Dr. Narine Dat Sookram (ADEC \u201914, BEd \u201921) is guided by a philosophy that motivates him every day: education reaches its full potential when it is used empower, advocate and create opportunities for others.<\/p>\n
A two-time Brock graduate who holds Certificate in Adult Education and Bachelor of Education from University, Sookram was recognized with the 2026 Faculty of Education Distinguished Graduate Award during recent homecoming celebrations, honouring his career accomplishments grounded in service, leadership, equity and community engagement.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrock helped prepare me for whatever came my way. Working in adult education resonated with me \u2014 age does not matter, it is never too early too late to try something new,\u201d said Sookram, who also holds a Doctor of Social Work.<\/p>\n
Throughout his professional career, Sookram has used education as a tool to empower others. From humble beginnings in Guyana to his professional and community contributions across Canada, his journey has been fuelled by perseverance, lifelong learning and giving back.<\/p>\n
An accomplished social worker and educator, Sookram has supported children, youth, families, professionals, newcomers and underserved communities through social work, mental health, psychotherapy, employment services, parenting programs, mentorship, clinical supervision and public education.<\/p>\n
An advocate for youth development, foundational to Sookram\u2019s research is a strong belief that knowledge should be translated and shared as well as discussed and applied in ways that improve policies, organizations and people’s lives.<\/p>\n
“The greatest measure of an education is not how far it takes us, but how many others we help move forward because of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Sookram\u2019s research into best practices for inclusive hiring, for example, examined ways of reducing systemic employment barriers and creating more inclusive opportunities for populations that have historically experienced exclusion. His work has been shared and used by employers and municipalities, including the City of Hamilton and City of Vaughan.<\/p>\n
He has also taken education beyond traditional classrooms. Through more than two decades of community broadcasting, including The Dr. Narine Dat Show<\/em>, he has created a platform for conversations about mental health, immigration, diversity, youth, education and community issues.<\/p>\n “My classroom has never been limited to four walls. It is wherever knowledge can be shared, lives can be strengthened and communities can grow. Knowledge should do more than inform us. It should challenge barriers, advance inclusion and open doors for people who have too often been left out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Sookram\u2019s commitment to service has been recognized through more than 200 awards and honours, including the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Governor General\u2019s Caring Canadian Award, the Waterloo Award in addition to multiple recognitions for his leadership in social work, mental health, diversity, inclusion, employment and community development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Narine Dat Sookram (ADEC \u201914, BEd \u201921) is guided by a philosophy that motivates him every day: education reaches its full potential when it is used empower, advocate and create opportunities for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":112460,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119,40,1],"tags":[3333,32,98,15312],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112468"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112469,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112468\/revisions\/112469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}