Members of the Saint Mary’s University community reflected on the past year during a webinar held on March 24, 2021. Building Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic was the fourth session of the virtual SMU in Action event series and featured Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray, Dr. Tony Charles, Crystal Witter BA’21 and Dr. Mohammad Rahaman.
Panellists brought their unique perspective to the challenges, opportunities and resilience in communities during the past year. Dr. Tony Charles, who also holds the position of director of the Community Conservation Network, shared the 2020 Report on Nova Scotian Communities & COVID-19: Challenges & Resilience, a study conducted with the help of Saint Mary’s colleagues and students. The report looks at how communities and individuals responded to the pandemic as a measure of resilience, as well as the social and economic impacts that the pandemic had on communities. While communities reported challenges in employment, tourism and education, they also shared inspiring stories of leadership and community action. “It’s amazing what can be done by individuals and by working together collectively,” says Charles.
Saint Mary’s President Dr. Summerby-Murray found many parallels between the Nova Scotia report and how the Saint Mary’s community responded; praising technicians, faculty, staff and students for adapting quickly to new learning management systems and pedagogical innovation while understanding the challenges faced. Other highlights from the past year included the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre’s swift response to supporting entrepreneurs and businesses in Atlantic Canada, donor support to the COVID-19 Emergency Student Relief Fund and the investment in digital transformation of the teaching and learning environment. He credits the past year as an opportunity to learn innovative approaches to teaching, research and community engagement.
“Challenging, yet transformational”
From the student perspective, recent graduate Crystal Witter shared her experience as an international student leader and entrepreneur who navigated the pandemic and graduated as valedictorian in January 2021. While completing her degree, Crystal had to travel home to Jamaica and was forced to close her business, Ilash Icons HFX, due to COVID-19. She admits her final year was a difficult one both mentally and financially. She discussed the added challenges for international students navigating travel restrictions, quarantine measures, and delayed work permits, but credited the Saint Mary’s community for their willingness to help. Receiving a COVID-19 Student Emergency bursary, along with other scholarships, relieved the financial burden due to loss of income, and having caring professors who provided accommodations allowed her to complete her course load and cross the virtual graduation stage. Crystal has since joined the Saint Mary’s University Entrepreneurship Centre team has a Project Manager for the SMU Community Hackathon, which looks at tech solutions to address human trafficking in Nova Scotia. When reflecting on the past year, she says “I couldn’t be resilient without help of my professors, friends and family. It’s not an individual journey.”
Dr. Mohammad Rahaman, Associate Dean of Strategic Partnership & Community Engagement for the Sobey School of Business, moderated the panel’s Q&A period and shared insight on the Sobey Prosperity Network & Community Revitalization Project. In response to COVID-19’s impact on the business community, the Sobey School gathered a network of faculty, industry experts and alumni to offer webinars, discussions and business coaching. Later this year, the Prosperity Network will release a report to the community outlining the lessons learned to help inform policy makers in Atlantic Canada.