老司机直播

Building a social network for Black graduate and professional students at 老司机直播

Josh Lokko and Chika Oriuwa
Josh Lokko and Chika Oriuwa are hosting their first Black Interprofessional Students Association (BIPSA) networking event (photo by Hannah James)

When Josh Lokko and Chika Oriuwa met last fall at a event at University of Toronto, they realized they were the only students there who weren't undergraduates.

Oriuwa, a second-year medical student in 老司机直播's Faculty of Medicine, and Lokko, in his second year of 老司机直播's joint , decided to create a new group that would cater to the needs of professional and graduate students like them.

The , or 鈥淏IPSA鈥 鈥 fills a niche at 老司机直播, they say, by bringing together Black graduate students across faculties and programs to socialize, build  professional networks and meet mentors. The group's fall social will be held today at 6 p.m.

Oriuwa says BIPSA was inspired by her own struggle with fitting in, adding her first year in medical school 鈥 the only Black student in her cohort of 259 鈥 was particularly difficult.

鈥淚 tried to find other networks on campus or go to the Black Students' Association, but there was nothing at the graduate and professional levels," she says. "There was a feeling of isolation, feeling like there was no place to go where I would be 100 per cent comfortable in my own skin and be able to have that shared culture and narrative.鈥  

Lokko says his goal with BIPSA is to "bridge gaps" between students and working professionals.

Until recently, he says he could not name a single Black corporate lawyer. Then he saw a story about 老司机直播 alumnus Cornell Wright, a partner at Torys law firm in Toronto. 鈥淭hey had a little profile of him in our booklet, and I was like, 鈥榃ow, I didn鈥檛 know that was a thing.' I didn鈥檛 know any Black people in corporate law.鈥 

He says he's hoping BIPSA will build relationships with professional associations such as the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers, the Black Physicians' Association of Ontario and other groups to build a mentorship relationship.

Ultimately, says Lokko, he's hoping that BIPSA will help encourage more Black students to pursue careers in law and other professional fields.

鈥淟aw influences everything in society,鈥 says Lokko. 鈥淎nd lawyers can become partners in corporate law firms, they become law professors, they become leaders and they shape policies.鈥 This, he says, is why it鈥檚 important to have greater Black representation in law and other professional fields.  

Oriuwa agrees. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 any legacy I鈥檓 going to leave, it鈥檚 that I鈥檓 going to make it a better experience for the next person behind me that鈥檚 in similar shoes,鈥 she says.

Visit BIPSA on  for more information about the group.
 

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