May 15, 2025
Wilfrid Laurier University welcomed more than 200 Black students in grades five through eight from 45 elementary schools in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) during the second annual Black Brilliance conference in February.
The one-day event hosted at Laurier’s Waterloo campus provided participants with a glimpse of student life, campus community, academics and career pathways through workshops and breakout sessions led by Black faculty, staff, students and alumni at Laurier. Identity and wellness, careers in math and history, music, communication and storytelling were among sessions led by Laurier community members.
Due to popular demand and positive feedback, the number of breakout sessions offered this year doubled from last year. The number of schools participating in the conference also grew from 28 in 2024 to 45 in 2025.
“Partnering with the Waterloo Region District School Board to host the Black Brilliance conference allows us to reach Black youth and let them know they belong in higher education and they belong at Laurier,” says Karen Cyrus, assistant professor in the Faculty of Music and director of the Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa. “It is about representation and youth seeing themselves in higher education.”
Laurier faculty, staff and students supporting the Black Brilliance conference.
“Students attending from the WRDSB are growing into their identities,” said Teneile Warren, equity, diversity and inclusion coordinator with the Waterloo Region District School Board. “Being in educational space with others who share those identities helps our students see what’s possible for them and that they can chase their dreams.”
Laurier community members including President and Vice-Chancellor Deborah MacLatchy, Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Andrea Davis, and Communication and Events Strategist Mutoni Kabalisa (BA ’23) offered remarks during the conference.
Kabalisa, a graduate of Laurier’s Communications Studies program, shared highlights of her student experience and the community she found as a member of the Black Student Association at Laurier’s Waterloo campus.
“Getting involved with the Black Student Association was one of the most meaningful steps I took at Laurier,” said Kabalisa. “I met new people and got involved with campus projects that helped me stand out during co-op interviews. I found a community, leadership opportunities and the confidence to make an impact.”
Several Laurier departments supported the second annual Black Brilliance conference, including the Office of the Dean of Students; the Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; the Office of the President; the Office of the Associate Vice-President: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; the Faculty of Music; the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics; the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association; and Laurier’s Black Faculty and Staff Caucus.
"Events like this are incredibly important for Black students at this age,” said Davis. “I hope they’ve taken away that they’re special, they’re gifted, they’re talented, they’re brilliant and the world needs them."
