U-BORA EDUCATION SERVICES
Changing Lives, Families, and Communities
(647) 385-1256
Courtney
Board Chair
Born in Jamaica, and having had the opportunity to study at excellent elementary and high schools and thereby experience and witness the transformative effects of a fundamentally strong foundation in education, Courtney’s conviction that education changes lives, families and communities forms the bedrock of U-Bora Education Services’ (U-BES) mission and vision.
Moreover, his experience working with Black elementary and high school students has sharpened his awareness of how Black students’ talents, skills, dreams, aspirations, and potential can, too often, fall short of their full development and actualization resulting in diminished income potential, lost opportunities, and restricted social, learning, cultural, and recreational engagement.
This awareness, and an accompanying deep concern, gave birth to his commitment to bring necessary educational support that would assist Black students in identifying their talents, developing their learning skills, learning new skills, creating pathways to actualize their dreams and aspirations, honing their potential and becoming the best that they can be and, by so doing, transform themselves, their families, and their communities.
Courtney’s twenty-five plus years as an educator and his extensive experience in the non-profit and charity sectors have equipped him with the skills and expertise to ensure that the best managerial practices along with the highest levels of accountability and oversight are brought to bear on the management and administration of U-Bora Education Services.
Finally, U-Bora (ubora) is a Swahili word that means excellence. Courtney believes that the pursuit of excellence is the reason UBES’ educators excel and why U-BES’ students are encouraged and pressed to reach beyond mediocrity and to embrace excellence in themselves and in all areas of their lives.
Sandra
Program Coordinator
Sandra grew up in East York and earned her B.Sc. and B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. Her 30-year career with the Toronto District School Board provided her with a variety of classroom teaching opportunities at the junior and intermediate levels. She was also a Program Coordinator who provided professional learning to elementary and secondary teachers of multilingual learners. Sandra co-founded U-Bora Education Services (U-BES) in response to 40 years of data showing that overall, Black students were not demonstrating comparable levels of educational succes in their secondary and post-secondary journeys. As an experienced educator in a variety of classrooms, she saw first-hand how students who came from communities who invested in ongoing after-school tutoring, had the confidence and skills to perform above the average. However, the cost of most for-profit tutoring services were often a challenge for many Black families and so U-BES was founded an a non-profit to provide Black and Caribbean parents willing to commit to ongoing tutoring for their children, with an affordable access point.
Olivia
Secretary
Olivia obtained her Diploma in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources at Centennial College and is the Administrative Manager of a large, Scarborough-based church. As one of U-BES’ original tutors, Olivia has seen first hand how the provision of affordable tutoring support has academically propelled students who initially lacked academic confidence because of weak decoding and comprehension skills. Olivia is dedicated to supporting students in their academic growth and development of better work habits, leading to enhanced self confidence and an overall improved school performance.
Olivia has always had a passion for teaching and communication. Growing up as a young student in Scarborough, there were areas in school where she excelled, and areas where she did not. However, she found it important to strive for better academic excellence because she wanted to be a good example to her peers and family members. As she matured, Olivia gravitated towards greater involvement in reading and mentorship programs through the YCDSB, and also became a frequent volunteer with summer camps, after school programs and community outreach for children, youth, and young adults.
It is through this passion for volunteering that Olivia came across an exciting opportunity to become a regular tutor with U-Bora Education Services (U-BES). Having a background in office administration and human resources, Olivia desired to use her knowledge and skills to make a positive influence in her community. She has also served as U-BES’ Board Secretary for a number of years.
For Olivia, tutoring has been a truly rewarding experience! One thing that continues to resonate with her is this - every student learns differently. That is why as a tutor, she has found it so important to meet each student at their level, and communicate effectively in a way they will understand. Past experiences have shown her that when students are encouraged to grow and challenge themselves, they recognize how much more they are capable of accomplishing.
