'I'm proud of where I'm from': Olympian joins film, industry changemakers to celebrate Malvern

For two-time Olympian Tamara Tatham, Malvern is more than just the place she grew up — it's also where her love of basketball took off. 

"That one choice, that one opportunity to just say yes for the sport, really dictated the direction of my life, so I'm proud of where I'm from," she told CBC Toronto.

Tatham and other changemakers with Scarborough roots were in the spotlight this week, with the Malvern Family Resource Centre (MFRC) giving them the stage to tell their success stories in the hopes of inspiring others in the community.

Tuesday marked the second year the centre held its Malvern Made event, which program director Dominique Robinson hopes shows how homegrown talent can make a difference locally and around the world.

"Malvern is often seen in a very narrow lens," she told CBC Toronto. "It really gives an opportunity to really think about shifting that narrative." 

With the event aligning with Black History Month, Robinson says the centre featured three Black speakers from the community. CBC News got the chance to catch up with two of them.

'You can do anything you want to do'

Tatham's successful basketball career sprouted when she was a teenager playing in Malvern's community centre and Scarborough's local team. She considers herself a late bloomer to the sport, but that never stopped her from taking a chance. 

"I wasn't supposed to be playing basketball, but it was something that kind of just fell on me," she said.

By 2007, Tatham joined Canada's senior national basketball team where she played until 2016, bringing home the gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games and FIBA American Basketball Championships. 

While with Team Canada, she played in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. She later became a mentor coach for the Raptors 905, making her the first Canadian woman to join the staff of a G League team. She then went on to become the head coach with the University of Toronto's Varsity Blues women's basketball team. 

She said she's excited to share her journey with the next generation in Malvern.

"I think that's something that's going to continue to really build up the community and give young kids and people that are growing up in the community opportunities to see that you can do anything you want to do," she said. 

Uber policy advisor hopes to inspire youth

Malvern was the first place Yanique Williams called home when she immigrated to Canada as a kid, later building her career as a public policy manager at Uber. From her family, the church to the teachers she had, she attributes much of who she is today to Malvern. 

"It's just a really great opportunity to be able to continue to give back to the community that I hail from," she said of the MFRC event.

Williams previously served on the board of MFRC, where her favourite memory was taking former Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on a visit when she was part of Wynne's staff. 

"The community centre for me was just sort of a space for you to be able to go, to be yourself, to show up authentically," Williams said. 

In her current role as a public policy manager at Uber, she helps with operations ranging from rides to grocery delivery along with working to make the platform more inclusive to people who are blind or low-sighted. 

She hopes youth watching her speak see her as a living representation of whaft they could become. 

"Hopefully folks will be able to see themselves reflected to say, hey, you know, if Yanique has done it, I can do it too."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.