Violet King Engaged Scholar Award 2023
Six exceptional UCalgary students recipients
2023 Violet King Engaged Scholar Award Recipients
Yvette Ysabel Yao
Yvette Ysabel Yao is a medical student at the Cumming School of Medicine. She is a magna cum laude graduate from the University of California, Berkeley, and received her bachelor's degrees in Molecular & Cell Biology (Honors) and Public Health (Honors). Growing up in the Philippines, Yvette witnessed the harsh realities of living in a medically underserved community. These experiences compelled her to be the first in her family to pursue a career in medicine, focusing on addressing the healthcare gaps prevalent in underserved communities. Having experienced the challenges of adjusting to new cultures and healthcare systems, she has taken on diverse roles to contribute to the fields of global and newcomer health.
At UC Berkeley, Yvette volunteered as a Tagalog health interpreter and spearheaded the introduction of preventative health curriculums to vulnerable populations in the Philippines through the “Hygiene Heroes” group. As a medical student, she co-founded the Calgary Asian Medical Students Association to advocate for newcomer health. She also serves as a National Officer of Research Exchange for the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. She is also the Federation of Medical Women of Canada representative for her class and is a Neurology System Editor for the Calgary Guide
Victory Abraham
Victory Abraham is an Ethiopian and Eritrean fourth-year Law and Society student at the University of Calgary. She is also obtaining a Mental Well-being and Resilience certificate. Victory plans to become a Lawyer, further exploring her passion for criminal justice, social justice and advocacy, and race-based data.
Victory maintains secure relationships in all her community involvements to see Calgary's communities succeed. She aims to elevate university students through her role as the Co-President of the Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association. Victory demonstrates leadership in her work and volunteering, including tutoring, program planning and facilitating, and mentoring Black youth and children in Calgary. Her exceptional experience, motivation, and tenacity stem from her immigration story and being the first in her family to pursue law.
Victory is honoured and inspired to receive this scholarship, as Violet King is an exceptional and motivating figure. With this award, Victory will continue her community and academic commitments.
Misgana Abraha
Misgana is a first-generation post-secondary student whose journey from war-torn Sudan to Canada exemplifies resilience and determination. Her unwavering passion for promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion has been the driving force behind her academic and professional career. As a volunteer mentor with the Eritrean Canadian Community Association, Misgana mentored several Eritrean high school students who were newcomers to Canada.
During the pandemic, she provided valuable translation services in English, Arabic, and Tigrinya to non-English speaking Eritrean women seeking support from the Calgary Immigration Women's Association. Misgana recently received the prestigious PURE award and is currently halfway through a 16-week summer work studentship.
She is also currently working under the neurologist Dr. Morris Scantelbury in the field of pediatric epilepsy at the Heritage Medical Research Building. The research involves examining the underlying mechanisms of infantile spasms. With her tireless efforts and commitment to making a meaningful difference, she aspires to contribute to the growing body of knowledge and bring about tangible improvements in the lives of those living with infantile spasms.
Her commitment to promoting equity and inclusion has also led her to pursue academic research alongside Canada Research Chair Dr. Jennifer Adams, where she is working to reduce barriers for Black students pursuing careers in STEM-related fields. Misgana aspires to become a teacher following graduation from UCalgary.
Pelumi Adeosun
Pelumi Adeosun is a Law & Society Co-op student at the University of Calgary. She has a passion for advocacy and inclusion for Black immigrants and women, refined through internships, research, and service projects throughout her undergraduate career. Alongside her strong academic record exists an active involvement in student leadership.
At UCalgary, Pelumi actively cultivates an environment of belonging on campus through her extra-curricular involvement. She acted as the Vice-President of the Nigerian Students’ Association this past academic year and has undertaken numerous peer mentorship roles as a student in the Scholars Academy Program.
Her campus and community involvement have earned her several prestigious awards, including the Government of Alberta’s Lois Hole Humanities & Social Sciences Scholarship in 2021 and the Laurence Decore Award for Student Leadership for two consecutive years.
