in high school. Facing financial obstacles in the pursuit of their academic aspirations, this award provides Rishani the financial relief needed to focus on their education and enjoy extracurricular activities.

Past Joyce Family Foundation Award winners

• Zahra Afzali – 2023 (Ajax, Ajax High School; Health Science)
• Ali Machrafi – 2023 (Oshawa, O’Neill Collegiate and Vocational Institute; Science)
• Alexis Marges – 2022 (Whitby, Henry Street High School; Forensic Psychology)
• Morsal Moradi – 2022 (Ajax, J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate; Nursing)
• Ashwin Gnanaseelan – 2021 (Oshawa, Maxwell Heights Secondary School; Computer Science)
• Lauren Shields – 2021 (Bowmanville, Clarington Central Secondary School; Health Science)
• Angela Karimzad – 2020 (Bowmanville, Bowmanville High School; Biological Science)
• Sophia Tucker – 2020 (Uxbridge, Uxbridge Secondary School; Forensic Science)
• Shabana Azizi – 2019 (Oshawa, R.S. McLaughlin Collegiate and Vocational Institute; Biological Science)
• Kristin Davidson – 2019 (Whitby, Anderson Collegiate Vocational Institute; Health Physics and Radiation Science)
• David Cucuteanu – 2018 (Courtice, Kingsway College; Forensic Psychology)
• Rebecca Mosaad – 2018 (Whitby, Father Leo J. Austin Secondary School; Health Science)
• Gemma Tyner – 2018 (Brooklin, Brooklin High School; Forensic Psychology)
• Dawson Fraser – 2017 (Uxbridge, Uxbridge Secondary School; Forensic Science)
• Quinlan Palmer – 2017 (Port Hope, Port Hope High School; Health Science)
• Kurtis Collins – 2016 (Oshawa, Monsignor John Pereyma Catholic Secondary School; Automotive Engineering)
• Lorena Diaz – 2016 (Whitby, All Saints Secondary School; Medical Laboratory Science)

As an institution, Ontario Tech University thanks the Joyce Family Foundation for its generous donation that has made these awards and student aspirations possible.