C/O Yoohyun Park
Being so far away from McMaster can make you feel alone and disconnected
By: Bianca Perreault, Contributor
Along with COVID-19 came a million other things that made life that much more confusing. The stay-at-home lockdown, the safety protocols and a lot of self-learning were part of many people's journeys. To learn by yourself is already a challenge, but to figure out everything on your own hundreds of kilometres away was even harder. While university was online for all of us, I definitely didn’t feel as close to McMaster University as I felt I should have by my second year.
When a student is accepted to their first choice university program, you’d think that they would be immersed in feelings of accomplishment, of course and a sense of belonging. In the province of Quebec, the studying system is not the same as in Ontario. When one graduates from high school, they have two main options. They could either pursue a CEGEP program or a diploma of professional studies. People interested in getting into university must work hard on their grades while in CEGEP, whether it takes two years or more, your grades are the priority.
McMaster's requirement to get an offer to the faculty of humanities is a minimum 85% average.
As an out-of-province student who really wanted to get into this program, I had to work diligently over the past few years.
When you finally receive an offer from your dream school and are willing to make a huge change to your life (to the tune of living six hours away from your hometown), you go through many emotions. A new town, a new life, new people and a significant adaptation overall. Until, COVID takes that away from you and you find yourself studying at home. I can only imagine what international students have had to deal with since the beginning of the pandemic.
As exciting as it was to begin university in person this year, there were still pros to our online semesters. An optimistic person can find the positive through almost everything; learning in your pyjamas in the middle of winter was welcomed. The real problem was the feeling of not belonging to the university while studying in a completely different province.
Before getting into McMaster, my priorities were to work on my English, explore my field of study and to grow as an individual in a new town.
However, after being distanced from not only classes but potential friends, I was now distanced from the culture of Hamilton as well.
University is a lot of self-work already; students need to be diligent, aware of their schedule and now, we need to be a lot more patient. Softwares would crash, the temperature in Hamilton affected the Wi-Fi of some instructors, classes were delayed, people were working at the same time as their class or had problems understanding the concepts taught in online classes.
I wondered more than once how long I could have studied that way and I asked myself if it was fair for me to pay the same tuition fees as if I was in class. Even today, I still have some classes online, but at least I get to go on campus sometimes.
Once I moved to Hamilton, it was an unknown city. While I am getting adjusted to the city, it’s still difficult for me to feel like I fully belong. Trying to discover a whole new city while figuring out hybrid university and adapting to every health protocol quite honestly makes me dizzy. All I can do for now is try to get my perspective out there and connect with each one of you that’s feeling the exact same thing.
C/O Rosie Merante
The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.
Rosie Merante: I'm Rosie Merante. I'm doing nursing at McMaster [University] and it's just the basic Bachelor of Science for your RN [Registered Nurse certificate]. I've had placement every semester, except for one that got pushed to the summer because of [the COVID-19 pandemic]. But I've been in placement for the full three years. . . First year I was in long-term care, second year I was at Joseph Brant [Hospital] in Burlington and I was in the orthopedic surgical unit. Then I had Idlewyld Manor for long-term care. I was in the secure unit there, so it was kind of the [more agitated patients] with dementia or Alzheimer's. Now I'm [in] mental health and forensics.
What do you do [in that placement]?
I just started last week . . .but I got a really good grasp because I was there for 14 hours. Those are the shifts once a week. It's not as much physical head to toe assessment that I would have [done] last year because it's more focused on mental health and these patients have been there for a long time, years even. . .But the majority of it is vitals, doing rounds. It's high security. We have to watch them since they're all coming right from the court system and they weren't deemed fit to stand trial due to their mental illness. It's mostly just that and then most of the assessments we do are mental status examinations and things along [those lines]. We're making sure that they're not going to be a danger to themselves or others and that they're taking their meds and everything's okay.
Do you know how it would have been different if it weren't for COVID-19?
