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.

When Daniel Krowchuk (BSc ’23) first came to Brock University as an undergraduate student, he was already on an evolving journey to deepen his queer advocacy and activism.

The Social Justice and Equity Studies master’s student has since committed to advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in existing spaces and creating new opportunities to build community on campus and beyond.

Krowchuk says he is “intentional, consultative and community focused” in everything he does.

“As a queer person, a lot of my advocacy comes with the lens of trying to uplift voices whenever I can,” he said. “EDI is also recognizing that systems and spaces have often been built for specific people — while excluding others — and it’s about consciously looking at these and trying to reshape them to work for as many folks as possible.”

Krowchuk recently supported the launch of Loud and Proud, a queer-focused weekly drop-in space for the 2SLGBTQAI+ community in Brock’s Student Health and Wellness HUB. It provides programming and services for Brock students on a range of health and wellness topics.

He says this named drop-in space provides a welcoming and supportive environment that is intentionally focused on meeting the needs of the queer community.

“It’s so nice to see that something we’ve been working towards as a way to bring folks together and connect has been so celebrated and is already flourishing,” he said. “Creating physical spaces for specific communities is like a little respite in the vast expanse of things that aren’t built for us.”

Krowchuk also works in the Wellness HUB as a peer health educator, where provides mental health support and offers a friendly ear for those who need someone to talk to. He says experience gained from his former work as a Provincial Youth Ambassador for the LGBT YouthLine program helped him develop the skills needed to provide these tailored supports.

He also creates health and wellness programming and events through the HUB and is looking forward to launching a graduate student mentorship program.

Krowchuk’s advocacy work has also extended to the 2SLGBTQAI+ community in Niagara, such as helping to develop the Queer Run Club in St. Catharines.

Bobbie McGhee and Julie Fennell, Health Promotion Educators in Brock’s Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre, say Krowchuk’s efforts are reflective of how deeply he cares about student well-being and belonging.

His role in establishing the Loud and Proud space and years of peer support, they say, have strengthened the campus community and ensured that students feel supported, affirmed and empowered.

In the future, Krowchuk plans to continue creating meaningful opportunities for queer students at Brock to connect with one other. He hopes to one day see the creation of a full-time queer-focused space on campus, for example.

He also looks forward to combining his academic, personal and professional experiences to drive progressive health-care change for marginalized communities and address gaps in the system surrounding queer experiences in health.

“I’ve been really inspired by the work my supervisors do at the Student Wellness and Accessibility Center, so I’ve been looking at similar roles for my next step because I really enjoy talking to people and answering questions about health concepts,” he said. “I know that I also want to go beyond just being inclusionary, diversifying spaces and bringing equity — I want to drive change that creates a more just world for all of us.”