The 519 Sasha Hashi Bursary for 2SLGBTQIA+ students honours the life of TMU alumna

Curran Stikuts remembers watching footage of his colleague Sasha Hashi crossing the graduation stage at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). Hashi was a proud alumna of TMU and a community activist who worked at The 519, a City of Toronto agency and charity that responds to the needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities across Toronto and beyond. The 519 Sasha Hashi Bursary was named in Hashi’s memory to extend her legacy of advocating for trans people. 

“Sasha was a phenomenal person,” says Stikuts, Director of Advocacy and Strategic Communications at The 519 (external link, opens in new window) . “She cared for her community members, cared for other staff at The 519, and really exemplified and championed the idea of Black trans excellence. Sasha helped lead trans activities for Pride and played a pivotal role in our organization.” 

Hashi joined The 519 in 2017 and worked in a variety of roles, including on the Organizational Development and Newcomer client teams. She was a member of The 519’s Black Collective and, for two years, led the Trans March during Pride month in Toronto. She was passionate about supporting Black trans communities and carved out pathways to leadership for trans folks to thrive.

The bursary was created “first to celebrate Sasha, who passed away in 2021, and to highlight her contributions to queer and trans, specifically Black trans, communities,” says Stikuts. Second, “as neighbours to TMU, we know the structural barriers that Black queer and trans folks face in relation to accessing post-secondary education. So being able to play a part in reducing those barriers is very important to us.” 

According to the Trans PULSE Survey, Stikuts says “50 per cent of trans people in Ontario live on less than $15,000 annually.” He adds that “a lot of folks aren’t coming from families that are affirming of their identities and, as a result, don’t have familial support that many students depend on, whether that’s financial or a place to live, or just somebody to talk to after a tough exam.”

The 519 Sasha Hashi Bursary provides two new students every year with $2,500 each. It is open to all full-time undergraduate, graduate and Chang School students who identify as Black, Indigenous, racialized and/or Two-spirit, trans and non-binary. Priority is given to Black trans women.

International student Roger Angelo Castelo is one the bursary’s two inaugural winners in 2023. They are majoring in professional communication, with future plans to minor in theatre and French. Castelo expects to graduate in 2025.

“Receiving this financial support carries a social responsibility and is a queer celebration of my identity and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community,” Castelo says. “When I reach financial independence, I will hopefully be able to initiate a scholarship program for queer students in Canada and my home country of Brazil. As a communicator, student and artist, I am committed to resisting the oppression of millions of queer individuals who endure systemic challenges — such as racism, income inequalities, food insecurity, transphobia and other human rights violations.” 

“This award has helped me and my parents pay for my international tuition, and endorsed my will to strive for better educational opportunities for Black trans women in Canada and Brazil,” they say. “I would like to honour the memory of Sasha Hashi and am deeply inspired to shape my work to support Black Two-spirit, queer and trans communities just as Sasha did. I am forever grateful to The 519 for this chance and I want to be a part of a positive change in the lives of queer people.”

It took hard work, sacrifice and struggle for Hashi to make it to graduation, Stikuts recalls. “She wanted to see her fellow community members have the same opportunities that she did. So, in her name, to make it a little bit easier for other folks is really touching. Black trans folks and people of colour can see that there’s a bursary primarily for them, championing that they exist at TMU.”

Stikuts has a message for the bursary recipients: “When you’re feeling alone, remember that there’s a whole community of 2SLGBTQIA+ folks who are championing your work and are so proud of you and the fact that you are getting your post-secondary education, whose shoulders you’re standing on, who really do know what it’s like on those tough days and who believe in you.”