I think now that the regulations are lifting, I'm already noticing some differences from my past placements. We no longer have to wear face shields or get tested every other shift. One thing that I noticed is relationships with people. Obviously, with the pandemic, people are still always going to be paranoid about getting close together and having visitors. So the visiting policy is way restricted right now. They allow one visitor per day for each patient but it's still a big difference from what it was before. I think that's such an issue, especially for mental health. I feel they should lessen the restrictions or increase the amount of visitors allowed because these people are already going through so much, and even if a lot of them don't have family or friends, the ones that do and can receive that support. I feel it would be as beneficial as medical treatment if they could actually see people they love and care about. A lot of them are depressed too because they can't really go out as much and do things that they used to. And they're confined [and] they get privileges to go out, to go around the hospital, to go outside to do things if they're on good behaviour. There's obviously a lot of precautions we have to take but they're allowed to leave. And now, with [COVID-19], that's reduced a lot. A lot of them just end up at the front desk and they're like "Do I have my privileges? Yeah? Look, I want to leave. I'm so bored." That's also kind of what I noticed. At least in the mental health aspect, I think the biggest impact is on the visitor policy . . .At the long-term care homes, I was at three of them, I noticed a big shift with [COVID-19] because of the visitors, privileges to go outside, and for even people from outside to come in and do activities with them, as well as just the residents being close around each other, it's not as good as it used to be. There's a lot less socializing and togetherness, there's a lot more confusion because they don't necessarily understand what's going on and that actually increases some of their behavioural symptoms. They can be very agitated because they don't fully understand why they need to wear a mask, why they need to stay inside, why certain people can't come in [or] why their family stopped visiting. It's hard for them to grasp these concepts on top of the memory loss. That's also what I noticed at some long-term care placements. I'm seeing, just observationally, what seems to be a higher incidence of depression in the elderly.
Is there anything that you're really looking forward to in your current placement?
I'm really looking forward to getting to know [the patients]. The patients aren't in and out, they've been there, so knowing their stories, knowing them more personally, so I can help care for them better.
Do you have any big takeaways from your experiences in your program or your placements?
I don't know, there's so many of them. One of them is to treat the patient or think of them, not in an unprofessional way, as someone from your family or as a friend. Be empathetic. Remember that they're not just a patient. They're a person with dignity and they're your client. It could be your mother, your grandmother. You need to treat them with respect and dignity. I know that the culture of long-term care homes, at least, is very poor quality care. They [the patients] need so many more RNs and [personal support workers] so that they can be more valued and treated with more dignity and respect.
C/O Travis Nguyen
How McMaster’s first-year students attended a welcome week amid a global pandemic
Welcome Week is a week dedicated to incoming freshmen, allowing them to participate in activities that encourage forming connections with their classmates. Though it is such a well known event amongst university students, only one year of students can attest to attending such an event in the midst of a global pandemic.
The freshman entering McMaster University in the year of 2021 have found themselves trying to adjust to university life in the midst of the pandemic. Despite the pandemic, they began their year with a welcome week with socially distancing guidelines.
“Daily screening: all attendees must complete the COVID-19 provincial self-assessment within one hour of their intended arrival on campus. Participants will be asked about the completion of screening upon arrival at the event,” stated the Student Success Centre on their COVID-19 guidelines for on-campus events.
On the Welcome Week website, seven distinct guidelines were set out to align with the City of Hamilton guidelines. This included having only 100 people at each outdoor event, including those hosting the events. Alongside this, students were required to wear masks at events where social distancing was difficult to maintain.
During the week of Sept. 1 to 8, 2021, first-years gathered all over the McMaster campus to meet their peers. The week followed a hybrid format, mixed with online and in-person components. Students were able to schedule their ideal welcome week schedule with the McMaster Welcome Week website.
“Coming out of a year of fully online school basically, Grade 12, it was just really nice to walk outside and see people, just interact with other people. Being in the center of this more social environment after so much isolation,” said Nazifa Tasnim, a first-year engineering student.
This hybrid approach was appreciated by students as it allowed them an opportunity to meet classmates. Tasnim was open to admitting that virtual aspects of the events were often a little harder when it came down to meeting new people.
“There were virtual events that I signed up for but more or less it was only fun sometimes because I would have my friends, who also lived in my residency building, in the room with me doing the games. In terms of meeting new people, the virtual events were really hard when it came down to knowing anyone. The physical interactions were better in terms of getting to know someone for the first time. At least that’s what I think a lot of people feel. Definitely how I feel,” said Tasnim.
All of these events were run by upper-year undergraduate students. The large majority chose to volunteer their first weeks of university to help guide their younger classmates. To prepare these upper-year students for their roles, they had mandatory training and this year, training was marginally different as they had to factor in COVID-19.
