Meet a Make your Mark Fund Recipient: Awele Oye Onwuka

Awele is a third-year business student from Nigeria majoring in Management and Leadership at StFX. She is a CA in Riley Hall, Vice President of Community Outreach at the Schwartz Business Society, and a campus tour guide. She is also involved with the Women in Business (WIB) society as co-Director of Events, sharing that “[she] got involved with the Women in Business Society last year after being a member and observing all the amazing work the society does.”

Awele is among those to have received the “Make your Mark” award in 2022. The “Make your Mark” Fund provides Schwartz Students with the funding and resources they need to bring their creative and innovative ideas for campus or community initiatives and programs to life (schwartzwomeninbusiness.com). Awele is partnering with the daycare centre at StFX and Antigonish Kids First to plan an event for children and parents to promote mental health. She stated that her goal with the event is “to bring awareness to child mental health and promote healthy techniques for parents regarding their children’s mental health.” She continued to discuss her plans, sharing that “since the event had to be rescheduled, there are so many ways I can take this project, and I am excited to keep working on it. I don’t have concrete plans, but once this event is successful, I would love to host more in the future.” She stressed the importance of recognizing that we are children before we are adults, saying that she doesn’t “think people understand how much children grasp as such a young age–they’re picking up on everything, they’re building tools for their future”.  Awele also worked with the Antigonish coalition to end poverty, giving students the opportunity to donate non-perishable items to the Antigonish community fridge.

We concluded our discussion with a note on the business program at StFX, as well as some words of encouragement for women entering the program. “The business program, especially professors—shout out to Mark MacIsaac and Jennifer Alex—as well as WIB have been great at providing tremendous support and resources to help along my journey. This is the great thing about StFX, people care about each other and are ready to provide the encouragement and support needed to succeed–I have been very lucky in that sense.”

Awele encourages others to pursue their goals, addressing all “the women entering, or thinking about applying to, the business program at StFX,” and saying she “wants to let [them] know that [they] will be supported and looked after. Schwartz is more than just a business school; I do feel as though we are a family. I also want to encourage them to get involved–your voice and opinions matter and this is the place to get your thoughts and ideas out there! We are all rooting for each other and want to see everyone succeed.” In Antigonish and at StFX, “there’s always an opportunity for everyone to get together,” and Awele closed by sharing: “I enjoy what I do, especially when I can get the community involved.”