Throughout her studies, Shobowale worked as a Smart Start assistant, Future Black Leaders’ mentor, International Student Ambassador<\/a> and residence assistant while sharing resources and scholarship advice with other international students through her digital mentoring platform, GlobalwithOla.\u00a0A lifelong singer, she even took home first place in the 2024 Brock\u2019s Got Talent competition.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest reward is knowing someone else\u2019s journey was made easier because I shared mine,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n When she encountered obstacles along the way, Shobowale drew on her creative problem-solving skills and community to persevere.<\/p>\n To ease homesickness, she launched Explore the World from Your Kitchen<\/em>, a cookbook featuring recipes from international students to help them \u201cexperience home through food because it can feel like a warm hug,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Determined to graduate without debt, despite the challenges created by fluctuating exchange rates, she sought help from the Brock International, Learning Services, Career Zone and Student Health teams. She also secured scholarships, including the International Ambassador Award.<\/p>\n \u201cSo long as you\u2019re still on track, you can finish,\u201d she said. \u201cSuccess and failure both come at a cost. It\u2019s up to you to choose the one that moves you forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Shobowale plans to pursue a master\u2019s degree in public health with the goal of ensuring knowledge and resources reach those who need them most.<\/p>\n Xiao\u2019s path to Convocation was also defined by perseverance \u2014 a skill he said was instilled in him by his parents, who are both professional athletes.<\/p>\n In 2019, a conversation with Professor of Biological Sciences Charles Despr\u00e9s inspired him to pursue a PhD in Biotechnology.<\/p>\n Then, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Xiao and his supervisor decided to turn their focus toward mental health research, with a particular focus on how psychedelics interact with brain receptors.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople were suffering and medications that had been in use since the 1980s weren\u2019t working for everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to explore new ways to understand and improve treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside the lab, he helped to establish Brock\u2019s Graduate Mathematics and Science Student Society<\/a> and launch the University\u2019s first STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduate research conference.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe do amazing research,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted a place for the Faculty of Mathematics and Science to showcase their achievements. I\u2019m very proud of this legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n His leadership on campus included serving as student co-chair of the President\u2019s Advisory Committee for Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization (PACHRED). Originally from China, Xiao drew on his experience as an international student to co-found PACHRED\u2019s International Student Working Group.<\/p>\n \u201cPACHRED taught me not only that we need to ask the hard questions, but also the importance of open dialogue to learn more about the unique challenges of international students,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Xiao also worked as an Innovation and Commercialization Fellow at Brock LINC, where he evaluated intellectual property potential across Brock research projects, advising faculty and community inventors on the patentability and potential impact of their ideas.<\/p>\n
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