“We had a COVD-19 awareness training that was done via Avenue to Learn. We also had an in-person training that also went over COVID guidelines and all the social distancing rules. I found that they were relatively efficient because during the event all the guidelines were enforced,” said Angelina Zhang, a second-year science representative
Despite being older than the first-years, many were second-years, students who had also been new to the physical campus. Zhang shared how her online experience impacted her role as a Sciclone.
“As a second-year representative, during Welcome Week 2021, while not having any in-person events for my first year I feel really rewarded doing this. Because I am helping the first years this year to have a better Welcome Week experience than I did last year,” said Zhang.
Different faculties had a wide variety of events. When speaking with an arts and science representative, they talked about how they adapted to Welcome Week amid COVID-19.
“In terms of the planning specifically, all the faculties got together once a week for two hours with other administrative people throughout the whole summer to go through training, plan the events and get the student input side of things. For us specifically, it was two to three hours every week and we worked together to bounce ideas off each other,” said Nicole Rob, co-planner for arts & science Welcome Week events.
Rob proceeded to explain how COVID-19 guidelines affected each faculty differently.
“Every faculty is different because we have different numbers of students. For example, Arts & Science, as well as [the] Indigenous Studies Program, are the two faculties that have the least amount of students.
[The arts & sciences Program] has an incoming cohort this year of 68 students. Whereas there are faculties like Science that have 1,700 coming in this year. So what we can do and what type of events we did plan looks a little different for each faculty because of those numbers,” said Rob.
First-year students were allowed the opportunity to reside in the residence buildings found all over campus. This allowed for events that pertained to helping them meet and bond with their roommates.
“I live in [residence]. I do think it helped improve my Welcome Week experience mostly because there were a lot of [residence-specific] Welcome Week events. In those groupings, I got to meet people who also lived in my building or surrounding buildings, which meant that there were more people that I would get to see often, and would already know their names,” said Tasnim.
As one of the many planners of this week-long event, Rob shared what her favourite part of Welcome Week was.
“I think just seeing all of it come together was really cool. With COVID right now everything is fairly uncertain and it is hard to even envision an in-person event at this point because it has been so long since we’ve seen big gatherings of people. It was nice to be able to give the first-years that experience, as someone who had a fully online Welcome Week. As a second-year it was cool to see the first-years be able to enjoy a bit of the in-person experience,” she said.
Overall, Welcome Week was one that was truly historic. Despite the stresses and inconveniences brought about by COVID-19, Welcome Week this year was a huge success and an appreciated welcome for the incoming class.
In a year of COVID-19 restrictions, student-athletes have found new ways to improve their game during the pandemic
C/O Esra Rakab
In a year where McMaster University sports seasons had to be cancelled and training has become increasingly difficult due to social-distancing restrictions, teams and athletes have had to find new ways to keep improving. Not only are these athletes missing out on the most critical method of improvement — the cancelled games in which they regularly play — but practices have also looked extremely different throughout the school year.
Some teams opted to train via virtual practices, gathering on Zoom to work out together and run drills individually. Others have opted to continue hosting regular in-person practices, simply adhering to the provincial restrictions. That being said, the majority of teams have created a variety of in-between scenarios in their best attempts to keep their athletes on the right track to improvement.
Tyler Pavelic, a middle on the McMaster men’s volleyball team, discussed the differences and difficulties of the in-person practices the team has held this year.
“Training in the pandemic has been pretty tough, especially considering we have to wear masks during the whole practice . . . With the guidelines here in Hamilton, we are only allowed 10 guys at a time, so for a sport like volleyball where you need six-on-six to play, we can’t really do much,” said Pavelic.
"With the guidelines here in Hamilton, we are only allowed 10 guys at a time, so for a sport like volleyball where you need six-on-six to play, we can’t really do much.”
Tyler Pavelic
Practice might be much difficult in the pandemic, but for Pavelic, it’s the missed gameplay that was the biggest punch to the gut.
“[On] gamedays, it’s a great feeling with a lot of fans, loud music . . . It’s just a great experience in every game that everyone looks forward to during the week,” said Pavelic. When asked what he missed most about pre-pandemic sports, the answer was simple: “Just games, games were awesome,” said Pavelic.
Julian Tymochko, a member of Mac's men's baseball team, is another Marauder who spoke about the hardships the pandemic has caused on his team.
“It’s been tough — we haven’t really been able to get any official practices going. The best we could do was have about 10 guys get out, throw a little bit of live batting practice, and get some ground ball work in and all of that. That was during the summer mostly, we really haven’t done much since then,” said Tymochko.
