March 9, 2026
When Imani van Gaalen began her Business Administration degree at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics in 2021, she expected her biggest challenge to be managing classes and coursework. However, she quickly realized that succeeding as a first‑year business student came with an unexpected to-do list — from securing summer internships to figuring out how and when to start networking and making career connections.
“I remember feeling like I didn’t know anything,” says van Gaalen. “Other students seemed to have a handle on what they were doing. My marks were great, but I felt behind even though I had just started university.”
Getting involved with an emerging student club, Black Students of Lazaridis (BSOL), changed everything for van Gaalen. Now in her second year as the club’s co‑president alongside Business Administration student Quinlan Goring, she helps guide a team of Black student leaders dedicated to ensuring incoming Black and racialized students feel supported, connected and confident from the first day of classes to landing their first corporate role.
Black Students of Lazaridis' executive team
Formed in 2021 by then fourth-year student Samuel Oluwalana (BA '21), Black Students of Lazaridis aimed to create community among Black students studying business and economics at Laurier – something Oluwalana felt was lacking within the Lazaridis School. Five years later, the club has quadrupled its membership and evolved its programming to offer a range of academic resources, career-transition supports and social opportunities.
One of BSOL’s most impactful initiatives is the University 101 workshop series delivered each fall for incoming Black and racialized students at the Lazaridis School. The series, offered in addition to the university’s student success programming, covers topics many first‑year students don’t realize they need to know, including exam preparation, applying to internships, navigating campus resources and sourcing scholarships.
“A lot of our members don't have someone to help them navigate the transition from high school to postsecondary education,” says van Gaalen. “University 101 helps them start on the right path with a community they can see themselves in, which is really important.”
Building on the success of University 101 programming, BSOL launched its first formal peer mentorship program in fall 2025. The program is made possible by the club’s growing cohort of upper‑year business and economics students. Fifteen mentor-mentee connections have been established during the 2025-26 academic year, with guidance ranging from academic advice to preparing for job interviews. The mentorship program also includes social events and an entrepreneurship workshop to connect emerging student innovators with relevant programming at Laurier.
“The mentorship program gives students a safe space to ask questions and get answers from an upper-year student who has navigated common student-life experiences at the Lazaridis School,” says van Gaalen. “We are so excited to finally have it up and running.”
2025-26 BSOL co-presidents Quinlan Goring and Imani van Gaalen
BSOL mentors and mentees have periodically joined the Black Student Study Hall offered through Laurier’s Black Student Academic Success Program. Launched in fall 2025 by learning consultant Elizabeth Clarke (BSW '18), a member of Laurier’s Student Success team, the program empowers Black students at Laurier to reach their full academic potential by offering personalized academic support and guidance navigating the university environment. Other supports offered include peer academic coaching, writing assistance and social opportunities to help students build skills and confidence throughout their academic journey.
“I am grateful to support and collaborate with BSOL members on both individual and shared focused initiatives to reach Black students,” says Clarke. “They model high achievement and impact and are key to showing other Black students at Laurier the different opportunities available on their university journey.”
In addition to supporting academic success initiatives, BSOL offers opportunities to connect with Black alumni and explore career paths through the annual Black in Corporate event. Held each February, Black in Corporate bridges campus and corporate worlds by engaging employers who want to connect directly with emerging Black talent.
More than 70 students attended the fourth annual event on Feb. 7 in the Turret, which featured a panel discussion with four Black Laurier alumni working in the finance and insurance industries, complimentary headshots by a professional photographer, and a networking session with employers and event sponsors including Wealthsimple, Manulife Financial, Deloitte and Sun Life Financial.
Laurier alumni Jayana Thomas (BA '16), Matthew Hiddle (BBA '24), Giléne Graham (BA '24), Stany Chabikuli (BBA '25)
Laurier alum Giléne Graham (BA '24) contributed her experience as an Arts grad working in wealth management to the event’s alumni panel discussion. Graham is a product specialist with the managed investments team at Wealthsimple and serves as co-lead of the company’s Black Employee Resource Group.
“It was a great, full-circle moment to come back to Laurier and connect with students at Black in Corporate,” says Graham. “It’s important for students to know that you can find a place in the corporate sphere even if you didn’t study business. The corporate world needs communication and creativity, among other skills, too.”
Black in Corporate's alumni panel discussion
Graham praised the growth in student attendance and employer support for Black in Corporate, as well as its impact in inspiring Black students’ career paths.
“Black in Corporate offers representation in careers that Black students may not have considered pursuing otherwise. It can be hard to aspire to roles you don’t know exist,” says Graham.
BSOL works closely with other Black student groups at Laurier, including the Black Student Association, Black Students in Science and Black Future Lawyers, to ensure students feel connected beyond their program of study. BSOL also collaborates with external student-led organizations including Blackleaf Capital, which offers real-world learning experiences in finance similar to those found in Laurier’s co-operative education programs.
While van Gaalen's time serving as BSOL co-president will come to an end in April when she concludes undergraduate studies, she says she will take her club experience with her as she begins her career in investments.
“My student experience was positively influenced by the people and opportunities I found through Black Students of Lazaridis, and it has been very rewarding to help other Black students at Laurier get connected to community,” says van Gaalen. “For incoming Black and racialized Laurier students, getting involved is a game-changer; you never know what opportunity is around the corner. BSOL is there for you, regardless of your program, and you will always be welcome.”
For more stories about Black excellence at Laurier, visit Laurier’s Black History Month hub.
