Kadeem Daley-Lewis first in family to graduate from university

August 3, 2021

Life is a race and what matters isn’t when someone crosses the finish line.

Expected to graduate with his undergraduate degree in 2013, Kadeem Daley-Lewis plan was temporary derailed.

The setback, however, didn’t prevent him from becoming the first in his family to get a university degree.

“Graduating was important as it proved I was capable of doing anything I put my mind to,” said Daley-Lewis who completed a Bachelor of Science in Evolutionary Anthropology that’s the study of humankind’s place in nature. “I have been fascinated with the sciences since childhood and my expectation is to contribute my research and findings with the hope of making the world a better place.”

He dedicated the degree to his mother, Maxine Lewis, who is an immigrant from Jamaica.

The single parent mother raised Daley-Lewis and his five siblings in Malvern.

“I have seen her cry so many times because she wanted me to finish school,” he pointed out. “Her strength helped me stay focused and see the big picture. She took care of her children and made so many sacrifices for us. I will never forget that.”

It was out of curiosity that his interest in science was aroused.

“I was always asking about who created God and how people came to be,” Daley-Lewis, who enjoys hiking, the outdoors, reading, sketching and playing video games, noted. “That curiosity extended into school and became even larger.”

Becoming a medical doctor was on his radar after receiving the highest mark in Biology in his last year in high school at St. Mother Theresa Catholic Academy in Scarborough.

Once in university, Daley-Lewis’ thinking changed.

“I took an introductory course in Anthropology and that really opened my eyes to how expansive the field is,” he noted. “A lot of the things I want to know have to do with culture, people and the mysteries of the past. The course allowed me to see things I never knew and a field that I quickly became interested in.”

Several factors led Daley-Lewis to opt out of university in his second year in 2011.

He and his five siblings were raised by a single-parent mother in Malvern.

“At the time, my environment and the circumstances around my life didn’t allow me to do things as well as I could have,” said Daley-Lewis who lost a close friend, Keyon Campbell, to gun violence in December 2007. “I was trying to maintain friendships and have a social life. Because of that, I wasn’t focused on school as I should have. Also, we didn’t have a lot of money and I was trying to work to pay for my tuition.”

What was it like returning to university after an extended hiatus?

“It was really exciting,” said Daley-Lewis who was a high school honour student. “When I first started, I guess I really didn’t understand the significance of graduating until I saw how many of my high school peers didn’t graduate. Many of them didn’t even go on to post-secondary schooling. Seeing many of my friends doing entry-level jobs and complaining about how much they made and what they wouldn’t be able to do led me to believe that I could end up like them doing dead-end jobs. I was destined for so much more and I wanted my son to look up to his father as someone who was educated with at least a degree and respected in society.”

By not completing the degree, he also felt he would be letting some people down.

Scot Martin, a former corporate and investment banking professional who is the President & Chief Executive Officer of youRhere Inc. which is a leader in Canada’s digital signage industry interactive segment, is his mentor.

They met through International Advantage that reached out to several Toronto high schools, seeking applicants for students to travel to Africa in the summer of 2008.

Daley-Lewis was among 10 students who spent a month in Lusaka, Zambia working with EduSport (Education through Sport) that’s a community-driven non-governmental organization started in 1999 in response to identified gaps in opportunities for communities to take part in sport and, in the process, empower young people.

“Doing stuff like that made me realize my reach was much larger than some of the people I was hanging around,” he said. “I didn’t want to waste those opportunities. I wanted to move forward and not stay stagnant.”

Martin and Daley-Lewis stayed in touch after the program ended.

“Kadeem was one of probably two of the students that I remained in close contact with,” said Martin. “He sought out my advice and guidance because he really wanted to go to university. During parts of the year, he was living alone as his mother was travelling between Jamaica and Toronto and his father wasn’t in the picture. Though he was in a tough situation, Kadeem was determined to do well. He stumbled on a few occasions, but bounced back and I am so happy for him.”

While away from school, Daley-Lewis dabbled in technology and entrepreneurship.

“I was running a small business, fixing smartphones, tablets and computers,” he said. “I was thinking about going down the entrepreneurial route and even questioning whether I should go back to school. In life, you could be good at something and passionate about something else. I am good at fixing computers and all of that stuff, but I am passionate about science.”

With assistance from academic adviser Kathy Fellowes who helped him create a plan to return to university, Daley-Lewis developed a blueprint to maintain a school-life balance.

 He met Victoria Costa while in university.

The engaged couple have two children.

“She really did help me to stay focussed,” said Daley-Lewis who plans to start a podcast. “She was a supportive figure throughout my schooling and life in general. She gave me her shoulder to lean on and was someone I could talk to.”

University professors also helped him reach the finish line.

They include Dr. Julie Teichroeb whose Primate Conservation course he took in 2019.

“At that time, the teaching was in-person, but Kadeem later took the Primate Sociality class online in the winter of 2021,” she said. “While he was a serious student, he was happy to talk and engage in class discussions. He’s really confident and his participation and often very funny comments were great for getting other students engaged in the material. He has an excellent work ethic that will take him very far. He is mature and focused and knows what he wants which is really key.”

Daley-Lewis plans to pursue post-graduate studies in Anthropology and become a university professor.