“It’s been tough — we haven’t really been able to get any official practices going. The best we could do was have about 10 guys get out, throw a little bit of live batting practice, and get some ground ball work in and all of that.”
Julian Tymochko
With practices limited, and limitations surrounding indoor practices, Tymochko has found himself improving within the mental/strategy-based aspects of his game from his own home, something many athletes have turned to this past season.
“Something that I’ve been really excited about recently is that college baseball in the states has started up . . . Typically I’ll start my morning watching two or three highlights from the games, like a Vanderbilt-Arkansas game or something like that,” said Tymochko.
Tymochko enjoys watching his American counterparts to analyze how they play the game. He considers each and every move to help improve the way he goes into each game.
“I’m watching those highlights and seeing those pitchers from our age group in North America, how they’re going about their in-game play. Just looking at how they’re playing, considering that they’re the top of the game, they’re the top competition for our age group,” explained Tymochko.
Tymochko, the 2019-2020 Canadian Baseball Guru Cy Young winner, awarded to the league’s best pitcher, has been working extra hard over the offseason, as McMaster Baseball isn’t all he has been training for.
After his Cy Young-winning season, the fifth-year athlete was signed by the Fort McMurray Giants of the Western Canadian Baseball League.
“During the pandemic it was so hard to get a training routine and a good regimen, so I reached out to a trainer via Zoom. For a while I was doing twice a week training sessions with him on Zoom, just getting a good workout,” said Tymochko.
The primary goal Tymochko was going for was finding ways to workout without the typical training equipment offered by McMaster.
“He knew workouts with minimal amounts of equipment that still made me feel a lot stronger, smoother and way more mobile, and I would say that’s what I worked on the most this offseason,” said Tymochko.
The workload Tymochko has undergone similarly resembles what many McMaster athletes have found themselves striving for during the pandemic. With many struggling to find the resources they would’ve had at McMaster, and the limited and potentially cancelled practices, they’ve had to find ways to keep pushing through.
Whether it’s working with a trainer, finding new training methods at home or doing their best to train with their teams despite the restrictions, these student-athletes have found ways to keep getting better, and they’re undoubtedly looking forward to showcasing these new improvements next season.
Online school is beneficial during a time of uncertainty
Graphic by Esra Rakab / Production Coordinator
By: Ardena Bašić, Contributor
With the COVID-19 crisis, most schools worldwide have had to revert to online learning for sustained periods of time. For postsecondary institutions specifically, this means lectures have been conducted via Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Webex. Proctoring software such as Respondus has been used for exams and there have been significant changes to how and what kind of content is delivered.
All things considered, many individuals have chosen to halt their education until things are back to normal. However, considering that the duration of this pandemic is still unknown, this is likely doing more harm than good.
When you take school out of your schedule, particularly given this situation where we’re in a pandemic, there are not many other activities to fill it. A lot of work is now done remotely and other jobs that are still in-person maintain some risk of catching the virus.
Otherwise, leisure activities like going to the gym, movie theatre or even restaurants with friends neither fill one’s day nor are constantly available in this turbulent environment. Keeping school in the mix can at least contribute to some form of routine, which can be invaluable in such arduous times.
Keeping school in the mix can at least contribute to some form of routine, which can be invaluable in such arduous times.
Moreover, learning, in general, carries a multitude of benefits — COVID or not. At McMaster University specifically, professors are still managing to deliver their course content in engaging and clear ways. Yes, there can be some Zoom fatigue, but instructors are highly aware of that and do their best to accommodate for that during class time, such as providing breaks in class for students. Many instructors have also been more lenient with different forms of testing and applying content, meaning that there are more — albeit different — ways to prove that you are learning.
With online school specifically, no matter whether you like it or not, you will still obtain an abundance of new, useful skills. Organization, for one, can be more difficult for some when navigating through multiple different platforms for classes.
However, this forces you to challenge your previous systems and find new, potentially better ways to stay on track. Furthermore, tech is the future: getting better acquainted with spending a major part of your life on it is good preparation for whatever the future may hold.
Lastly, pandemic life is tough. There are rarely any constants that you can rely on and it seems like every day brings a new challenge to overcome. Yet, by committing to your education during such a difficult time, you are investing in your future self and showing you and those around you just how resilient and strong you can be. If anything, take pride in what you have been able to accomplish during these unprecedented times and look back when you need a reminder of your abilities.
