By Denise Bacon
Congratulations to Derrick Tahamid, the 2024 CCRA Scholarship winner from Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute! He is a winner, indeed. Derrick is a COVID high school “survivor,” or thriver!
Derrick’s introduction to Grade 9 was not what movies and television had led him to expect. Instead, his first year of high school was spending six hours of the day in front of a computer in a room in his house. “It was mentally tiring, and I can’t believe that I was alive to experience that time. It seemed like a horror movie,” he said.
Grade 10 had Derrick experience Mowat in person for the first time. COVID was still a concern that year, so all students lived with strict rules about masks and social distancing. “It felt like being in jail,” and being in high school was still miles away from his expectations.
Thankfully, Derrick persevered, and Grade 11 was a big turnaround year for him. He really came into his own with new friends, fewer COVID-related rules and a whole new freedom. Very soon, Derrick became involved with community events, especially through the Port Union Youth Council, helping with Earth Day, pumpkin carving for kids, heritage festivals and other community-minded work. “Community work made me feel a sense of belonging while having fun!”
Derrick comes from a musical family, but he only discovered playing music when he started school at Joseph Howe where he had exposure to a variety of instruments. Very quickly, this discovery grew into a passion and a talent. Derrick now plays various instruments, some self-taught, and his learning will be lifelong.
Grade 12 is when Derrick truly flourished within the music program at Mowat where he was enrolled in the Performance Arts Honours Music program. He joined the Mowat Leadership team through which he helped young students new to music learn to play strings. Derrick also took a turn at conducting the Junior Strings group. Dr. Tony Leong, head of Music at Mowat, gave Derrick and other students the opportunity to play with the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTS) orchestra. Derrick also had the fabulous opportunity to be part of an orchestral performance where Sistema, Mowat and UTS orchestras came together with 100+ performers celebrating women string players.
“The CCRA Award was amazing! This will be a big help towards university,” said Derrick who will be pursuing a double major in Music and Art at UTS. “Music is my life! If it makes your head bop, it’s music,” said Derrick with a big smile.