Jonathan Alphonso honours father’s legacy
Jonathan Alphonso
Business Administration (MBA) ’22
In loving memory of Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) triple alumnus Ronald Alphonso, who died in 2025, eldest son Jonathan and the Alphonso family established the Ronald Alphonso Award to support a full-time Ted Rogers School of Management graduate student in financial need.
Ronald was an extraordinary man who lived a life defined by integrity, resilience and a deep commitment to personal growth. Born in 1958 to Guyanese immigrant parents, Ronald grew up poor in Scarborough, Ontario, and as a child, he worked to help his parents make ends meet. Ronald started studying here when TMU was known as Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, earning his Diploma in Retail Management (1981), a Bachelor of Business Administration (1984) and a Master of Business Administration (2008).
Jonathan followed in his father’s footsteps and graduated from the same MBA program in 2022. He is now the Managing Director and Principal Broker at Mortgage Broker Store (external link) , the business Ronald founded. Mortgage Broker Store works with homeowners facing eviction from power of sale and foreclosure, giving them a second chance to stay in their homes or sell to pay off their debts.
A serial entrepreneur whose business pursuits took him across Europe and the U.S., Ronald’s greatest happiness was raising three sons — Jonathan, Christian and Alexander — with Helen, his wife and best friend of 37 years. “Despite how single-minded my father was about business, family always came before that,” said Jonathan. He vividly recalls family vacations and his dad coaching his brother’s baseball team.
Ronald never wanted his kids to struggle like he did, cleaning and doing odd jobs as a child. That’s in part why the Ronald Alphonso Award will prioritize students facing financial challenges.
“My dad owes a lot to TMU — from undergrad to pursuing his MBA at age 50 in 2008,” said Jonathan.
“No individual is fully self-made. You exist in a community of people. You’re brought up by people around you. It makes sense to give back to the people and the organization that brought you up and helped you accomplish what you wanted.”
Help TMU students reach their goals. Consider giving today.