Yet, by committing to your education during such a difficult time, you are investing in your future self and showing you and those around you just how resilient and strong you can be.
With everything that’s been said, there are good reasons for gap years. If you are struggling and you know that your mental health would benefit from the time off, don’t be afraid to do so. Ultimately, as it is often said, filling our own cup is just as important as pouring from it. You know what is best for you.
However, if you are considering taking a year off solely because school is online, take some time to reconsider that idea. Overall, deeply considering your reasons for taking some time off your education can help you make the best decision for your future.
Relay For Life at Mac to hold virtual events due to provincial COVID guidelines
C/O McMaster Relay for Life
On March 27, 2021, McMaster’s annual Relay for Life event will run to help fundraise for the battle against cancer. The event will look very different from past years, but going virtual hasn’t discouraged the volunteers in their efforts to host yet another successful event.
On March 27, 2021, McMaster’s annual Relay for Life event will run to help fundraise for the battle against cancer. The event will look very different from past years, but going virtual hasn’t discouraged the volunteers in their efforts to host yet another successful event.
During the 2019-2020 school year, Relay for Life managed to raise well over $100,000 in donations. In 2021, the bar has been set to match the previous goal of $100,000. As of publication, the goal has already been 13 per cent fulfilled despite the events having not yet started.
In a typical school year, students can expect to find a one-day event at the David Braley Athletic Centre gyms where Relay for Life hosts athletics competitions, a luminaire event and other awareness/fundraising activities. This year, Relay will have a week full of activities leading up to their event day, which will still include several festivities such as escape rooms, guest speakers and more.
“We have some mystery speakers that still have yet to be announced, but one of the ones that we have revealed is Bruce Buffer from the UFC,” said Diana Aviles, one of the event coordinators.
“We have some mystery speakers that still have yet to be announced, but one of the ones that we have revealed is Bruce Buffer from the UFC.”
Diana Aviles
Another annual event that many look forward to is the luminary ceremony. Aviles spoke highly about this event, referring to it as one of her favourite moments.
“The [luminary] event is a moment of unity, reflection and silence that goes on during the event . . . Every participant that comes to the event gets a baggie and it’s where you write why you relay. It’s an opportunity to honour loved ones, or really just share why you are taking part in the event and why it means something to you. Then you put a little candle in it and it lights it up. Usually, they’re put around the gym and you walk around while everyone commemorates everyone else's loved ones. That is still happening this year,” said Aviles.
In 2021, the luminary ceremony will shape up differently than in past years, but it is still set to continue. This year instead of providing candles and bags, Relay for Life is recommending a piece of paper and a flashlight, which can offer a similar effect.
“You can put your flashlight up to it and still hold that meaningful moment of silence and the heartfelt part of the event. That’s tradition for the [Relay for Life], so it’s important that it comes back year after year,” said Aviles.
Cancer affects the lives of many, both directly and indirectly. Holding a moment of silence to commemorate those who have passed on has become a major event at the core of Relay for Life.
Cancer affects the lives of many, both directly and indirectly. Holding a moment of silence to commemorate those who have passed on has become a major event at the core of Relay for Life.
Each year, many volunteers and participants come out to join the event in their attempt to help battle cancer. However, due to the pandemic, many have fallen on financial hardships and donating can become a difficult task for many. Fortunately, Mahnoor Akram, another event coordinator, spoke about the ways people can contribute without the need for monetary donations.
“We have volunteering opportunities that you can participate in . . . Volunteers basically help us and ensure that events are going to run properly on the day of. They work with our volunteer coordinator and test out the virtual events that our event coordinators have set up. That’s one opportunity to get involved. Another thing they can do is just advocacy — so reporting our stuff on their stories, or coming to our events or helping gain more awareness on cancer initiatives,” said Akram.
One awareness event currently in motion mentioned by Akram was Colour of the Month. Different types of cancer are associated with different colours and each month contributors wear the colour of a given type of cancer and post pictures of themselves to aid in raising awareness. In March, burgundy should be worn, representing multiple myeloma.
“Advocacy is really difficult right now, especially online and it can be hard to get the word out sometimes . . . Hopefully one day we won’t have to relay for a cure because we are celebrating that we found a cure. I’m really hoping for that day to happen really soon so we can hopefully beat cancer together,” said Akram.
“Advocacy is really difficult right now, especially online and it can be hard to get the word out sometimes . . . Hopefully one day we won’t have to relay for a cure because we are celebrating that we found a cure. I’m really hoping for that day to happen really soon so we can hopefully beat cancer together.”
