By Fallon Bourgeois

Liette Williams always aspired to go to university. While she wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to pursue, her older sister was influential in highlighting the opportunities that exist in health sciences. And over the last three years Liette has done the same for young learners in her community.

“My sister, a third-year Dentistry student, has been a great role model for me.  She has inspired me in a lot of ways, but mostly showed me with hard work, anything is possible,” says the fourth-year Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound student, who is also pursuing Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Encouraging better representation in the health professions

When Liette began her studies at Dal in 2013, it was eye opening to see the many programs that exist within the health professions. That, along with her knowledge of the underrepresentation of Black Nova Scotians in health care, were motivators to get involved with PLANS (Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotian Students).

Through PLANS, Liette has worked as a summer camp counsellor with students in grades 8-11 to learn about opportunities and careers in fields like medicine, dentistry and other health professions.

“When I was growing up, programs like PLANS weren’t available,” she says. “Being a mentor has been my way of giving back to my community while helping young students see a future for themselves in health-related fields.”

She is proud that some of the students she has worked with through the camp are now studying within the health professions at Dalhousie.

Taking time to give back

The opportunity to be involved with PLANS has been one of Liette’s greatest accomplishments during her time at Dal, and for that she is incredibly grateful that the Jeff & Martha Edwards Scholarship for Black Canadian & Bermudian Students allowed her to focus on both her academic and community work.

“I’ve been so fortunate to have this scholarship over the last four years, supporting me as I’ve worked toward my degree. Financially it has made an incredible difference and ultimately has allowed me to make time for PLANS, which has been so meaningful to me.”

Looking ahead to graduating this month (May) and starting the next chapter as a health-care professional, Liette says her work with PLANS and the scholarship stand out as highlights of her days at Dal.

“It’s very rewarding to know that I’ve made a difference in someone’s education and future. I hope those who have created the scholarship know they’ve also done this for me.”