Laurier student Arrianna Carello weaves community and culture into 2025 orange shirt design marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Sept. 19, 2025

Sept. 30 is an important day of reflection for the Wilfrid Laurier University community as the institution marks National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Wearing an “Every Child Matters” orange shirt is a symbolic gesture to acknowledge the truths of Canada’s past and commemorate those harmed by the residential school system.  

Each year, a member of Laurier’s Indigenous community designs an orange shirt, which is made available for sale. Community members can wear the shirt on Sept. 30 to encourage reflection on reconciliation and decolonization.   

Laurier’s orange shirt for 2025 is designed by student Arrianna Carello, who was born in Timmins and is Anishinaabe/Ojibwe from Henvey Inlet First Nation. A third-year Psychology (BA) student and president of the Indigenous Student Association, Carello was approached by Maggie Allan, campus and community engagement coordinator in Laurier’s Office of Indigenous Initiatives, to design the shirt. Allan was the designer of last year’s orange shirt.  

“I thought about all the things that I’ve learned and experienced since coming to Laurier and decided that I really wanted to represent community,” says Carello. “I’ve built a solid community here and I really never experienced that before.”   

Carello’s shirt depicts a circle of braided sweetgrass, representative of the Indigenous sovereignty garden on Laurier’s Northdale campus, and two hands reaching out toward each other, which represent Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations. In the background is the Grand River, which flows through Waterloo, Brantford and Six Nations. The shirt also features Ojibwe floral designs, referencing Carello’s home community.  

“We’re on this land to live, coexist and support each other,” says Carello. “I wanted to encapsulate these things because they’re important aspects of life and community.”  

Carello’s shirt is available for purchase at the Hawk Shop, with proceeds going to the Woodland Cultural Centre’s Indigenous Preservation Museum.   

Learn about Laurier’s commitment to Indigeneity. Read the university’s Indigenous Strategic Plan.