Mahnoor Akram
A cure for cancer might still be a long way away, but it will never end if the relay never starts.
For more details, visit the McMaster Relay For Life website.
Addressing student concerns to reinstate grade change option from Winter 2020
C/O Engin Akyurt
As we head into the last half of the 2021 winter semester, McMaster University students are beginning to call for an option to make this semester’s grades on a pass/fail basis. One such student is Rozhan Estaki, a second-year sociology student minoring in mental health and addictions.
Estaki started a petition on March 1 to have McMaster bring back the pass/fail option for winter 2021. This option was given in winter 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt and complete shift from in-person to online learning.
Estaki started a petition on March 1 to have McMaster bring back the pass/fail option for winter 2021. This option was given in winter 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an abrupt and complete shift from in-person to online learning.
“We got the opportunity last year to take the pass or fail option,” explained Estaki. “Although the situation is not as new [as winter 2020], it doesn't mean that online learning has gotten any easier.”
“Although the situation is not as new [as winter 2020], it doesn't mean that online learning has gotten any easier.”
Rozhan Estaki
She started the petition after talking to many of her friends and peers, who were all still struggling with online classes, especially this semester.
“It seems [like] we're covering [more in] what feels like a less amount of time,” emphasized Estaki.
As of March 7, the petition has 171 signatures, a number that has continued to grow each day.
Estaki expressed surprise over the amount of signatures. “I didn't think it would have such a positive turnover,” said Estaki.
In terms of the petition’s impact, Estaki hoped that it is something that will allow for professors and students to come to a common ground of understanding.
“It would be [important] to have Mac recognize that we as students are trying so hard. We appreciate the efforts that McMaster [and their] staff are putting in, but it just might feel like too much for some of us, [especially in terms of] mental health . . . we want people to see that, to recognize that, and to be comfortable with what we're producing,” said Estaki.
To evaluate the online learning environment, McMaster launched a virtual learning task force in fall 2020. The task force consisted of over 30 faculty, staff and students that collected feedback from the McMaster community about the virtual learning experience. This included the MacPherson Institute’s Fall 2020 Experience Survey in October that got over 3,000 responses from students and instructors.
The final report, released in November 2020, provided 21 recommendations for the university for winter 2021, especially highlighting the need for stronger mental health and support for well-being.
Estaki hoped that the petition will be an opportunity to raise awareness on student concerns and at the very least, start a conversation among McMaster faculty and administration about the pass/fail option.
“Mac is working hard towards inclusivity and especially in recognizing students with mental health concerns. I just think there's always room for improvement, and this is one of those things that should at least be considered,” said Estaki.
“Mac is working hard towards inclusivity and especially in recognizing students with mental health concerns. I just think there's always room for improvement, and this is one of those things that should at least be considered.”
Rozhan Estaki
Jasmine Ellis spreads positivity, creativity and light through her homemade accessories brand
C/O Wildflower Supply Co.
If you are a Disney fan, you may be familiar with the quote, “Do you suppose she’s a wildflower?” from Alice in Wonderland. Underneath the pretty, soft appearance, these flowers have a bold and unique character, growing brazenly and unapologetically almost everywhere in nature.
The resilience, beauty and fortitude that wildflowers represent inspired Jasmine Ellis to start Wildflower Supply Co., a handmade custom accessories brand.
Ellis is a McMaster alumna and previous Social Media Coordinator during Volume 87 of the Silhouette. She developed an interest in jewelry making while creating friendship bracelets for her and her friends.
In the spring of 2020, she wanted to pursue jewelry making more seriously by launching Wildflower Supply Co. on Instagram. The first pieces she sold were bracelets with her favourite quotes and custom messages.
Over the past year, she has slowly grown the brand with more custom orders and the addition of different types of bracelets, mask chains and collaboration projects with local poets and businesses.
Ellis credits the rapid success of her business to when she sold Black Lives Matter bracelets in June.
“At the time, I was just screaming into the void, it felt like, on Instagram in support of the Black Lives Matter movement . . . I know that speaking about it on social media is really important, but [I thought,] “How can I tangibly do something that feels important?”,” said Ellis.
In an effort to make meaningful, real contributions to the Black Lives Matter movement, Ellis ran a week-long fundraiser selling her Black Lives Matter bracelets. She received overwhelming support and sold over a hundred bracelets.
