From a difficult childhood to award of excellence: UTSC student proud of her university experience

Alexandra Beltran Montoya
2021 U of T Excellence Award recipient Alexandra Beltran Montoya (photo by Don Campbell)

Tahreem Fatima

When she first came to Canada, Alexandra Beltran Montoya says she didn’t even know what to expect. For her, it was a new country and a new language.

Now, six years later, not only is she graduating with a degree in human biology, she’s also a recipient of a U of T Excellence Award and now pursuing her master’s degree.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Beltran, but she credits earning her degree as one of the best things to happen in her life.

“University gave me confidence. It changed how I view myself in terms of what I can do. It made me challenge myself and set high goals,” she said.

Beltran, originally from Peru, moved to Canada in 2016 when she was 17. She initially enrolled in Seneca College and took extra classes to improve her language skills.  

“I didn’t know there were so many career options before coming to Canada,” said Beltran, who decided early on that she wanted to stay in Canada and pursue post-secondary studies because she knew it could improve her life.

Beltran had a difficult childhood. Her parents separated when she was young, with her father immigrating to the United States before she was born. While her mother worked hard at her job in a fish market to provide for her and her uncle who was sick. Beltran says she spent a lot of time alone when her mother worked shifts, and it was a struggle financially. Her father provided child support, but she recalled, “it was never enough.”

She enrolled at U of T Scarborough in 2017. The adjustment was difficult at first.

“Language difference was a problem for me,” said Beltran. So, she turned to her friends who helped her with notes for class.

Beltran says she feels socializing played an essential part in her growth. In her second year, she started a Spanish club, Spanish Student Organization. At first she didn’t feel confident communicating with classmates in English. She looks back at that experience with a great sense of pride because the club has grown. 

“One of the best things about university is that you meet so many different, hard-working people who have different perspectives. It’s important to learn from each other, to learn from every single perspective,” she says.

Beltran was a recipient of a University of Toronto Excellence Award (UTEA) in 2021. The award is given to undergrad students as a way to gain valuable research experience. She is currently working as a research assistant in Professor Eliana Gonzales-Vigil’s lab at U of T Scarborough, and will start her master’s degree in laboratory medicine and pathobiology at U of T this fall.

Despite her early struggles in life and a bumpy first year in university, she says U of T Scarborough has been a positive mark on her life. Beltran says she is thriving now, is happy with her achievements and looks forward to the future.

“If you asked me six years ago, I had no idea where my life was going,” she says. 

“Now, I am supporting my mother financially and living independently. It’s a lot for me, but I am in a much better place.”

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full list of mental health services and resources available to UTSC students can be found on the Health & Wellness Centre website.

For same day appointments at the Health & Wellness Centre call 416-287-7065 or email healthservices@utsc.utoronto.ca

If students want to speak to a counsellor or need support, help is available 24/7 at #UofT My SSP. Call 1-844-451-9700 or download the app on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

U of T tri-campus student mental health resources or Navi, U of T’s mental health virtual wayfinding service.

For staff and faculty, supports are available through the Employee and Family Assistance Program, or please call 1-800-663-1142.