Olivia has seen first-hand and witnessed countless testimonies of the positive impact U-Bora's tutoring program has made in the lives of its students. U-Bora Education Services is precisely the place to go to access knowledgeable tutors and resources that will benefit your children and whole family as it strives to positively change lives, families, and communities.
Marcus
Treasurer
Marcus is an educator who believes that passion fuels academic success. Marcus grew up in Markham, where he was homeschooled throughout his primary and junior years. Throughout his intermediate, senior and post-secondary experiences, he noticed a stark contrast between the personalized learning style that one-on-one provides compared to the generalized approach seen in collective classrooms. Marcus has grown to understand the value of one-on-one learning and how it can highlight facets of a student’s academic development in an otherwise busy classroom environment.
Marcus is OCT certified with experience in many Ontario classrooms across various school boards in the GTA, such as the YRDSB, TDSB and DDSB. Having taught and assessed many homeroom classrooms, Marcus is well versed with the Ontario curriculum expectations and what it takes to meet or exceed learning standards across all core subjects.
Marcus’ background in Film and Media studies has influenced his teaching approach, providing students the ability to express their ideas both conventionally as well as visually. Being a sculptor and creative writer in his spare time, Marcus understands through practice that all ideas can be conveyed through a variety of means. It ultimately comes down to discovering the best means of which to bring out one’s full potential.
Aleya
Director at Large
Aleya is a Director-at-Large with U-Bora Education Services (U-BES) and has brought the management skills she garnered from working with commercial tutoring businesses to U-BES, a registered non-profit, dedicated to serving the Black community.
Aleya was a successful graduate of the YRDSB French Immersion elementary and secondary programs and earned her Bachelor of Arts from Glendon College at York University. Learning French enriched the length and breadth of her English vocabulary, helped her develop a deep appreciation for French art and literature, and allowed her to travel with a more open mindset. Her bilingual fluency has opened numerous doors of employment opportunities and has allowed her to make strong cultural connections to the French Caribbean cultures.
Aleya understands the value of tutoring for both the tutor and tutee. In contrast to the classroom setting, the nurturing one-on-one context helps students build confidence as they have the freedom to make mistakes and the tutors can more readily identify and address learning gaps. Aleya remains committed to serving Black students and families through her work with U-BES.
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Aleya est directrice générale de Services d’éducation de U-Bora et y apporte des compétences en gestion qu'elle a acquises en travaillant avec des entreprises de tutorat commerciaux. Nous sommes un organisme enregistré sans but lucratif, dédié aux communautés noires.
Aleya a obtenu avec succès son Baccalauréat des arts du Collège universitaire Glendon (l’université de York), et a obtenu son diplôme en immersion de français chez des écoles qui font partie de la commission scolaire de la Région de York. L'apprentissage du français a enrichi son vocabulaire anglais, lui a permis de développer une profonde appréciation de l'art et de la littérature francophone et lui a permis de garder un esprit ouvert lors des moments où elle voyageait hors du pays. Son bilinguisme lui a ouvert de nombreuses perspectives d'emploi et lui a permis de tisser des liens forts avec les cultures caribéennes francophones.
Aleya comprend l'importance du tutorat, tant pour le tuteur que pour l'élève. Contrairement à une salle de classe, le contexte individuel stimulant aide les élèves à prendre confiance en eux, car ils ont le droit de faire des erreurs et les tuteurs peuvent plus facilement identifier et combler les trous dans leur compréhension. Aleya reste engagée auprès des élèves et des familles noires grâce à son travail avec l'U-BES.
Becoming a Director
The role of a director in the management and operations of U-Bora Education Services (U-BES) is significant and requires professional work habits and commitment. In addition to embracing U-BES’ mission and values, some responsibilities include:
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Attending regular meetings
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Reading and writing reports
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Giving time and expertise in service of ad hoc committees
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Operationalizing, managing, monitoring and critically analyzing new and current programs
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Attending professional development workshops
For additional information on becoming a director, please contact U-Bora Education services at uboraedu@gmail.com