Tanika Hillocks has always prioritized aligning hard work with heart work.

So, it’s no surprise the Media and Communications Studies student recently received the Lou Cahill Scholarship in recognition of her commitment to academic excellence, community involvement and participation in charitable activities.

Hillocks, who is heading into her final year, came to Brock with a certificate in Digital Marketing, a diploma in Media Communications Studies and a successful lifestyle blog about her experience with Black motherhood.

She says chose the University because she wanted to engage in meaningful conversations around the power and potential of effective communication.

“Being a mature student, my mind is always trying to find the connection between what it is that I’m learning and real-life scenarios,” she says. “I love continuously learning new things and applying that back into the different pillars of my life.”

The mother and full-time student describes her work in arts and culture, food security and maternal health as being “grounded by a desire to create spaces that centre healing, foster connection and honour the complex realities of marginalized communities.”

Through supporting and curating several art exhibits in the Niagara Region, Hillocks says she has deepened her connection within local communities and strengthened her belief in the power of storytelling.

Her food security work — which includes developing and managing a food subsidy program providing fresh, affordable produce to Black mother-led and low-income families — challenged her to think critically about access, care and solutions to tackle food insecurity.

She also deploys her communication skills as a doula and birthing coach in support of Black maternal health.

“Creating personalized, culturally responsive education and support to foster positive birth experiences for Black mothers has allowed me to meet people where they are on their parenthood journeys so they can make informed choices to have the birthing experience they deserve,” she says.

All the while, Hillocks has excelled academically, being named to the Dean’s Honour List twice and completing a successful experiential education placement with the Canadian Gap Year Association through the COMM 4F00 course.

Hillocks says receiving the Lou Cahill Scholarship affirms her “belief that communication is the foundation for building trust, fostering authentic connections and diversifying storytelling.”

“It is also a gentle reminder to self to keep pushing forward on my journey with care and clarity, not just to reflect the world as it is, but to reimagine what it can become — for myself, my children and the communities I serve,” she says.

Scholarship adjudicator Rick Mauro says he was impressed by Hillocks’s “demonstrated understanding that communications, well done, can drive meaningful action.”

“Tanika’s application was not only well written, it also told a compelling story of her dedication to improving her community through effective and measurable communications,” says Mauro, a longtime member of the scholarship jury who was mentored by Cahill for more than two decades.

“I’m sure that Lou would have been equally impressed with the calibre of her application and the community commitment Tanika has made, something Lou held very important,” he says.

The award, created in 2008 to recognize a student in Brock’s Business Communication or Media and Communication Studies programs, has long been sponsored by the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) Foundation and is named for Louis Cahill, a local communications legend who was known amongst his peers as Canada’s “Dean of Public Relations.”

Anyone interested in supporting Cahill’s legacy via this award for future students is welcome to donate to the fund online.