Tanya Poppleton fulfilling a dream -- 25 years later
February 4, 2021
No matter how old you are, it’s good to take chances and challenge yourself.
Graduating with a Bachelor of Education from Brock University last October 16 was one of the proudest days of Tanya Poppleton’s life.
To receive that degree at age 48 was even more fulfilling for the married mother of two who was unable to complete undergraduate studies 25 years earlier.
“It was important for me to do this because I wanted to prove to myself that I can finish something I started back in my 20s,” she said. “I also wanted to show my kids what you can accomplish when you put your mind to something that might seem difficult. The end result was amazing as I didn’t’ think graduating would be so thrilling for me. When I opened the link to my graduation, that was something I have never experienced in my professional life.”
Poppleton isn’t finished pursuing higher education.
A candidate in the Master’s of Education program at Brock, the lifelong learner expects to graduate in 2022.
What better place than a university to grasp the value of learning and professional development.
For 20 years, Poppleton was a security practitioner at Ryerson University.
Last December, she accepted the position of Director of Campus Safety at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus.
“I am in a space where I can learn as much as I need in order to advance myself and just know and understand people,” she said.
After accruing 24 of 30 credits in Ryerson’s Business degree program she started in 2009, Poppleton switched to Education.
“Through professional development and the courses I was taking, my major was going to be Human Resources because I really wanted to get into training development,” she said. “About two years ago, I got an epiphany and thought to myself that Business Management isn’t something I am interested in. Training and development came out of nowhere, hit me and impacted me pretty hard to the point where I realized I wanted to make an impact in people’s lives through education. I thought that was the best way to do that. I love learning about how I can pass on knowledge to other people, inspire them and in the process gave them a safe space to explore and ask difficult questions which is really important for me.”
Poppleton is preparing for a full-time educator role.
She teaches part-time at Ryerson in their Emergency Management Certificate program and, nearly 21 months ago, created and teaches a course at the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education that increases awareness about accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in the built environment.
Given the opportunity to dedicate her degree to someone, Poppleton’s parents take pride of place.
Ron and Kathleen (Kay) Fermin left Trinidad & Tobago in 1963 and settled in Montreal before re-migrating to the twin-island republic in 1983. He left high school a year before graduation to work on the railway in Trinidad and was a machinist in Canada.
“My mom is a go-getter and everything she does is done really well,” the former Ryerson University Anti-Black Racism Student & Staff Committee member said. “She’s well liked and always wants to help people. Dad, on the other hand, is quiet but he always pushed me to do my best and try new things. A piece of each one of them inspired me to finish that degree.”
As the youngest of three siblings at age 11, Poppleton’s parents took her to T & T when they moved back home.
Adjusting to living in a new country wasn’t easy.
“There were some challenges,” she pointed out. “People thought I was rich and I had an accent. Often times, words that I would say would be perceived as funny until I learnt how to grasp the dialect which I was able to do pretty quickly. The education systems in Trinidad and Canada are very different and I found out that the elementary and high school levels are more advanced than here. They initially tried to put me back a Grade in Trinidad, but my parents found a school (D’Abadie Government) where the Principal didn’t allow that to happen. I loved the fact that there was no cold weather to deal with and I enjoyed the cultural programs at school and Carnival which is amazing. It was a really good experience which I relished.”
Poppleton returned to Canada a few years later and completed her high school credits before enrolling in Seneca College’s Computer Science program.
Unable to come up with tuition in her second year, she dropped out and started working.
“The intent was to find a job and gather enough money to return to college,” Poppleton, who has a Teacher/Trainer of Adults certificate from Fleming College, said. “I ended up having a son.”
In January 1991, she joined the Canadian Armed Forces and was a Reservist with the 7th Toronto Regiment for five years.
Poppleton hoped to use the military training as preparation to become a police officer.
“Some Black folks that knew I wanted to go into policing often asked if I would give them a ticket if I stopped them on the street,” she said. “I didn’t know if I wanted to deal with that and so I went into security.”
Joining Intercon Security as a guard in 1992, Poppleton was assigned to Ryerson University.
“That was my first and only site, so everything I learned about Ryerson was in the first five years I was there before I left for two years to go to Intercon’s head office as a Database Administrator,” said the RAD Systems of Self Defence Instructor Trainer
When a Security Supervisor role came up at Ryerson in 2000, Poppleton applied and was successful.
Starting as Security & Emergency Services Operations Supervisor, she was promoted to Manager in 2010, Associate Director of Security & Management Services, Community Safety and Security in 2017 and Director of Community Outreach & Special Projects in April 2019.
Poppleton, who has a Certificate in University & College Administration from the University of Manitoba Centre Higher Education Research Development, oversaw the Crime Prevention & Community Engagement and Systems units that are each staffed by three members.
The pandemic changed the way they work.
“Both units are very hands-on with face-to-face interaction,” she said. “The Systems team still had to go in because there are renovations taking place and buildings going up. They follow the proper safety protocols. With the other unit, we had to really pivot. How do we bring what we do face-to face to an online forum? was the question that we grappled with in the first few months after the COVID lockdown. There was a lot of brainstorming and thinking outside the box and developing training and processes where we can connect with people virtually. We had to rethink how we did our job and do so in a way where once we are back on campus, we can continue to deliver that hybrid model of face-to-face and virtual.”
While working security at Ryerson, she met Garth Poppleton who is the Manager of Custodial & Groundkeeping Services. Married five years later in 2002, they have a 25-year-old son who graduated with a Sociology degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a 16-year-old daughter.
Poppleton, who enjoys reading romance books, watching W Network and colouring, is blessed to be surrounded by people who inspire her.
“Garth is someone who has always been in my corner telling me I can do whatever I wanted,” she said. “I have a maternal aunt (Daphne Lezama) who is like a mother to me. My older sister and brother have also been there giving me encouragement.”
Lisa Fermin has been residing in T & T since 1999 and Richard Fermin is in Montreal.
Raising her son alone for 19 months before meeting her husband was one of the darkest periods for Poppleton who managed Pewee girls’ hockey and soccer teams.
“I was trying to navigate raising a son, paying rent, keeping a car so I could get him to daycare and paying all my bills,” she said. “Many times when I got paid, I went to the bank and got $40 in small bills that I would strategically place throughout my house to get me through the next two weeks because money was very tight. When I talk to young people, I tell them that when they encounter moments like those, it may feel that it’s the end of the world. I let them know there’s always light at the end of the tunnel and that the negatives can become life lessons.”
Ryerson recognized Poppleton for her outstanding contributions on campus.
She’s the recipient of the Julia Hanigsberg Make Your Mark Award, the President’s Blue & Gold Staff Excellence honour and the 2013 Viola Desmond Staff Award bearing the name of Rose Fortune who was Canada’s first female Black law enforcement officer.
Tanya Poppleton was the recipient of the 2013 Rose Fortune Staff Award presented at the annual Viola Desmond ceremony at Ryerson University (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Poppleton started her new job at U of T on January 4.
