One woman's journey of choosing love over hate. Meet Sammer Haq, a young Muslim woman who turned her passion for youth empowerment into action. Listen how Sammer is helping to bridge divides between cultures.

Sammer Haq is a unique and uplifting story of how an individual chooses to counter negativity and biases and build bridges that unite societies and create opportunities in underserved communities.

Sammer Haq’s purpose was first motivated by 9/11. Overnight many painted Muslims as terrorists. Sammer chose to counter this ignorance by being a role model for how she could convey the beauty of her religion and all it stands for as a young Muslim woman. She wanted the world to know that Islam is a religion that empowers women that focuses on peace, excellence and giving back. As an individual, she excelled at school and showed others that wearing a Hijab did not impact her athletic ability.  

Sammer grew up in an underserved and underrepresented community yet cherished the diversity, creativity, and ingenuity of the people there. Sammer saw Math as the only bridge to future STEM-related jobs, so she started to tutor her classmates. In a short period, a handful of students grew into a packed classroom and then a not-for-profit called Bridge TO. Bridge TO provides free tutoring, mental health workshops, outreach support, mentorship, and exclusive career-related events, to help youth to reach their full potential.

And speaking of potential, Sammer Haq is the Head of Data and Analytics at Mydoh, an app and platform where kids gain real money skills by learning, earning and spending smart. 

Linda Tulk joins at the end of the show. She is celebrating fifty years at RBC. Linda's beautiful words of wisdom are words to live by.