We often hear the phrase “walking in someone else’s shoes,” but we can never truly understand another’s experience until they share it with us.
In healthcare, we often take for granted that everyone receives the same level of care and attention. But that’s not always the case. This is where Donalda’s social justice work shines, highlighting the inequities that exist. As she puts it, “When you enter a space where you aren’t represented, it affects how you feel about yourself.”
Donalda has faced injustice firsthand in how she’s been treated, but she used her frustration as fuel for change. In 2015, she co-founded the Diversity Healthcare Bursary to help address these disparities within the healthcare system.
Her vision is simple yet profound: hospitals should reflect the communities they serve. The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre (QEII) is a multi-campus teaching and research organization located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Its foundation funds the Diversity in Health Care Bursary, which supports students who identify as African Nova Scotian/Black, Indigenous, Racialized, Immigrant, 2SLGBTQIA+, or those living with physical, cognitive, or learning limitations—anyone who embodies the intersectionality of these identities.
Donalda believes that by impacting individuals in their everyday lives, we can begin to change the system itself.
In its first 2 years, 8 students received $1,000 each; then in the 3rd year, 9 students received $1,000 each. By 2024 the bursary had grown to support 80 students receiving $2,000 each!
Looking back, Donalda is proud of her resilience. There were times she questioned whether the bursary was making the difference she hoped for.