Feb 25, 2026 marked 2 years since Ryan Heighton died at 37-yrs-old. He is still thought of and loved by many.
Ryan was a proud alumnus of Trent University, where he completed both his Bachelor and Masters of Science degrees. He always spoke very highly of his time there, and gave back in many capacities to the Trent community.
For all that Ryan accomplished in his too short life, there were many reasons on paper why Ryan would not have been expected to achieve what he did. He was very open about the challenges he encountered in his life. It was ultimately a culmination of these challenges that led to him moving out on his own at 17, with some financial help from his grandparents.
He worked all through high school and undergrad to fund his own post-secondary education. He had to petition Trent to be considered independent at 17 so he could access financial aid. He excelled academically, but often said that without the assistance of financial aid he would not have been able to stay and complete his degree.
He could easily have ended up down a different path, a narrative he often saw in his work as a criminal attorney. He was smart and he let that lead him. He knew how differently it could have turned out and that was a big thing that motivated his defence work. He knew there wasn’t much that separated him from a lot of his clients, in terms of life circumstances. He didn’t see himself as better than most in that way.
This is the kind of resiliency and perseverance that should be remembered and honoured.
What better way to do that than to set up a fund that will give someone similarly situated, with cards stacked against them, the opportunity to transcend their circumstances in the way he did?
The Ryan Heighton Resiliency Fund will provide financial aid to a student of high needs who succeeds academically in the Science program, just as Ryan did. In order to make this an endowed annual award, to continue in perpetuity, we need to raise $30 000 total.
As of April, 2026, the Ryan Heighton Resiliency Fund stands at $20,246. We are just over 2/3 of the way to our goal! We would love to be able to pass that and continue moving forward in honouring his life and legacy.
Contributions in any amount are welcome to help build this fund in Ryan’s memory, to highlight and honour his hard work and drive to go beyond what was difficult to make something better for himself. It is our hope that in that legacy, more people will have access to education and opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t.
Contributions can be made directly at this link: https://trentu.ca/ryanheighton
(Make sure it indicates the directed fund as the Ryan Heighton Resiliency Fund)
Ryan Heighton was also a dedicated and passionate sports fan, especially for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Raptors. As a kid he grew up collecting hockey cards and autographs from many different players. He dreamt of filling his office with sports memorabilia. Over the years he amassed quite a collection.
To keep working towards our goal of raising $30 000 for the endowment of the Ryan Heighton Resiliency Award, we’ve started an eBay store full of much of Ryan’s collection. Many of these items could make great gifts for the sports fan or collector in your life, or you can treat yourself to a little piece of history and fandom, all while supporting increased accessibility to post-secondary education. You can check out the eBay store here: https://www.ebay.ca/usr/rhra37
Thank you for considering this initiative, and helping to keep Ryan’s memory alive. Feel free to share the link and information with others who may be interested in helping us build something to help many students to come.
Please feel free to share this post, either on your own feeds or with others who may be interested in supporting our efforts to build this award in Ryan’s memory. The more people we can reach, the sooner we’ll reach our goal of an endowed award to support students for many years to come!
Thank you to everyone who has already supported this.
