Research Assistants
Meet Them Below
Damone
A varsity athlete and an active member of the student community. Damone played for the Saint Mary’s Huskies Football Team until 2014, after which he continued his football pursuits. Playing in the Canadian football league for the Montreal Alouettes until he began a career in Survival Systems. Damone’s active participation in his community lead him to participate in many work shops such as Student Athlete Resiliency Workshops, Here4Peers, Cultural Safety Workshops, Workshops with Football NS, Halifax Grammar School, and SMU Huskies,Tai Chi and Qigong Workshops, Tai Chi and Qigong Workshops, Resilient Leadership Workshops with Steve Oliver. Damone was the first student to agree to participate in all Generation Z research studies, he has continued to be involved in the research since it started in 2013. Moving forth, Damone, plans to use lessons learned in these workshops to best enable him to instruct his Survival Systems and to allow himself to envision potential ends results coming into fruition.
Erin Smith
Introducing Erin Smith She is an alumna of Saint Mary's University, and has been accepted to Memorial University to study medicine. Erin spent 5 years playing on the women's volleyball team at SMU and learned the importance of leadership, the benefits of communication, and the incredible power that a group of determined individuals can generate when working together towards a common goal. She has been fortunate enough to work as a peer mentor through the Here for Peers/Open Doors for Open Minds programs at SMU. These experience has taught her a lot about what it means to be a leader, and are qualities that She hopes to bring along in her practice of medicine. Erin wants to Shape changes, promote patient care and empathy, and create innovation in our healthcare sector, this is why she leads
Nikolas
Nikolas graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Commerce and has since continued his studies at the Faculty of Law at McGill university, where he will be entering his third year in Fall 2020. While at Saint Mary’s University, Nikolas played varsity football but, due to an unexpected injury, he was forced to leave athletics early. For Nikolas, this was an opportunity to reinvent himself and rediscover the world he lives in. He went on to develop a student-athlete mentorship program through the Centre for the Study of Sport and Health at Saint Mary’s University, he interned with the Department of Microfinance at Uganda Martyr’s University where he helped micro-enterprises develop better business management skills, and he worked as a project coordinator for a Canadian NGO in India where he led the implementation of a five-year strategic plan. Despite relocating to Montreal to continue his studies, Nikolas quickly became active in his new community. Since beginning his studies at McGill, he has worked with youth in Montreal to provide information about the law generally, and to demystify the prospect of attending law school. He has also supported and represented students at McGill who come into conflict with the university. Evidently, Nikolas is deeply passionate about community-level engagement, but his experiences have led him to take a particular interest in international investment law. He is currently working as a research assistant and studying the impact of the introduction of the ‘new NAFTA’ on North American investors.
Why do I lead? Because learning is a never-ending reciprocal process between myself and everyone I encounter in this life.
Nyasha
graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2017.
Rebecca is currently completing her MSc. in Health Services Research and Public Health Policy at the University of Toronto, she focuses on research on healthcare interventions that addresses the social determinants of health. During Rebecca’s time at Saint Mary’s, She played 4 years of varsity hockey and had the opportunity to engage in and lead numerous student mental health advocacy initiatives within both the athletic and broader student population. Through these experiences, She developed and refined her leadership skills and built relationships within the community that inspired and guided her. Being involved in the Saint Mary’s community, Rebecca found passion for creating positive change, strength in vulnerability, and power in working, sharing, and learning with those around her.
Rebecca support this research because She believe in the importance of providing spaces that empower young leaders, supports, uplift and inspire inherent potential, and opportunities that transform individual experiences and knowledge into collective change.
Lukundo Nakazwe
HR Lead
Katie
Customer Support Lead
Morgan Wolfe
Morgan Wolfe, is a recent graduate with a Bachelor Commerce from Saint Mary’s University, majoring in HR Management/Industrial Relations and Marketing! Her experience at SMU has exposed her to many opportunities that allows her to explore her passions, while also expanding her interest in leadership. Morgan played three years of varsity athletics on the women’s rugby team while balancing her involvement in leadership, academics, and student culture. One of her humbling experience, was being a peer mentor in the Here for Peers/Open Doors, Open Minds program. She developed a sense of leadership, defining perspective, and working with mentees increased her interests in experiential learning and community engagement. One of her proudest projects to date, is her directorial dedication in co-establishing TEDxSaintMarysU. By co-leading through this initiative, She believe that this project has comprised her experience, passions, and can enhance the future of SMU.
