On May 17, 2023, Dr. Taq Kaur Bhandal (she/her), Partner at BIPOC Executive Search, hosted our third Science Atlantic Sessions for All event, Mentorship Magic: 3 Ways to Support BIPOC Students.
In the session, Taq shared her own ancestry, knowledge, and practical advice for educators when working with students who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour). The session was informative, providing attendees with tips they could immediately apply in their interactions with students of all backgrounds.
Taq established the foundation of the session by explaining the definitions of racialized identity and ancestry she has developed through over a decade of study and practice in the fields of social justice, public policy, and gender-based health. Dr. Bhandal defines racialized identity as the judgment of a person based on their appearance or skin colour and ancestry as based on one’s personal and familial relationship to the land.
With this in mind, the first tip Taq provided was a technique to facilitate rapport with students of diverse backgrounds. Taq recommends sharing one’s own ancestry at the beginning of a course to open the floor for recognition of diversity. To put the introduction technique into practice, participants were encouraged to share their own ancestries and Taq acknowledged each participant individually.
Next, Dr. Bhandal introduced the concept of intergenerational money trauma; the reality that marginalized groups often experience instances of systemic financial insecurity. This can be caused by historical events such as an upheaval and exodus from ancestral land, present day realities such as a lack of representation of BIPOC professionals, and the ever-present perpetuation of damaging racial stereotypes.
Dr. Bhandal describes how living these experiences can subconsciously leave a BIPOC student with the belief that they are not worthy of assistance and financial support. She said this belief can cause a student to fear taking actions that enable them to reach their potential, such as asking about scholarships, grants, or reference letters. Dr. Bhandal says a seemingly small gesture that educators can take to help remedy this is to simply offer reference letters instead of waiting for students to ask.
A third action educators can take is to assist students with their resume building and interview skills. Dr. Bhandal suggested telling students about Canva.com, a free website that provides templates for just about any purpose, including creating resumes. She also shared a positive technique for sharing suggestions with students of how they can improve their work. She described the “sandwich method”, that is, to first mention something positive, then provide constructive critical feedback, and close with another positive, making constructive criticism easier to digest (pun intended).
In closing, Dr. Bhandal spoke about the importance of being change makers, facilitators, and allies to BIPOC students and offered resources for educators to further their knowledge, including her contact information (tbhandal@bipocsearch.com). In particular, she recommended the books, The Soul Wound, by Edwardo and Bonnie Duran, and Abundance Now, by Lisa Nichols.
We would like to thank Dr. Bhandal for partnering with us to provide such an important and informative session!
Science Atlantic Sessions for All discussions are hosted by faculty for faculty. They provide a safe space for academics to collaborate with and learn from one another. If you or someone you know has an idea for a future session, please let us know. We welcome faculty to share your ideas to ensure that these valuable and engaging discussions can continue!