This summer, she will work with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP as an Avenue Undergraduate Legal Intern in their Calgary office. Looking towards the future, after graduating from law school, she intends to use her legal expertise to continue supporting underserved communities.
Senait Yohannes
Senait Berhane Yohannes is a born and raised Calgarian of Eritrean descent. She possesses an undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from Mount Royal University and is entering her final year of law school. Before beginning her post-secondary studies, she spent many years working in remote oil and gas locations in Northern Alberta and British Columbia.
As an Executive member of the UCalgary Black Law Students Association, first as VP of Administration and as the current Co-President, she leads a growing community of Black Law Students, bringing networking opportunities, mentorship, grants, and events to its members.
Senait works for Calgary Transit and is also working a summer term at Stikeman Elliot LLP, where she has officially accepted an articling offer. She is a recipient of the Alberta Provincial Judges Association Chief Judge Gail Vickery Award. She is this year’s recipient of “The Foundation Scholarship” and the “Frances Hartogh Diversity Outreach Scholarship” from the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law. Senait will complete her Fall Law School Fall semester in Oslo, Norway.
Tolu Adewole
Tolu Adewole possesses a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is a 4th year Nursing student with a passion for social justice and working with underrepresented populations. Having lived in Canada and Nigeria highlighted, Tolu has become inspired to dismantle and influence change in healthcare systems that sustain health inequities.
As a Nursing Student, she has actively engaged in research activities related to nursing and healthcare. Tolu is currently participating in a research project that helps nurses to practice their skills in verbally de-escalating agitated patients. She is also working on a project to develop a guide and best practices in aiding nurses to find and feel veins in patients with different skin tones and colours.
Tolu’s goal is to positively impact the lives of others and contribute to equitable healthcare through research, innovation and advocacy. She is eager to lend her talent and knowledge in the future, working globally to change health outcomes and inequities through resourcing allocation, health programming and policy and working with governments to build comprehensive primary healthcare settings in areas lacking resources and infrastructure.
People told me it wasn’t a good idea for a girl to be a lawyer, particularly a coloured girl, so I went ahead.
Violet King, May 5, 1956
Violet King served as the president of the Grade 12 Girls’ Association and was active in the Hi-Y club, an affiliate of the YWCA, which served as a network for future volunteer leaders at Crescent Heights School in the Hillhurst-Sunnyside community in Calgary. In 1946 and 1947, Violet King was named on the Hi-Y honour roll for her extracurricular volunteer activities. This student leadership and engagement continued at the University of Alberta, where the women students of her generation were encouraged by Maimie Simpson, the Dean of Women, to think of engagement and volunteerism as “a philosophy of living, where you give of yourself, where you can give the gift of appreciation.” (M. Simpson, Taking a Backward Look: Memoirs of a Dean of Women. Accession 69-55, U of Alberta Archives, 1968: 15).
At university, King was involved in numerous student groups, including the Blue Stocking Society, which included young women students who were interested in gender equality, history, and intellectual and public affairs. Some of King’s student engagement activities included service on, for example:
- Golden Key Society
- Arts and Science Club (served as Secretary)
- Class Historian (selected by peers, 1951-1952)
- Vice President of Students' Union
- National Federation of Canadian University Students (NFCUS) (selected by SU)
International Student Services Conference (served as Alberta representative to meetings at McMaster in 1952)
- Pembina House Committee
- Students' Union Building’s Housing Committee
- Disciplinary Committee
In 1952 King was one of four student leaders who was recognized with an Executive “A” gold ring at Colour Night for her outstanding contributions to student life. The other three recipients to be honoured alongside King were Peter Lougheed, Ivan Head, and Garth Fryett (“Colour Night Next Tuesday: Twelve to Receive Rings,” The Gateway (March 14, 1952: 1).
Violet King Engaged Scholar Awards Ceremony
A scholarship created to recognize the unique barriers, challenges, victories, and lived experiences of Black, racialized and Indigenous students at the University of Calgary.
