The physiotherapist who helped Foday Saidykhan recover from a basketball injury also helped inspire the Toronto teen’s dreams for the future. A summer mentorship program offering the high-schooler a hands-on introduction to a variety of health-care careers and professionals happy to discuss their own schooling further cemented his growing interest in movement and anatomy.
With a subsequent goal set — studying kinesiology at Western University in London, Ont. — Saidykhan got busy: toiling for good grades in prerequisite classes, working as a volunteer and crafting scholarship essays.
The Grade 12 student and his mother, a single parent juggling financial challenges since the COVID-19 pandemic, were counting on the Ontario Student…