Aïsha Philippe laughs as she tells the story of her pre-school self, so desperate to read that her mother would find her, upside-down book in hand, frustrated that she couldn’t yet make the magic of the text on the page in front of her come alive.
Today, she says, “Fiction, non-fiction … I’ll read anything!”
That lifelong love of reading drew Philippe into St. Mike’s book and media studies (BMS) program, with the other field of her double major political science, each supporting her great passion for education policy. As she reflects on the joy and relaxation that reading has brought her, not to mention the education and empowerment, she is firm in her desire to ensure all children have the same access to books and learning to lead fulfilled, fruitful lives.
And while a new graduate, she already has a great deal of work experience in the field. In the past year, for example, she served as a research assistant to a University of Toronto economics professor, supporting a podcast on economic inequality. An opportunity particularly dear to her heart was a placement as an intern in 2022 at the National Book Foundation, Presenter of the National Books Awards, helping with educational and public programming, communications and social media efforts, and non-profit operations and administration. One of her tasks while with the foundation was to select books that would be sent to public housing.
Her list of social and community experiences is equally impressive. For example, Philippe, who is trilingual and completed her four-year degree in three years — each year on the Dean’s List — was the co-host of Endnote, the Hart House Literary and Library Committee podcast. She was the managing editor of the BMS journal, Foolscap, and was the 4th year representative on the Book & Media Studies Student Association.
COVID was already entrenched when Philippe began studying at U of T as a member of at St. Michael’s College in 2020, so she began her degree from her home in Washington, D.C., arriving in Toronto in the fall of her second year, in September 2021.
Soon, the St. Mike’s campus became home for her, a place to meet other students of diverse views and backgrounds, people with “brilliant ideas.”
“I cannot over-emphasize the community feeling at St. Mike’s. Students are given the spaces to exchange and collaborate,” vital skills for their lives ahead, she says, offering thanks to staff for supporting a range of student initiatives.
Today, Philippe is engaged in preparatory work before starting a master’s degree in education policy and analysis at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Her goal is to work at a literary non-profit, with the door open to doctoral work down the road.
Looking back on her time at St. Mike’s, one of the opportunities she valued the most was helping to plan and present events during February’s Black History Month. Along with a panel discussion, a movie night and a dance class, the U of T Black Students’ Association and St. Mike’s hosted an open mic night, featuring spoken word poet Eddie Lartey, winner of the 2022 Canadian Individual Poetry Slam.
It was an event that really resonated with students, she notes, recalling that the evening saw a lot of engagement, with people taking chances by sharing their ideas, their work. And that, she says, reflects one of the key take-aways from her time at St. Mike’s.
“Put yourself out there,” Philippe says. “It’s easy to count yourself out, but there should be no regrets — even if you fail — because you’re still learning. Make the most of your time!”