Morgan leads because She believes that by being a supportive ally, she can help others raise their voices for what they believe in. Whether this platform allows for others to voice their passions, experiences, or advocacy, it is so important to give individuals a space to speak up. Morgan is very proud to be a part of the Generation Z team with regards to promotion, outreach, and logistics. Because of opportunities like this, and the ability of students to get involved, the future of leadership is very bright.
Mike Curtis
Tech Lead
Redempta Ishimwe
Redempta is an international student at Saint Mary’s University, born and raised in Rwanda. She is now completing her final year in accounting and global business management. Ever since she moved to Halifax in 2015. Redempta has fallen in love with this small and beautiful city. She has a wide range of working with international students, and newcomers in general. Her passion for making transition in the new community easier has led her to start International Student Approach, an organization that helps international graduates from Atlantic universities share their stories with newcomers in their first year. “I am backing this research because I am increasingly seeing Generation Z leaders moving into management and other decision making positions. For example, some of my friends who graduated a couple of years ago are already being promoted to senior accountant roles. I believe it is important for executives and employers to gain more understanding about this group, as they trust us with more duties. One thing is for sure we are bringing a lot to the table and creating new opportunities every chance we get.
Jeremy Williams
Product Manager
Dongsheng Li
An alumnus of Saint Mary's University (SMU) and a current Accounting and Information Systems Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dongsheng was the Sobey Accounting Society president, the valedictorian of the Class of 2015, an SMU Ten Thousand Cafe student mentor, and an SMU Alumni Council Member. Dongsheng worked on the cultural safety program for first-year students, during which he trained over 1,000 new SMU students to promote a smooth transition from high school to university. The public speaking and leadership skills he learned from his positions at SMU helped him work efficiently and effectively in the post-graduation positions, such as the most recently, a senior audit professional at the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. Dongsheng wants to contribute to reshaping the audit industry; this is why he leads.
Brandi Mills
My name is Brandi Mills and I am a recent graduate from MSVU with a Bachelor of Science; biology major with a certificate in the Nonprofit Leadership program. I am a part of the Alliance of Young Women Entrepreneurs, a mentor for first-year students (Mount 101 program) and I coach u17 and u15 girls basketball teams. Playing four years of university basketball allowed me to enhance my leadership abilities on and off the court. To me, leadership is being able to connect with others, realize what each person’s strengths are and bring people together to strive for something greater than themselves. I am backing this research because leadership abilities give people the courage they need to create positive change.
Barrinique Griffin
Barrinique Griffin is from the beautiful islands of the Bahamas and graduated from Saint Mary’s University as class Valedictorian with a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurship. While at university, Barrinique founded a Leadership Conference for first and second-year Saint Mary's students. Under her leadership the conference became profitable, and she’s proud to see it continue years later with other great student leaders.
Barrinique is the Entrepreneurship Program Coordinator at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Education and Development (CEED). In her role, she coordinates with schools and community stakeholders to provide hands-on workshops for youth on topics such as Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship and facilitates adult programming on Entrepreneurship. She volunteers with Adsum House and other organizations within the community. I am supporting this project because I am passionate about leadership and how we can lead more effectively. This research will add to the narrative of how we can effectively lead the next generation and work together as leaders for a better future.
Alfred Burgesson
Alfred Burgesson (he/him) immigrated from Ghana to Canada with his family to pursue a better quality of life at an early age. Alfred is an active leader in the Halifax community and is passionate about entrepreneurship, youth engagement, and employment. He is an alumni of Halifax Grammar School and Junior Achievement. Alfred is a community builder whose unique talents include convening leaders, and an ability to launch grassroots movements and coalitions while utilizing digital tools and platforms. He brings fresh perspectives, ideas and solutions to the needs of our ever-changing world. Alfred has experience advising local community groups, non-profit organizations, and government/crown corporations and he’s been an advisor to many leaders in Canada, including the Prime Minister, Senators, and First Nation Chiefs. Recently, Alfred supported the African Canadian Senate Group and the office of Senator Colin Deacon as project lead; gathering data and insights on Black Entrepreneurship in Canada. He was also a co-chair of Canada's first-ever State of the Youth Report. Alfred is the Founder and CEO of Tribe Network, a social enterprise that focuses on supporting Black, Indigenous and People of Colour. Tribe Network is developing programming (for youth, entrepreneurs and community leaders) and a digital community hub that allows members of the network to create a profile, connect with each other, service providers and ecosystem partners.
