New award supports graduating Black students
The Murewa Black Student Leader Award is a new award that recognizes a graduating Black students commitment to community leadership and the advancement of social equity for members of the MtA Black Caucus. The award was created by Danai B矇langer, 蹤獲弝け Allisons director of student experience.
The first and most obvious reason I wanted to create this was because we didnt have an award to specifically recognize any of our Black student leaders, says B矇langer. Black students have a very different experience of education, and I wanted to be able to highlight student leaders who are doing amazing things while acknowledging that its not an easy place to be in to be both a leader but also a student from this community.
The award is open to Black students of African or Caribbean descent or any Black student who is part of the African diaspora. Eligible students will be actively involved in the African Students Association, Black Students Union, or Caribbean Students Association.
The inaugural recipient of the Murewa Black Student Leader Award will be announced at the Last Lecture in March. Last Lecture is an annual event that celebrates the graduating class and recognizes members of the class for their contributions to 蹤獲弝け Allison and community.
I love the Last Lecture because the whole evening is really a testament to every single students hard work, says B矇langer. Having the Murewa Award as part of the event signals to not just Black students but to the greater community that we do recognize the hard work and dedication of our students and that we want to recognize them for all the things they are doing to make 蹤獲弝け Allison a university for everybody.
'Murewa is a Zezuru word from the Shona people of Zimbabwe.
Murewa means the acclaimed one, and in Shona culture it is the totem of my family, says B矇langer. She chose the name to honour her family and the large role education has played in their lives. B矇langer comes from a family of educators her mother and grandfather were teachers.
When B矇langer came to Canada as an international student at Memorial University, she quicky became an advocate for students and that led to a career working for several universities.
蹤獲弝け Allisons first Black director of student experience, B矇langer manages international affairs; sexualized violence education and response; equity, diversity, inclusion; and anti-racism initiatives on campus along with other areas of the student life experience.
She is using payroll deduction to fund the Murewa Black Student Leader Award, a convenient way for 蹤獲弝け Allison faculty and staff to support campus causes important to them.
I wouldnt be here if it wasnt for the students, says B矇langer. I like the fact that the labour I do in my role as director and the work I have done throughout my career to support and promote and assist students is culminating in this award. Its a way for me to take that compensatory value I get for doing a job and give back to the students.
Nominations for the Murewa Black Student Leader Award and other grad awards are now open. The nomination deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 1. Self-nominations are welcomed.
For more information on giving, including through payroll deduction, visit mta.ca/giving or contact the Development Office.
