Blerina Ago ‘18

Blerina Ago ‘18
DeGroote School of Business

Blerina Ago has been quite busy since graduating from McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business back in 2018. Her Bachelor of Commerce degree has proven invaluable in her rise up the ranks at Restaurant Brands International, a conglomerate company that includes iconic chains like Tim Hortons and Popeyes Chicken. Blerina’s work has taken her all over North America, including to Connecticut where she currently works as part of her focus on expanding Tim Hortons’ products into American markets.

While Blerina’s career trajectory has been nothing short of exceptional thus far, it only tells part of her story. Blerina Ago comes from a family of Albanian immigrants; she explains, “They came here with nothing but their suitcases. My parents worked SO hard and thought going to school was something important for me.” Watching her parents work for the betterment of herself — and her brother Arber — inspired Blerina to not only succeed in school, but also to give back to others. This spirit of generosity and selflessness led to Blerina’s founding of the Backpacks for Braniacs program, a charity based in the Hamilton/Brantford area that seeks to provide lower-income families with school supplies.

“Education has always been something near and dear to my heart. Helping a child be confident on day one of school goes a long way.” Since its inception in 2018 (the same year of Blerina’s McMaster graduation), Backpacks for Braniacs has raised over $35,000 and supplied more than 550 children with important items like backpacks, pens, pencils and colouring supplies. Blerina remembers getting school supplies for Christmas as a young child and being thrilled. She feels that giving children the tools for success will make them more confident, which she says is paramount.

Blerina’s focus on giving back to her community isn’t just inspired by her parent’s story, it’s also inspired by her time at McMaster. She cites the ‘Brighter World’ motto of McMaster as an influential idea in her development; the campaign’s focus on serving others and being part of the solution to global problems inspired her. “Something I noticed about the difference between Mac and other universities was the sense of community.” When asked about what this award means to her, Blerina says it is a humbling reminder that her work is having an impact. There is no doubt that Blerina will continue her awesome work in Hamilton and abroad, all while proudly embodying McMaster’s ‘Brighter World’ notion.