Founder, Loy Excellentia Initiative, Dr. Aloy Anyichie, has called for the celebration of black people living in the diaspora, saying such celebrations show that Africans will excel wherever they are
Anyichie made the call at an event organised by the initiative to mark Black History Month at Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada on Saturday.
Revealing why he founded the initiative, the Nigerian-Canadian professor, according to a statement on Monday, explained the challenges he faced as an international student at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver as well as his award of the best Ph.D. dissertation in Educational Psychology in the whole of Canada in 2019 motivated him to start the journey.
“Reflecting on my journey as a PhD student, the challenges and opportunities, especially the mentorship experiences and how they shaped the future that I am living today, I thought that it would be wonderful to create opportunities for African/Black Students to be able to gain the support they need to excel.
“I hate seeing someone experiencing a similar challenge I have navigated. That is the spark for the founding of Loy Excellentia Initiative,” Anyichie said
He added that the absence of any specific events tailored for all African students during Black History Month in Brandon community contributed to his organizing the event to connect and integrate the students into the community.
Anyichie, while encouraging the students to never forget where they are coming from, charged them to come together as one and be empowered to be successful through the mentorship opportunities
In in his address, the Mayor of Brandon, Mayor Fawcett, commended the initiative, for providing opportunities for students.
“Many individuals come here seeking educational opportunities, and what initiatives like Loy Excellentia do is provide a better chance to establish connections…
“It helps students feel comfortable more quickly, giving them someone to talk to and encouraging involvement in the broader community,” he said.
The event was attended by over 50 African students, as well as the Dean, Faculty of Education, Dr. Alysha Farrell Brandon’s first Black councillor, Councillor Jason Splett, Sunday Frangi, and Vice President, Commercial Financial Services, Royal Bank of Canada, Richard Azinwi.