Brent Martindale
Brent graduated from Saint Mary’s University in 2019, He is currently completing a Master of Arts at Dalhousie University. Brent is a former men’s basketball player, he had played for both Dalhousie and Saint Mary’s University. He is passionate about promoting mental health and wellness for all, with a special focus on vulnerable groups including men and student athletes. At Saint Mary’s, Brent was involved with a strong group of leaders while working in the student athlete peer mentorship program “Open Doors for Open Minds”. He believes in the importance of creating open and honest communication in helping to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. Brent is currently researching the relationship between experiences of masculinity in men’s competitive university sport and athlete health and well-being and that is why he leads
Hannah Steinburg
My name is Hannah Stienburg, and I am a 2019 SMU Commerce Graduate. During my time at SMU, I saw an opportunity to get student athletes more involved in the community. I started Huskies' Move for Inclusion, a free sports program for kids with special needs. It's extremely important that when you have a platform to create change, you take the initiative to do so. I am backing this research, because I have been fortunate enough to be among great leaders in sport and see there is major impact in inspiring others to do great things in their own lives.
Katherine Brown
My name is Katherine Brown and I’m a graduate from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science; Health Promotion with a certificate in Disability Management. I am a program facilitator with Independent Living Nova Scotia’s Next Steps program. I’ve had the privilege of working with a wide variety of individuals, with a focus on marginalized groups. I’ve had varying roles and responsibilities in the workplace, but to me leadership is the most important.
Being a leader places you in a position for advocacy and requires a certain level of responsibility for your actions and those around you. Leaders are role models and shape the workplace culture. By adding my voice to this research I hope to reduce barriers in the workplace and increase accessibility to resources that promote the unique learning styles of generation Z
Chisha Mposha
Tech Lead
Laura Langille
My name is Laura Langille and I currently work as a Clinical Social Worker with the Department of Justice. I completed my Master of Social Work from Wilfred Laurier University in 2018 after graduating with my honours degree in Psychology from Saint Mary’s University in 2016. During my time as an undergraduate student, I was a member of the women’s varsity basketball team which led me to do a lot of work with supporting student athletes and their wellbeing. I am currently an assistant coach with the SMU basketball team, which provides me the opportunity to support these young women as leaders on both their team and in their community. I support this research because I believe it is important to lead by example and encourage positive leadership in our youth and young adults, with the hope that they will pass on positive leadership to future generations.
Andreas Robinson
Social Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of the Infinitus Brand (Infinitus Academy and Limitless Media) on a mission to Empower Youth, Individuals and Communities to Embrace Limitless Potential. With a focus on leveraging emotional and situational intelligence to infrastructure action; over the past 5 years Andreas and Infinitus have impacted and engaged 3800+ people, partnered with 30+ organizations and communities in Canada, Jamaica, Northern Ireland and the United States.
Ossama Narsharall
Ossama is a proud Lebanese, born in Kuwait, who arrived in Halifax in 2014. He is a proud Saint Mary’s University Alumni, and now calls Halifax his home. Nasrallah is the Co-owner of the The Harbour Watercraft, and former President & CEO of Saint Mary's University Students' Association. He has a passion for volunteering, and has spent four years volunteering for the Habitat for Humanity organization in Canada and the United States. He has also supported many local communities by raising funds and distributing free bundles of vegetables through the Square Roots program. Currently, he is working with ScotiaBank as a Small Business Advisor helping businesses grow and succeed. Nasrallah is also a board member for the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. In his spare time, he puts his love and passion towards his seasonal business to continue to grow and expand the services they offer. In 2020, Ossama Nasrallah was recognized as "One of the Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes” and also awarded with the "Future Prime Minister Award” from the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.
Mary Navas
My name is Mary Navas and I was born and raised in Honduras. I have been living in Halifax for almost five years now. Currently in my 5th year at SMU, and majoring in Marketing, but also have a passion for Entrepreneurship. I currently serve as the President for the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association, and served two years as the Vice President Student Affairs. I like to always be really involved across the Saint Mary’s and Halifax community. I am very driven and heavily involved in raising student concerns, and create the best possibly post-secondary experience for all students. Students face different barriers, and It is my job to fade those barriers. I am backing this research because everyone is a leader, and by supporting Generation Z to see and grow their leaders within, it will create a major impact in the workforce and the rest of the community. I want to be part of that.