Sisters, 10 years apart, cross convocation stage together
Sisters Sonia (left) and Shabnam (right), both first-generation students, are graduating from TMU’s Ted Rogers School of Management (TRSM) after taking different, but deeply connected, academic journeys.
When Sonia Maryam Passacquale stepped back onto campus a decade after leaving university, it wasn’t just for a diploma. It was for a promise; one she made to her late father, to herself and to a future she’d put on hold.
At the same time, after having briefly paused her academic pursuits, her younger sister, Shabnam Sahi, was starting her own journey at the same university – TMU.
Separated by 10 years and two very different life paths, the sisters never expected they’d graduate together. But this summer, they will cross the stage side by side.
“We supported each other every step of the way,” said Sonia, who came to TMU after initially studying psychology at Trent University, which she stepped away from when her father’s illness progressed.
“I dropped out 10 years ago to help care for my family after we lost our dad. Finishing what I started meant everything,” said Sonia, a budding entrepreneur who studied Global Management Studies (GMS) with a minor in psychology.
Shabnam and her second oldest sister, pictured as children with their late father, whose memory inspires their shared journey to make their father proud.
Finding connection through shared experience
Though their academic programs were different — Sonia in GMS, Shabnam in Economics and Management Science — they found surprising overlap in their student lives.
“We actually had some of the same professors,” said Shabnam. “We’d call each other after classes, talk about our courses and lean on each other through everything.”
That shared experience helped bring the sisters and their wider family closer together.
“When our dad passed away, we all kind of dispersed emotionally,” Sonia explained. “But this experience created a thread of connection. It helped our family feel united again.”
Shabnam carved out her academic identity as a new undergraduate student.
“We were in such different stages of life,” she says. “Sonia was coming back with all this experience. We were able to learn so much from each other.”
Despite their age gap and different paths, both sisters found common ground, not just in their shared experiences at Ted Rogers School but in their commitment to build a better future for themselves and their family.
“We both know what it means to feel like the underdog,” says Sonia. “To be the first in our family to navigate this system. It made graduating together that much more meaningful.”
Supported every step of the way
For Sonia, returning to school as a mature student came with practical and emotional challenges. But she says TMU made the transition easier, offering student-centred support that helped her feel seen and included.
“One of the reasons I chose TMU was because of all the support for mature students and aspiring entrepreneurs, things like the DMZ, Launchpad, the Experience Ventures program, and continuing education options through the Chang School. I really hope more mature students consider it, because I think they’d benefit so much from what’s offered.”
Shabnam also found opportunities to grow through TMU. She participated with Experience Ventures at Zone Learning for three years, which gave her valuable industry exposure and mentorship, and competed in TMU hackathons that helped her build confidence and skills in a fast-paced, collaborative setting.
“It’s not just about academics, TMU supports the whole student,” she says, highlighting TMU’s culture of accessibility and encouragement. “You feel like you’re part of something. Like your journey matters.”
Though born 10 years apart, both Sonia and Shabnam have overcome different challenges to graduate together, proving that every journey unfolds on its own timeline.
Turning grief into growth
Graduating together is a meaningful moment for the sisters, tied to their father’s passing and the years of healing and rebuilding that followed.
Education, they both agree, became a powerful force of reconnection.
“It gave us something to work toward and something to be proud of, not just for ourselves but for each other,” says Sonia.
Looking ahead
As they prepare to walk across the convocation stage, Sonia and Shabnam are already thinking about the future and how they can turn their degrees into meaningful impact.
Sonia is continuing to build her own sales and marketing firm, supported in part by TMU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem including the DMZ and Launchpad.
“I want to keep building on what I started,” she says.
“I’m looking at roles that merge business and social impact, and I want to keep mentoring other mature or first-gen students. There’s so much potential in all of us — we just need the right conditions to thrive.”
Shabnam, who has been working in tech and marketing, is exploring options for graduate studies.
For both sisters, graduation is more than a credential, it’s a symbol of resilience, a celebration of family and a reminder that success doesn’t follow a single timeline.
“Everyone’s journey is different and sometimes unconventional,” says Sonia. “But the most important thing is to keep showing up for yourself, and for the people who believe in you.”