Early 2011 when Celia Meikle read a Globe & Mail article called “The Myth of the Brainy Immigrant” she was floored by what it was saying about her own community. According to the statistics, only 23 per cent of children of Latin American and Caribbean descent in Canada go on to tertiary education.

Celia contacted the reporter and asked, “could this really be true?”, then she was directed to a professor at the University of Toronto (U of T) who confirmed the troubling statistic. The professor explained that part of the reason for this low statistic could be attributed to the lack of “cultural capital”. That refers to the system or network of influence that sets a student up for success. It also refers to the attitude and knowledge parents pass on to their children, which they need to get ahead in life.

Celia, who is a chartered accountant, decided she needed to do something to increase that cultural capital. She visualized a forum in which both students and parents are given an opportunity to explore educational and other leadership opportunities that will help build them into solid, contributing, influential citizens of Canada.

With the support of her pastor Dr. Barrington Smith of Kingdom Life Ministries and a group of four other professional women, – Gail Reeves (Realtor), Patricia Longmore (Realtor), Michelle Richards (Event Planner and Funeral Director) and Yasmin Wilson (IT Professional), The Excellence Conference was born.