Local students win essay contest

A petite and very feisty lady, 89 years young, stands behind the podium. Her shirt sparkles to rival her smile and the twinkle in her eye.

“This is such a good time to be who you are,” she exclaims to the crowd, the majority of who are high school students. “You can be anything you want to be…you can be anyone you want to be… how exciting!”

Wanda Robson, the youngest sister of the legendary Viola Desmond, has come to the Black Heritage Centre in Cherry Brook to congratulate and inspire the students, community members, teachers and clergy who have gathered to celebrate the RBC Black History Month Essay Contest winners. It would seem, however, that Robson herself is inspired by the intelligence and spirit of the young people assembled in the community centre.

In all, 25 high school students from across Canada were awarded scholarships from RBC for their essays on how black Canadians have helped to define our country’s diverse heritage and identity. There were a record number of entries from which three top winners were chosen – and two of the three are from Dartmouth’s own Auburn Drive High School.

Jillian Conrad, who focused on Shauntay Grant and the power of storytelling, was the $2,500 winner. Her inspiration for the essay is rooted in an experience she had in grade three, when Grant came to speak to her class. Conrad followed Grant’s work through the years and was particularly moved when she listened to Grant read a piece at a student leadership conference this past September.

“She was able to touch a huge audience with her words,” explains Conrad. “She talked of the extremely difficult subject of rape, yet her clarity and brave voice was incredibly moving. I wrote my essay to give back to her, to acknowledge her talent and ability to change people with words.”

Conrad plans to use her RBC Scholarship winnings towards a pre-med degree, with a minor in Political Science.

Jarvis Bernard, also from Auburn Drive High School, took the $1,500 prize. His essay spoke of strong black women who have inspired many throughout history, including his mother.

“When I heard about the essay contest I knew right away what my topic would be,” says Bernard. “There are amazing African women who have changed the face of Canada that people know about, but there are also many who are active and committed but are unknown.”

Bernard’s mother, Ngena Bernard, was an educator and poet who raised her son to realize the achievements and quite work of so many. Sadly Ms. Bernard passed away just a year ago, but has left a legacy of intelligence, pride and strength embodied by her son.

Bernard has plans to use his scholarship towards a degree in Psychology and Anthropology at Mount Saint Vincent University in the fall.

There were two other local scholarship winners as well — Brandi Medley from Auburn Drive and Cassidy Bradley from Halifax West each received $500 for their submissions.

The essay winners were selected by a panel of esteemed community leaders, including former Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia, the Hon. Mayann Francis.

“The research done by the students reveals the important contributions made by African Canadians to Canadian society,” says Francis, the first African Nova Scotian and the second woman to serve as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.

“They told the stories of these Canadians with great conviction and pride. Inspired by the role African Canadians played in shaping our shared history, the strength of each essay revealed hope and aspirations for their own future. It was a pleasure reading how these notable Canadians impacted Canada’s history and now the lives of these students.”

There were 25 winners of the RBC Black History Month Essay Contest across Canada in all, with two of the three top prizes and two others in the other category from this part of Nova Scotia — quite a testament to our high school students and to their limitless future.