This article is part of a series celebrating students, staff, faculty or alumni who demonstrate a commitment to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) on campus or in ways that meaningfully connect back to the Brock community. To read other EDI Changemaker features or learn more about the series, visit The Brock News or the Office of Human Rights and Equity website.

While excelling in his studies is important for Aryan Purkayastha, the Brock University international student is equally passionate about paving the path to success for others.

“Everyone at Brock has always made me feel like they really cared,” he says. “Because they went above and beyond to support me, it lit a fire in me to do whatever I can to give back to others.”

The fourth-year Sport Management student came to Brock from Mumbai, India, in 2022.

He’s dedicated his time outside of the classroom to advocating for his fellow students and mobilizing their unique lived experiences into policies that help everyone feel supported and at home during their time at Brock.

“Aryan’s dedication to equity, diversity and inclusion shines through in every aspect of his work at Brock,” says Marla Terreberry-Portfilio, Associate Director of Brock International. “From his meaningful contributions to the President’s Advisory Committee for Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization as an international student representative to supporting food security on campus and amplifying the voices of international students, Aryan embodies the compassion, commitment and community spirit that make Brock a place where everyone truly belongs.”

Purkayastha says international students have distinct experiences navigating the university environment. Those can include acclimating to a new community and customs, learning a new language and education style, navigating financial pressures and accessing healthy, affordable food.

“Not everyone is comfortable talking about their experiences, so everything that I do is about wanting to create an environment where students don’t always have to be loud with their voices — but they’re still heard, and action is still being taken,” he says.

Purkayastha has focused on initiatives that are student-led and student-driven and says that sharing real-world needs and realities in peer-to-peer settings is an effective strategy for driving change.

“Equity, diversity and inclusion go hand-in-hand,” he adds, “and real change comes from incorporating all three into everything you do by taking an anti-racist, decolonial and intersectional approach.”

As part of the President’s Advisory Committee for Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization’s International Student Working Group, for example, Purkayastha developed student-led focus groups that will help guide improvements to institutional policies, campus services and overall student wellbeing.

In his role as a Student Assistant at Brock International, he recently leveraged his networking and digital content creation skills to encourage participation in the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CIBE) International Student Survey. The survey gathers first-hand data that can be used to better understand the experiences of students who choose to study in Canada.

He was also part of the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences Anti-Racism Task Force, where he aligned his passion for advocacy with his goal of advancing inclusivity in sport.

“Because I’ve worked with different people on all these committees, I take everyone’s perspective into account in all that I do,” he says. “This will definitely help me in a career in sport partnerships and sponsorships because you also have to consider the other organization, the fans, and your team and all its players when making decisions.”

Purkayastha says a common thread across his work at the University has been building connections. Building a support system is not only key to navigating the challenges of a new academic environment, he says, but to creating a meaningful experience that extends beyond the classroom.

He has also kept the advice from his parents — to ride the ups and downs of life and seize opportunities for growth as they come — top of mind during his time at Brock.

“A lot of international students feel this pressure that we have to make our journey to come and study in Canada worth it, but as long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing, it automatically becomes worth it,” he says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an international or domestic student, if you do the hard work, ask questions and ask for help, everything you dream of will happen.”