At the end of the week, she raised $1,870 which was donated to the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association of Hamilton and Gianna Floyd Fund.
The idea of sharing quotes through jewelry came from her and her mom’s longtime love of warm and inspirational messages, which are displayed throughout her house. It was also prompted by her first collaboration with poet Rebecca Leighton. Leighton’s lovely words were stamped on a gold cuff.
Ellis’ most recent collaboration was with Oksana Legault, the owner of 30 Wolves Designs, an online jewelry shop for handmade contemporary Indigenousbeadwork earrings. They picked their favourite lines from Indigenous poets to stamp on Ellis’ bracelets and sold them in a bundle with a pair of beautifully beaded earrings by Legault.
“[Collaboration launches] are probably the most intimidating and simultaneously the most fun projects that I’ve worked on for Wildflower . . ."
"[Those projects] make me push myself in ways that I wouldn't have otherwise thought to do, and it’s so fun to hear the creative process of the people that I work with, their stories and the reasons why they opened their business and continue doing what they're doing,” explained Ellis.
Ellis enjoys supporting and working with people who have important messages to share, and these messages are an important aspect of how she decides who to collaborate with.
Running Wildflower Supply Co. not only fulfills Ellis’ artistic endeavours, but it has also served as a coping mechanism during the current pandemic. As much as the pandemic has negatively impacted aspects of her life, she believes the brand wouldn’t have existed without it. Her jewelry brand is the real-life portrayal of a wildflower that has bloomed despite the harsh conditions, restraints and challenges.
The response to her accessory brand has all been kind and positive. Interacting with her customers for custom orders is one of her favourite parts of running the business, and she is still blown away by the amount of support she has received since the launch.
“The support from the community is the only reason why Wildflower has a following at all . . . It's the supporters that keep inspiring me to create new things, and they keep giving me new ideas and pushing me beyond my creative boundaries."
"I think it comes from them being themselves, so I encourage people to keep just being the most unapologetic best version of themselves because whenever they do that, in collaboration with me, everything new that I create is my favourite thing that I've created, and that comes from them,” said Ellis.
In the coming months, Ellis will also wrap up her master of teaching at the University of Toronto, and she hopes to begin supply teaching. However, she promises that Wildflower Supply Co. will remain an important community and a priority for her.
New cross-university initiative helping students connect during the pandemic and beyond
C/O Campus Knct
Creating and supporting community connections has been top of mind for many this year, but it’s important to remember that for university students this isn’t a new concern.
Even prior to the pandemic, many students found it difficult to make connections and form a community at university and often in a new city. Initially created in a response to this concern, the cross-university initiative Campus Kcnt has only become increasingly relevant and welcome since the pandemic.
“It all started in Switzerland in September as all four of my fellow co-founders study there . . . We wanted to build an app that solves the problem. Building an app takes a long time, so decided to find ways to foster more tight-knit communities at university from the get-go,” explained George Batra, one of the founders of Campus Knct.
As they developed the app, Batra and his co-founders launched the Knct podcast series where they interviewed other students to highlight the passions and personalities of their communities.
Furthermore, in the months since they first conceived the idea Knct has grown exponentially and now has representatives at numerous universities around the world, including McMaster University.
Campus Knct at McMaster kicked off with a special New Year’s campaign encouraging students with the resolutions to connect with others to sign up. This campaign was part of the lead-up to the launch of the Knct desktop app at the beginning of February.
Through the app, students are able to join spheres based on their interests, hobbies and program of studies. These spheres help connect students and allow for conversation and activity.
“[Campus Knct at McMaster] is a community-minded organization that works to help students but also to help anyone looking for meaningful connections and pursuing any of their passions,” said Safwan Sarker, one of the student representatives at McMaster.
The Knct app attempts to mimic the kind of spontaneous interactions more typical of in-person interactions on campus than of the virtual environment, such as meeting someone in a lecture hall or at a campus event.
One of the benefits of the Knct app is that everything for each sphere is all in one place. Most campus clubs and organizations have clubs with an online presence on at least one, if not multiple social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram among others.
But this can be overwhelming and difficult to manage for students, as they may need to maintain multiple accounts for each group they may be a part of.
“The whole point of Knct is to just put all those clubs all in one accessible place,” explained Sarker.
Additionally, a lot of community building in the pandemic relies on students taking a proactive approach and seeking out community themselves, but it can be difficult to know where to start, especially for first-year students. Having everything in one place, the app also makes seeking out a community a bit easier.
