There were three things Jada Shand (BA ’24) was sure of when she began her studies at Brock University. She wanted to work in the social care sector, she wanted to travel and she had come to the right place to do both.

Shand crossed the stage on Tuesday, June 11 to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Studies during Brock’s 115th Convocation.

“Initially, I came to Brock for its International Exchange program, but the amazing relationships I built through my degree program and with the Black Student Success Centre (BSSC) have influenced me to further continue my education in child and youth studies,” she says.

While Shand was a shy first-year student, her desire to travel helped her learn to navigate uncomfortable situations and become excited by new opportunities.

In 2022 and 2023, she spent six months studying abroad at Nijmegen Radboud University in the Netherlands and six months at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.

“These experiences really opened my eyes to how different the world is outside of where we live,” she says. “Being on my own, I learned to become independent and how to advocate for myself.”

Shand returned to campus for her last year at Brock with a new-found confidence. When an employment opportunity came up at the newly created Black Student Success Centre, she went for it.

As the BSSC Internal Relations Assistant, Shand provided peer support to Black students on campus and assisted with initiatives designed to acknowledge and celebrate the African, Black and Caribbean communities.

She is most proud of the biweekly book club she launched for Black History Month/African Heritage Month, where students read and discussed works by Black authors, and organizing the BSSC’s first Carnival bra-making workshop.

Held annually in many Caribbean islands and around the world, Carnival celebrates the abolition of slavery. Costumes play a major role in Carnival events and have cultural and personal meaning for the makers and wearers.

“Brock has many Caribbean students from the Greater Toronto Area and internationally who had expressed an interest in celebrating our culture,” says Shand, whose Jamaican parents immersed her in the country’s culture.

She planned and facilitated the workshop in partnership with Tribal Carnival, a mas band in Toronto that makes costumes for Carnival.

“Everyone who participated said they had fun and were excited to have gotten first-hand experience from one of the bands that creates costumes for Carnival. The workshop was held in RFP 214/215, which meant students passing by could see us and many looked in to learn more,” she says.

The success of the workshop was a pivotal moment in Shand’s development as a leader.

“The BSSC really pushed me into a professional role,” she says. “I now have tools in my back pocket to accomplish the things that I want and know where to reach out to solve issues.”

Shand is returning to Brock in the fall to pursue a master’s in Social Justice and Equity Studies and continue her role at the BSSC.

“The service sector needs more people who are trained to work with and who care about racialized children and youth, who take the time to consider all the factors contributing to their lives.” Shand says. “I want to be one of those people.”