By Kayla Solway
“The meeting started like any other,” recalled Zintiat Kolly, a fourth-year social work student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). “We were discussing our recent pub night fundraiser. What went wrong, what we could have done differently and ideas for our next event. Little did I know, we were about to hear the worst news ever.”
Kolly is one of the team leaders for Alternative Spring Break (ASB) at TMU. This student-led initiative combines travel with volunteering, allowing students to make a tangible impact while exploring a different part of the world. For 2025, the team partnered with the grassroots organization YearOutIndia (YOI) and planned to visit Kerala, India throughout the month of May. For Kolly, it was a perfect opportunity to combine some of her passions.
“I’ve always been really interested in travelling,” she said. “I started my solo travelling journey about three years ago now. In 2021 I went to Cuba and ever since then I’ve been travelling every other quarter.”
But Kolly didn’t just see ASB as a travel opportunity—it also aligned with her passion for giving back.
“Outside of school, I love to volunteer,” she said. “ASB merges the two things together, my love for travelling and my love for helping people and making a difference.”
This year’s ASB trip was particularly special. It marked the group’s first trip since the COVID-19 pandemic. They had been preparing for months—fundraising, marketing the club and spreading the news that they were back on campus.
Attending weekly team meetings on Tuesdays along with virtual team lead meetings on weekends had become a regular part of her weekends.
Discussions in these weekly meetings often revolved around unfortunate updates—such as failures to reach a certain fundraiser goal or a team member unexpectedly being unable to attend the trip in May—but nothing could have prepared Kolly for this briefing.
“The team leader and project coordinator, Jordan, shared the news with us,” Kolly recalled. “She said, ‘I have good news, and I have bad news,’ and I was like, ‘Just drop the bad news, just drop it, then cover it up with the good news,’ not knowing that the two were intertwined.”
The bad news was devastating. “We are no longer going to India, but the good news is we can still continue as a team.”
For Kolly and the other leaders, the announcement was shocking. “Out of all the worst-case scenarios, that was one we never thought of,” she said.
For the first time since 2008, the club did not receive their usual funding. It felt as though there was no tangible reason and seemingly came out of nowhere, especially given that the club had applied in September.
“Out of all the worst-case scenarios, that was one we never thought of”
Everyone has dreams and goals. They’re a fundamental part of the human experience. According to the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, “Aspirations matter because they are a manifestation of the freedom to aspire which is valuable for human flourishing in its own right.” But what happens when those dreams are derailed by rejection? How do we cope, move forward and make new ones?
Sitting at her makeshift office—her grandmother’s dining table—Kolly was left in utter shock—the Zoom screen reflecting back onto her.
This disappointment quickly became an effort to explore every possible option to come up with the money themselves. Determined not to let this setback define the club, Kolly and the team went into overdrive—brainstorming every possible idea to make up for the lost funding.
Breaking the news to the rest of the club became the dreaded next step for the leadership team. Kolly, wrestling with emotion, put on a brave face despite the heaviness of the news.
“I was acting as normal as I could even though I was sad. I didn’t want to come for the meeting,” she said.
Looking around the space after dropping the unexpected news, Kolly’s eyes gazed across the room, taking in each member’s expression, their mouths wide open, disbelief on each face.
Despite the unexpected news and change of plans, the team quickly decided on one thing: even if they weren’t going to India in May, they would keep the team active and continue their efforts to fundraise and volunteer.
“Our goal has shifted,” said Kolly. “We are still going to try our best to come together as a team. The new goal is to keep fundraising however much we can raise and put it towards a sustainable organization and even possibly [YOI].”
Despite months of tireless work only to face rejection when they least expected it, Kolly was able to grow from the experience and wouldn’t change her time with ASB. “Honestly, it was much more than what the program had to offer,” she shared. “I would still tell [my old self] that she should still join and still continue to fight for change because we are still fighting for change.”
Although rejection may have rerouted the club’s original mission, Kolly and the other members proved their determination and adaptability. While their plan may not be the same, their desire to create a positive impact remains unwavering. The group intends to continue their fundraising efforts with their next event happening in February while they regroup and make new plans for the future.
“I would still tell [my old self] that she should still join and still continue to fight for change because we are still fighting for change”
Rejection typically doesn’t result in an end-all, especially when the decision to reroute is made. For Kolly, rejection rerouted the group, allowing them to connect over their shared values and commitment to creating positive change. While the future is uncertain ASB plans to stay engaged and continue raising funds for the future.
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