Brock University Employees Recognized for Supporting Black Student Success

Brock employees Monique Beauregard and Sali Moieldin (MA ’23) lead by listening, developing student-driven programming and collaborations that help Black students feel they can achieve success in academia.

Beauregard, Black Student Success Centre Manager (BSSC), and Moieldin, Learning Skills Specialist, Access and Inclusion with Learning Services, have been recognized as equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) Changemakers of the Month by the Brock’s Office of Human Rights and Equity for their contributions to EDI on campus and in the community.

Together, Beauregard and Moieldin have been growing the University’s Future Black Leaders (FBL) initiative, which helps Black secondary students access information, develop skills and build connections that could otherwise be difficult to attain and navigate independently.

“Many students from diverse communities don’t have several generations before them who have accessed post-secondary education,” Beauregard says. “This can mean they assume certain things are not attainable and often do not know there are whole departments dedicated to supporting mental health or building academic skills.”

Launched earlier this year, the FBL is organized by multiple units within Student Life and Success and partners from across the University.

Beauregard and Moieldin hosted an FBL information session on campus during Brock’s annual Open House in April.

“This event generated a lot of energy, excitement and positive feedback,” says Moieldin. “We had an entire lecture room full of Black parents and potential students learning about university from Black Brock students who shared their experiences. It was a moment where we really stepped back and saw the importance of this initiative.”

Keeping the momentum going, Beauregard, Moieldin and colleagues within Student Life and Success are currently developing a mentorship program that will pair incoming Black students with upper-year Brock students.

The program is being designed to focus on the goals of the mentee while also looking at the skills each mentor can share to provide a well-rounded experience. Leadership training for the mentors is set to begin in the coming weeks.

“We really want students to look back in a year or two and think, ‘Wow, I accessed so many opportunities, made friends and am successful because of what I signed up for,’” says Beauregard.

She and Moieldin both feel fortunate to work in a student-centred space where they can communicate with current and prospective students about the many supportive resources that exist at Brock.

“Creating environments where students are comfortable talking about goals, successes and regrets, and then being in a position to help make positive change and make the experiences easier for the next person is so important,” says Moieldin.

EDI Changemakers are students, staff or faculty at Brock who have made a significant contribution to EDI on campus. Changemakers can be nominated for:

• leading a social justice initiative
• introducing a new lens or outlook that supports EDI
• advocating for changes to processes or procedures
• engaging in EDI research that has or will make an impact in the school community or in the Niagara region
• strengthening allyship
• actively removing barriers or contributing to underserved communities

All EDI Changemaker contributions must fall in line with Brock’s Respectful Work and Learning Environment Policy.