As a neurodivergent woman of colour, domestic abuse survivor, mature student and single parent, Amelia Godwin (BSc ’25) pursued her degree at Brock while overcoming tremendous personal challenges. But she didn’t let those obstacles stop her from giving back.

Her commitment to progress saw her recognized with the Board of Trustees Spirt of Brock medal on Thursday, June 12, receiving the honour alongside fellow medallist Anne Worrell (BSc ’17, PhD ’25). The graduates were each recognized for their community contributions and impactful leadership.

During her time in Brock’s Biological Sciences program, Godwin earned an Associate of Science from Vancouver Community College, completed a Nursing diploma at Niagara College and began working at Niagara Health.

She credits her resilience to the compassion and support of Brock’s faculty, who helped her passion for education, advocacy and inclusion.

“They took the time to care; their care made a difference,” she said. “Now, I try to be that difference for others.”

By her third year, Godwin found her stride and had graduated at the top of her college Nursing program, began working as a nurse, and joined Med Plus and the Golden Key Honour Society.

She also stepped into leadership roles — serving as a tutor, peer mentor and public speaker — focused on equity in education, health care and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Godwin co-created a workshop series for Med Plus students — Stethoscopes and Stereotypes — exploring medical racism and Black contributions to medicine.

She worked to make science more inclusive for youth through Let’s Talk Science, a national science education outreach program, and the organization’s Black Volunteer Collective.

Drawing from her own experience, she now works as an Industry Expert Tutor at Niagara College where she supports nursing students experiencing academic anxiety.

For Godwin, the Spirit of Brock medal is a call to see strength in collaboration and “to use what we’ve learned to give back.”

“It means acknowledging the effort, support and shared journey it takes to accomplish anything meaningful, and committing to carrying those values forward, together.”

Worrell, a lifelong Niagara resident, has embraced every opportunity to grow, from her first poster presentation as an undergraduate Chemistry student to completing a PhD in the field.

“I used to hate presenting,” she says. “But my supervisor encouraged me to try, and I realized I can do this.”

That tenacity has allowed her to overcome obstacles and make the most of opportunities.

When she was close to completing her master’s degree in Chemistry at Brock, she received an unexpected offer to transfer into the PhD program by Professor of Chemistry and Former Canada Research Chair Melanie Pilkington.

A PhD was not something Worrell had previously considered, though she’s now grateful the opportunity presented itself.

In 2020, she received a prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada  Postgraduate Scholarship – Doctoral to support her research, which involved developing magnetic compounds whose “spins” provide one of the simplest platforms to encode a quantum bit or qubit — the elementary unit of a quantum computer.

Over the years, she has balanced her dedication to academic excellence with the drive to empower others by mentoring junior researchers at Brock, assisting with the Faculty of Mathematics and Science’s annual Inorganic Discussion Weekend and leading outreach initiatives such as Brock’s Fall Preview Day.

Worrell credits her faith and the support of her family, community and supervisors for her success.

She says Brock’s motto, Surgite, has been a reminder to push on in the face of adversity or uncertainty.

“It’s been a long road with lots of twists and turns,” she says. “I’m just grateful for everything.”