by John Fairbrother
Saira Remtulla was always interested in giving back to the community as a young student. “I always had it in me to do voluntary service,” says the elementary school teacher. “It was just something that was important to me.” After receiving a Future Aces Foundation Scholarship in 2001, Remtulla pursued a degree in education. She now spreads the Future Aces philosophy in her classrooms. “It’s so great to come full circle!”
More than 20 years later, Remtulla still fondly remembers her experience with Future Aces. “I think receiving the award was a huge confidence booster,” she says.
“I was like, wow, me? I was the one selected out of all of my peers?” recalls Remtulla, who attended York University, before graduating from Queen’s with a degree in Education.
“Receiving the award helped with starting to believe that I have leadership qualities, and that maybe I can be something really important and make a difference in the world in the future.”
As a high school student at George S. Henry Secondary School, Remtulla volunteered in multiple co-curricular activities, leading the school’s Multicultural Club as its president. She also headed the school’s Food Bank committee. Winning the scholarship further fuelled her. “Just the fact that they recognized me as the person who should receive the award? It was huge!”
The achievement was made even more meaningful for Remtulla, because on that night in 2001, when she received the Future Aces Scholarship prize of $1000, she also met Dr. Herb Carnegie and his family.
To this day, the late Future Aces’ founder continues to inspire her. “All the hardship that he went through and the determination and not giving up, it’s a wonderful story to share with the children.”
Now teaching part-time at a Future Aces school in east Toronto, Remtulla often retells the story of how she won her scholarship, and the work of Future Aces. She laughs as her students question her darker hair, or point out her different last name, but she always echoes the same message,
“I would say that anyone who doesn’t know Mr. Herbert Carnegie should read about his story, learn about his character and share his story with every person they meet because he was an incredible man who never gave up.”
She adds, “he wanted to make a difference in the world and look at what he did, he made a difference, and his name still lives. His spirit is still very much alive.”
She encourages anyone who does not know Dr. Carnegie’s story to, “definitely research and learn about all the different leadership qualities he possessed because I think it’s something that all of us have within us.”
In 2022, Remtulla began her own business, Connected Start, running music, movement and play classes for caregivers, and recently began working in daycares. She spends her time teaching ways to be the best you that you can be.
“I think the best advice I could give is for a young person or any person to stay true to themselves and be who they are, and definitely try to grow. Do things that are uncomfortable, because when we are uncomfortable, that is when we grow.”
Remtulla is proud to be where she is, and looks to continue spreading positivity, based in large part on the values in the Future Aces Creed.
“The leadership qualities that the philosophy teaches is so important for success.” she says, “Teamwork, kindness, all of that is who humans should be. It’s very much part of life, but to have a philosophy that you could follow and to have it all structured already there for you is amazing!”
With two children of her own, and students to lead, she is always trying to be the best role-model possible.
“It’s great that I can say be a Future ACE (to students) because I was a Future ACE, and I am still a Future ACE!”