He died from a stabbing a decade ago. Now, his sister is using his legacy to help Toronto youth

Naama Weingarten · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 15, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

It's been much than a decennary since Nashom Berhane died aft a stabbing successful Toronto's eastbound end, and since past his sister, Arsema, vowed his decease wouldn't go different statistic. 

The assistance she started successful his representation to assistance Toronto younker is approaching its 10-year extremity of awarding 34 ambitious teens — each for 1 twelvemonth of Berhane's life that was chopped short. 

The Nahom Berhane Scholarship for Leadership and Inclusion is present successful its last cycle, a milestone Arsema erstwhile doubted they could achieve, making it consciousness similar a afloat ellipse moment. 

After all, it's what Berhane, who dedicated himself to supporting youth, would person wanted, she said.

"We did it. We truly did it arsenic a community" Arsema said. "We've been capable to enactment truthful galore young radical successful the precise mode that helium was." 

With his mantra that "everyone has a story," Berhane was known arsenic a charismatic leader, uplifting others astir the metropolis done his enactment with Access Alliance, a wellness centre.

Berhane died aft being stabbed connected a Danforth Avenue sidewalk in 2014, leaving down 2 daughters and a community successful mourning. A 23-year-old man charged with second-degree execution successful his decease was aboriginal recovered not criminally responsible.

Those who knew Berhane rapidly rallied astir Arsema, voicing however overmuch helium and his enactment meant to them. 

That, says Arsema, made her realize: "Let's person a corporate healing process, but let's person thing that's going to person an interaction for years to come." 

Scholarship represents 'backbone' of Berhane's work

She says determination weren't galore scholarships astatine the clip to enactment susceptible and marginalized radical successful the city, prompting her to spouse with Access Alliance to make 1 with a committedness to support it going for 10 years. 

Recipients get $4,000 on with mentorship opportunities and ongoing enactment – thing Arsema says was the backbone of Berhane's work, adding helium ever rooted for the underdog. 

The assistance isn't needfully meant for those with the highest grades oregon with the champion connections, she added, but for younker who person a way grounds of helping their assemblage and aspire to support going successful spite of barriers. The assistance besides prioritizes applicants of African descent.

"We tin assistance you. We tin beryllium the mentor, we tin beryllium the idiosyncratic that gets you done that door," she said. 

Arsema said erstwhile they archetypal started the scholarship, they didn't cognize if they'd beryllium capable to rise capable wealth to support it going for 10 years.

"All of that was conscionable aspirational and coming from a spot of, of course, grief," she said. 

Thanks to implicit 500 radical who donated successful the past decennary and firm sponsorships, they'll administer a full of $118,000 done the scholarships. Applications for this rhythm adjacent astatine the extremity of March. 

With the decade-long committedness coming to fruition, Arsema says this volition apt beryllium the past twelvemonth the assistance volition beryllium fixed retired successful its existent version, but she inactive wants to proceed her enactment inspiring radical successful her brother's memory. 

And present — they person a afloat web of recipients who tin help. 

'A ripple effect'

Access Alliance says galore of those who received the assistance present enactment successful fields ranging from wellness attraction to societal enactment portion continuing to uplift their communities. 

One of them was Stephen Mensah, who was lone 18 erstwhile helium applied and present serves arsenic the enforcement manager of the Toronto Youth Cabinet.

He says the assistance made it imaginable for him to absorption connected his world and assemblage enactment alternatively than accent astir paying for things similar books oregon food. 

"There's nary 1 who tin look astatine the beingness of Nahom and not consciousness motivated, not consciousness encouraged to proceed to persevere," helium said. Mensah added that with transgression among younker being a salient contented successful the city, scholarships similar Berhane's play a pivotal role.

"It's similar a ripple effect, you know. It inspires me, I animate my peers successful my community." 

Arsema says it's been healing to ticker assistance recipients uplift their communities successful the aforesaid mode Berhane did. 

"The bequest that Nahome has near portion helium was present and what we've been capable to sustain, that's the existent communicative for me."