Study what you stand for – UVic

July 13, 2020

Simone Blais’s Afro-Trinidadian and Métis roots have been a major source of inspiration and pride in her life.

So when, in 2016, the University of Victoria student was invited to attend a summit in Toronto for Indigenous and racialized students at the start of the Black Lives Matter movement, she jumped at the opportunity. It was a profound experience, one that compelled Blais to question the usefulness of post-secondary education.

“I came back and was having a hard time integrating back into school work; it felt so theoretical and I was wondering what I was doing,” she recalls.

Blais, who graduates in July with a bachelor’s degree in gender studies and a minor in Indigenous Studies, sought help from her professors, including professor Georgia Sitara, who encouraged Blais to write a reflection about her time in Toronto as an alternative to an assignment she was struggling with.

“She worked so hard to see me succeed,” says Blais. “It’s professors like that who helped me get through the degree and prevented me from dropping out.”

Read More: https://www.uvic.ca/news/topics/2020+convo-hums-simone-blais+news