Ultimately the goal of Knct is to help students find a community, whatever that may look like for them.
“I think it depends on person to person, right? Because I feel like what [Knct] is tailored to is having the user choose their own experiences . . . Someone might be looking to make new friends, especially first-years who haven’t gotten a chance to actually go on campus, have [an event] like Welcome Week. And so they might try to get involved with first-year chats,” said Sarker.
These are still very early days for Campus Knct at McMaster, but so far hundreds of students have signed up and more continue to do so.
Moving forward, Sarker anticipates that the app, which is still in its beta phase, will continue to evolve, especially as more students join Knct. Knct is also planning to develop a mobile version of their app in the coming months.
Additionally, looking to the eventual return to campus, Sarker expects that Knct will continue to grow and look for ways to continue helping students connect, whatever the circumstances.
Sarker also encourages students to reach out if they’re interested in getting involved with Knct. He spoke animatedly about his own experiences with Knct and the opportunities it has offered him to give back not only to the McMaster community but with other students beyond McMaster as well.
New initiative by Spectrum and YWCA Hamilton helps newcomers connect with the community
C/O Calum Lewis
There is something incredibly special about cooking with someone. Many of us have happy memories associated with a certain kitchen or certain meals. For newcomers, cooking can not only be a way to stay connected to culture and something familiar in a foreign place, but it can also be the foundation for building a new community.
While building community in a new place is never easy, the pandemic has made it much harder. Noura Afify, the 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomer youth support worker at Speqtrum and YWCA Hamilton, has created an innovative solution in the form of her Food Talks series. Her goal is to help foster a sense of community for newcomers in these difficult days.
Prior to the lockdown, Afify had hoped to organize food tours to showcase businesses that carry important ingredients that many mainstream grocery stores may not and to help newcomers get oriented to Hamilton.
In its place, she has developed a wholesome series featuring conversations between herself and community members about their relationship to food.
“[Food Talks] is a space for us to talk about what food means to us as people — the emotions, the feelings, the memories, the ways that food connects us to those things and connects us to our cultures and to diasporic identities and stuff like that. But also, on the other hand, talking about how food can and has always been used to build community,” explained Afify.
“[Food Talks] is a space for us to talk about what food means to us as people — the emotions, the feelings, the memories, the ways that food connects us to those things and connects us to our cultures and to diasporic identities and stuff like that. But also, on the other hand, talking about how food can and has always been used to build community,” explained Afify.
The episodes serve as a way to introduce newcomers to members of the community and are also connected to the virtual community kitchen, Mother Tongue.
Food Talks is catered towards elders and youth. The episodes of the series are posted on both Instagram and Facebook, which Afify hopes will allow both demographics to engage with it.
So far, the series has been received warmly by both the viewers and the interviewees.
“It's been really sweet. We've been having folks leave really sweet comments. And folks who did partake in the interview said they really enjoyed it and almost everybody wanted to come and co-facilitate a community kitchen with us. It was really lovely to see that because that is my goal, to have them meet newcomers in person or virtually, so that means a lot to me. And I'm sure it will mean a lot to the newcomers to be able to make those nice affirming connections and create support systems,” said Afify.
It's very important to Afify that Food Talks fosters a sense of community for 2SLGBTQIA+ newcomers, showing them that there is a space for them in Hamilton. She hopes Food Talks will help ease some of the worries newcomers have about finding connection and community in a new place during these times.
Afify also recognizes the importance of making long-term connections, especially for newcomer students. She hopes that Food Talks will give them an opportunity to create these kinds of connections with the larger Hamilton community.
“When I was a student, I was fairly isolated and it was hard getting support only from other students because exams and everybody was so busy all the time. Whereas if you want to connect with an elder in the queer and trans community that's off-campus, they will make time for you. So you're also building connections that are going to support you for the rest of your life. You are meeting mentors, you are learning from people. Most of my learning happened from people, not from classrooms,” explained Afify.
As of publication, only two episodes of Food Talks have been released but more are in the works. Going forward, Afify also hopes to film episodes in languages other than English to help overcome any language barriers.
“This whole project is to give a warm, virtual, community hug to newcomers who are super isolated right now and are really, really struggling. It's one thing to be a newcomer, it's another thing to be a newcomer has to go through all the struggles and barriers in the middle of COVID,” said Afify.