Ms. Jo-Anne Henry, Violet King’s daughter, Director of LEAD Strategic Impact, National League of Cities | Washington, D.C.
Jo-Anne Henry
Ms. Jo-Anne Henry is the daughter of Violent King Henry and Godfrey Henry, who were both attorneys and spectacular parents. Ms. Henry is currently the Director of LEAD Strategic Impact at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C.. Previously she has been in leadership positions in: District of Columbia Public Schools; DC’s Child Welfare system; the state of Georgia’s Child Welfare system; Director of a community-based child abuse prevention strategy called “Community Partnerships for Protecting Children”; and one of the 1st lawyers at an environmental justice pro bono law organization called “Alternatives for Community & Environment” (ACE).
Ms. Henry received her J.D. degree from University of California, Berkeley’s School of Law; and her M.A. from Georgetown University’s School of Business. She currently resides in Washington DC with her teacher husband and their teen daughter, who wants to be a child psychologist when she gets older.
Ms. Henry is thrilled with the ways her mother Violet has been and continues to be honoured; how her legacy still inspires; and how Violet’s historic trailblazing has been recognized.
Community leader and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Jon Cornish was elected the 15th chancellor of the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2022. Cornish is most known for their legendary nine years as a member of the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League where they were selected as the top Canadian player for three years consecutively, Most Outstanding Player in 2013, only the second football player to win the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete, and led their team to two Grey Cup championships. In recognition of their Kansas University football career, where they still hold numerous records, the Jon Cornish Trophy is awarded annually to the best Canadian NCAA Football player.
During and after their football career, Cornish spent the last nine years in various wealth management roles, working as a consultant and was a part of a top-ranked private investment counsel wealth team. They are now an investment advisor and team lead at RBC Dominion Securities, where they are responsible for building relationships, providing wealth management guidance, and holistic, goal-oriented financial planning so their clients can realize their best lives.
Cornish works with various non-profits and charities around Calgary, including many events as an emcee for the Alberta Children's Hospital, working directly with at-risk youth for Wood's Homes, and at the Calgary Foundation, where they serve on the Doc Seaman Hockey Fund. They also continue to work with the Calgary Stampeders as gameday ambassador.
Cornish is president emeritus and founder of the Calgary Black Chambers, a non-profit working to make Calgary the best place to live and work for BIPOC people. The Calgary Black Chambers provided over $120,000 in scholarships to help university students and supported hundreds high school students with skill training to aid in their careers and life journeys over the last three years.
Dr. Malinda Smith is the inaugural Vice Provost and Associate Vice President of Research (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and a full professor of political science at the University of Calgary. Prior to joining UCalgary, she was a full professor of political science at the University of Alberta, where she held various roles, including Provost Fellow (EDI Policy) in the Office of the Provost and Associate Chair (Graduate Studies) in the Department of Political Science.
Dr. Smith worked to advance an equitable and inclusive higher education for over 30 years. This work includes initiatives to create institutional cultures that build trust and support disaggregated EDI data, anti-racism, equity and human rights accountability, and initiatives to embed equitable and inclusive principles and practices in hiring and retention, research, and teaching and learning. She has has served on numerous higher education governance committees, including Vice President (Equity Issues) for the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion External Review Committee for the Canada Research Chairs. Currently, she serves on SSHRC Governing Council and Executive; as Vice Chair of the Inter-Institutional Advisory Committee for the Scarborough Charter, on Statistics Canada’s Immigration and Ethnocultural Statistics Advisory Committee; and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s External EDI Advisory Board.
Dr. Smith is the coauthor, editor, or coeditor of 8 books, numerous articles, book chapters and reports and has given dozens of invited keynotes and public lectures in the areas of equity, diversity, human rights, and decolonization in higher education, African political economy, and international relations. Dr. Smith is the coauthor of The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities (2017); coeditor of Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics (OUP 2023); the Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy (UofT Press, 2022); States of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century (BTL 2010). and three books on Africa, including Securing Africa: Post-9/11 Discourses on Terrorism (2010).
