February is Black History Month. A month to celebrate the massive contributions that Black people have made to shape this country. While it’s very important to reflect, it’s also a time to honour the leaders who have to paved the way and continue to today.

As we continue to celebrate Black excellence, here are 5 rising athletes that are making a positive difference for future generations.
 

Jayde Riviere

Jayde Riveire is a 21-year-old soccer player that plays forward on Canada’s national team. She is currently in her third year at the University of Michigan where she received a full scholarship. The Pickering, Ontario native represented the country at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and helped lead the team to gold, playing 27 minutes in the final match against Sweden.
 


Tre Ford

Tre Ford is a quarterback at the University of Waterloo who made history last season. Ford became the university’s first Black player and the league's first Black player ever to receive the Hec Crighton trophy as Canada's top university player!

 


Saroya Tinker

At 23 years old, Saroya Tinker is a true trailblazer. The Oshawa, Ontario native currently plays defence for the Toronto Six of the Premiere Hockey Federation. She previously graduated from Yale University where she spent four years playing on the women's hockey team. Not only does she dominate on the ice, but she leads by example off the ice as well. On top of that, she mentors BIPOC women in the sport through her mentorship program 'Saroya Strong'.
 


Keesean Ferdinand

Keesean Ferdinand is a 21-year-old soccer player on the Montreal Impact. On June 17th, Ferdinand signed with the Montreal Impact to become the club's youngest signing ever at the age of 16. Big things to come for the defender!
 


Cynthia Appiah

Despite starting to pursue bobsleigh only in 2014, it only took Appiah two years to make it to the World Cup in January 2016. Fast forward to 2022 where Appiah competed in her first Olympics with Canada's bobsled team in Beijing. In her first games, the 31-year-old finished eighth in the two-woman bobsleigh and finished sixth in the second heat in the individual women's monobob competition.