Oratile Mogae BComm’23
photo: Ashley Brown
As Oratile Mogae prepares to walk across the stage on convocation day to receive her Bachelor of Commerce degree and deliver her valedictorian address, she’s humbled by the honour of representing her graduating class.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” she says with a smile. “We’ve all had our own journeys to get here, and I recognize graduating will mean something different to everyone—it’s going to be a special day.”
Looking back at her own journey, growing up in Bedford, Nova Scotia, the decision to attend Saint Mary’s was easy.
“The Sobey School of Business is one of the top business schools in Canada,” she says. “The university also has a reputation for smaller class sizes and having a close sense of community on campus—much like a family.”
Family is important to Mogae, and she’s quick to share that her parents have always been her biggest cheerleaders every step of the way. As an African Nova Scotian woman, creating an inclusive family-like atmosphere for Black students is something she is passionate about.
A journey of inclusion
Saint Mary’s strives to create an academic environment that is inclusive, equitable and dedicated to embracing global perspectives, something she values deeply about the university. Her passion for inclusion sparked her to create the university’s first Black Student Society.
Previously, there had been African and Caribbean Student Societies, but Mogae wanted to create a hub where all Black students on campus could come together and have a safe space to connect. “Some Black people don’t identify with a specific background,” she says. “For example, they don’t only identify as African or Caribbean—they identify as Black.”
To get the ball rolling, Mogae and her friend Aba Owusu-Biney applied to create the society with the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association (SMUSA). Once approved, she became the society’s president and they set up a governance structure. The Black Student Society officially began in the fall of 2022 and the team hit the ground running, planning activities and events.
“We hosted a paint and sip, open mic, a skate night and a workshop for Black professionals in the workplace,” she says. “Black History Month/African Heritage Month was our biggest month, and that went really well.”
Members of the Black Student Society at an event
She’s proud of the inclusive environment she helped create for current and future Black students, and she’s honoured by the lasting impact the society will have for the university.
“For Black students, especially international students, to have a source of family on campus is so important,” says Mogae. “To be able to create a home environment is quite special.”
She encourages everyone to continue to ask questions, learn about and support Black culture. She says the struggles Black students face are different, and not everyone might understand, but allowing people to feel heard and supported goes a long way.
As she writes the next chapter of her own post-university journey, Mogae hopes to start her own business, continue to learn in a World without limits and keep creating safe spaces for Black students to thrive.
Spring Convocation takes place May 17-19, 2023. Watch the ceremonies live at smu.ca/graduation or on our Facebook page.