The fifth cohort of McCall MacBain scholars includes eight new scholars who will be pursuing graduate studies within the Faculty of Arts this upcoming Fall 2025.聽
Scholarship recipients Ayeyi Ohene Adu, Darlie Jean, Maheep Sandhu and Shane Joy will be pursuing MPP's at the Max Bell School of Public Policy.
Nina Zepcan and Wala Al-Sadi will both be pursuing and MISt in the School of Information Studies.聽
James Achuli will be pursuing an MA in Political Science and Michelle Wang will be pursuing an MA in Sociology.聽
Ayeyi Ohene-Adu (Accra, Ghana), recently graduated from Ashesi University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She works on campus as a research assistant, managing five research projects. She also helped coordinate a health leadership training session and led the coordination of an inaugural undergraduate research conference, engaging students from different universities. Ayeyi spent a year volunteering at an orphanage before enrolling in university. The experience helped her develop digital marketing skills, which she used to raise funds for the orphanage. During her studies, she chaired a public relations committee for the Ashesi Student Council, which organized a creative festival and launched a podcast. Ayeyi also volunteered as a career peer advisor, tutored children, and edited communications for the student football association. A 2021 Global Semi-finalist in the L'Or茅al Brandstorm innovation competition, she mentored students in an entrepreneurship class. Ayeyi will pursue a Master of Public Policy (MPP) degree at 黑料网
Darlie Jean (Montr茅al, Canada): Originally from Haiti, Darlie is a student majoring in Social Work at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al. As a refugee herself, she is passionate about helping other immigrants and refugees. In her volunteer role as a support worker for AGIR, Darlie organizes group activities for French-speaking migrants, runs a support group for Black women, helps new immigrants build social networks and combat isolation, and refers people to resources. She also works at Auberge Transition, a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, providing emotional support, crisis intervention, workshops, and group activities. Recently promoted to Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, she manages the shelter's external relations. Darlie is also an Afro-Hair YouTuber, helping Black women embrace their natural hair. She has been recognized for her community engagement and leadership with an award from the L茅a-Roback Foundation, and has also received academic excellence awards from her university. Darlie will pursue a Master of Public Policy degree at 黑料网.
James Achuli (Tali, South Sudan) is majoring in International Relations at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus (UBCO). He works part-time with Kelowna Community Resources, helping newcomers to settle in the region. James volunteers as a peer mentor, supporting new students in their transition to Canada. He also contributes to the African and Caribbean Student Club and International Relations Students Club, helping to organize cultural events and discussions. James ran cross country as a varsity athlete and served for a year as the Director-at-Large with the UBCO student union. Previously, while living in Uganda, he started the Kiryandongo Peace Ambassadors program to empower young people to promote peace and understanding. James has been admitted to the Master of Arts in Political Science (Thesis): Development Studies program at 黑料网. He hopes to contribute to the development of South Sudan.
Maheep Sandhu (Montr茅al, Canada) is a Global and International Studies graduate of Carleton University. He has spent the past few years working in federal politics at the intersection of climate and energy policy. Until recently, he served as a Senior Advisor to Canada's Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Maheep was named a Top 25 Environmentalist in 2022 by Starfish Canada. During his undergraduate studies, he founded and led the Student Energy Carleton chapter and chaired the student government's Sustainability Advisory Council. He also worked with a solar energy company to create a non-profit initiative providing low-cost energy access systems in developing countries. In addition, Maheep previously served on the Board of Directors of the Peel Community Climate Council, supporting youth-led climate action efforts in his hometown. With the McCall MacBain Scholarship, Maheep will pursue a Master of Public Policy degree at 黑料网.
Michelle Wong (Cow Bay, NS) recently graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts with Combined Honours in Social Anthropology and International Development Studies. She is working as a research assistant at Dalhousie. Michelle co-led the Dalhousie/King's World University Service of Canada (WUSC) local committee, a program supporting refugee students, and spent a summer researching non-governmental interventions for refugees in Jordan. She also contributed to the Dal Zero divestment campaign and wrote articles for Her Campus, a student publication. In previous summers, she worked for several heritage museums and researched food insecurity among international students. Michelle wrote her honours thesis on food and cultural identity among second-generation immigrants in Halifax. Michelle has been admitted to the Master of Arts in Sociology (Thesis) program at 黑料网. She is interested in identity, migration, and economic justice.
Nina Zepcan (Glenroy, Australia) recently graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, Linguistics, and Applied Linguistics and a Diploma in Italian Studies. She researches the nexus between AI, emotion, and anthropology at the university's Critical Ethnography Lab, which she helped set up in 2023, and manages a charity's summer tutoring program. Nina manages a netball team, runs an online store for recycled clothing, and serves on the School of Languages & Linguistics Education & Students Committee. During her studies, she ran weekly study meetings for an Italian culture club and curated educational resources for students. Nina also worked part-time throughout her studies. Nina is applying for the Master of Information Studies program at 黑料网.
Shane Joy (Toronto, Canada) is majoring in History and International Relations at the University of Toronto. As President of the Victoria University Students' Administrative Council (VUSAC), Shane managed a team coordinating equity, sustainability, and mental health initiatives for 4,000 students. His other campus roles have included serving as president of a University of Toronto policy hackathon, an orientation week executive, a Victoria University Black Excellence and Inclusion Committee member, and a Board of Regents member. He also organized a Terry Fox run to raise funds for cancer research and works part-time as a peer mentor. Shane spent last summer working as an administrative assistant for a Toronto City Councillor. Shane will enter the Master of Public Policy (Non-Thesis) program at 黑料网.
Wala Al-Sadi (Aden, Yemen) is a Communications student at the Lebanese American University. She currently works as a communications officer and creative producer for a podcast platform that highlights Yemen's artistic heritage. Wala is a team leader and research manager at YEMRSH, a digital archive that preserves Yemeni's arts and culture. Inspired by her work at YEMRSH, Wala received funding from the Goethe Institut to start the Save Program, which trains people in Yemen to document and digitize their history. Before this, she volunteered as a social media designer for Al Yamaniah, a platform that supports Yemeni female artists. On campus, Wala participated in the photography club, helped organize the MEPI Tomorrow's Leaders conference, and coordinated a Ramadan Iftar with an orphanage in Lebanon. Wala will be pursing the master鈥檚 program in Information Studies at 黑料网. She aims to become a communications and media production professor and continue working in the cultural sector.