Arts & Social Sciences

2022 Aurum Award recipient, Justice Sheila Ray (BA’77, LLB’80) has made progress through her decisions, articles, speaking and volunteer activities. She’s reshaping the justice system, and doing so in ways that support those who’ve experienced adversity.

When Clayton Burrill (JD‘11) heard that he and his fellow Hillsburn bandmates had scored five 2022 East Coast Music Awards (ECMA) nominations, it was a wonderful but surreal moment. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic essentially shut down live performances, making life as working musician challenging.

More than 30 years ago, acclaimed novelist and literary critic Myriam Chancy (MA’90) attended a poetry reading in Dartmouth, N.S. given by M. NourbeSe Philip. She was one of three people in the audience: “It was amazing, and I didn’t realize the impact it would have.”

Growing up in Scotland, Jennifer Henderson (MA’02) always knew she wanted to be a writer. After completing a joint-honours degree in English Language and Sociology at the University of Glasgow, she felt she gained the language tools she needed to support her writing career, but wanted to further her studies in sociology, “learning about people and society and ideas about how things worked.”

René Boudreau (BA’15) is an avid traveller and entrepreneur. She created Elevate & Explore Black Nova Scotia to promote Nova Scotia’s rich Black history and culture while supporting Black-owned businesses.

Vassy Kapelos (MA’06), host of CBC’s “Power & Politics,” is returning to her alma mater later this month to moderate Dalhousie’s inaugural Stanfield Conversations. Learn how Kapelos’ time in political science classes at Dal led to a career as one of Canada’s most accomplished political journalists.

Doug Ruck (BA’72, LLB’77) will chair a task force on systemic anti-Black racism within the College of Physicians and Surgeons. He’s also set to lead an external investigation into systemic discrimination within the policies, regulations and practices of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

Displaced from Kuwait during the first Gulf War, Ayat El-Dewary (BA’04) knew at an early age she wanted to help others in the same situation. As the Representative a.i. with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, she has helped raise over $200 million to deliver shelter, health care, financial assistance and hope to refugees around the world.

With the February 2021 release of her memoir, Beyond the Legal Limit, actor and singer Pat Henman (BA’81) will add a book to her list of artistic accomplishments. 

Environmental educator Lilly Briggs (BA’05) explains how giving children opportunities to enjoy nature inspires them to protect it.