Dr. Smith is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including Calgary Black Chambers’ Lifetime Achievement Award (2023), an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Simon Fraser University (2021), Compelling Calgarians (2021), the International Studies Association’s Women’s Caucus’s Susan S. Northcutt Award (2020), 100 Accomplished Black Women Honouree (2020), the ISA-Canada Distinguished Scholar Award (2018-19), P.E. Trudeau Foundation Fellow (2018), the HSBC Community Contributor of the Year Award (2016); and the Canadian Association of University Teachers’ Equity Award (2015).
Oki Niistowoak Siipiyanatohkomiaaki.
Kitohkanaiksimmatsimmohpowawa.
Elder Colleen Sitting Eagle has worked with young people all their working years in many different but similar aspects. From being a Youth Camp Coordinator,Youth Prevention Juvenile Counsellor, Crime prevention with Gleichen R.C.M.P. and Blackfoot Tribal Police, Researcher for Siksika Culture and Heritage to being a Language Teacher/Liaison for Siksika Schools.
Colleen learned her Siksika history from her late parents and the honour of working with knowledgeable elders. She was one of the first groups from Siksika to be integrated to start her schooling in Strathmore, AB. She previously attended and continues to take courses from the University of Calgary.
She is gifted with two beautiful children with loosing her son in 2022. She has six grandchildren ranging from 7-21 years old.
Media
Top, from left: Yvette Ysabel Yao, Victory Abraham, Senait Yohannes. Bottom, from left: Pelumi Adeosun, Misgana Abraha, Tolu Adewole.
Violet King’s legacy lives on through recipients of the inaugural award
Author - Shannon Black, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
July 26, 2023
Violet King’s legacy lives on through six UCalgary students awarded the Violet King Engaged Scholar Award jointly presented by the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and the Student Union. The award’s name honours the remarkable life and work of trailblazing Calgarian and the first Black woman lawyer in Canada, Violet King Henry. She served as a student leader at Crescent Heights School in the Hillhurst-Sunnyside community and at the University of Alberta, on the executive of the Arts and Science Club, the Blue Stocking Society, and vice-president of the Student Union.
Heritage Calgary Plaque Recognizes Residence of Violet King
Author - Heritage Calgary
February 28, 2022
The residence is nationally significant as the home of the King family, including siblings Violet King and Theodore King, who are recognized for their work to advance racial equality in Alberta and are a significant part of Alberta’s civil rights history.
Edmonton's Federal Building public square named after a Black pioneer
Author - Katrine Deniset | ICI Alberta
February 27, 2021
From Calgary, Violet King was the first Black woman to practise law in the country.
Plaza renamed to honour trailblazing Black Calgarian
Author - Helen Pike | CBC News
February 26, 2021
The Federal Building plaza, with views of the Alberta Legislature, has a new name: the Violet King Henry Plaza.
Black Albertans You Should Know
Author - Dr. Malinda Smith, UCalgary | webpage
Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Trailblazing Black Albertans who, too often, are hidden in provincial and Canadian narratives. These stories, as the achievements of these Black Albertans, act as a corrective to misconceptions of Black Albertans as newcomers and the deficit narratives that function to limit Black aspirations and achievements.
Beyond a Single Story: Black Lives and Hidden Figures in the Canadian Academy
Author - Dr. Malinda Smith, UCalgary | Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
February 18, 2020
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Three counter-narratives of trailblazing Black women who resolutely defied social barriers pushed back against the weight of stereotypes and pursued their higher education aspirations on the Indigenous territories that we now know as Canada.
Making black history in Alberta visible
Author - UAlberta | Medium
February 8, 2017
The history of black people in Alberta remains obscured by the “tyranny of homogenization.”
Quality Money is an excellent example of collaboration between your SU, the university, and the student body. The Quality Money proposal process allows the SU to determine where students feel money should be invested on campus. Furthermore, thanks to feedback and proposals received through the Quality Money program, the SU is better able to inform the university about the priorities and concerns of students. Your SU uses feedback from students in determining where to invest Quality Money each year.