Two PhD Students Lead Equity-Focused Community Initiatives with New Funding
Two UBC School of Nursing graduate students have received funding through the Faculty of Applied Science Student Fund to Advance Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDI.I) to launch student-led initiatives that address belonging, mental health, and community connection within the school.
April 24, 2026
Holding Space, Coming Together
PhD student Shams Al-Anzi has received support for Holding Space, Coming Together: A Student-Led Community Care Initiative in Times of Global Uncertainty — a project that responds to the realities facing international and racialized students navigating academic life amid global instability, anti-migrant policies, and intersecting social challenges.
Ms. Al-Anzi's own research explores how migration-related stressors, structural inequities, and experiences of belonging shape mental health outcomes among migrant and racialized youth in British Columbia. That scholarly lens is deeply personal as well. "As international and racialized students, many of us carry invisible layers—stories shaped by migration, global events, cultural expectations, and moments of both belonging and exclusion," she reflects. "Too often, these experiences remain unspoken within academic spaces."
The initiative will offer four facilitated, drop-in gatherings at UBC Vancouver between March 2026 and January 2027. Developed in partnership with the School of Nursing Anti-Racism Committee (ARC) and the International Student Working Group, each session will create space for open conversation about identity, belonging, and mental health, while offering practical strategies for well-being and stronger peer connection. Guest speakers with lived and community-based expertise will contribute throughout.
This is not about supporting students, but about recognizing their strength, honouring their experiences, and building community together. ~ Shams Al-Anzi
Supervisors: Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc and Dr. Rubee Dev.
UBC School of Nursing 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Network
PhD student Zoë Esseiva is a co-founder of the newly funded UBC School of Nursing 2SLGBTQIA+ Student Network, a student-led initiative that creates opportunities for 2SLGBTQIA+ undergraduate and graduate students as well as practicing nurses to connect, find mentorship, and engage in continuing education with fellow 2SLGBTQIA+-identifying nurses and students.
An emergency department nurse and queer-identifying lesbian, Zoë Esseiva brings both personal and professional investment to the work. Planned activities include student meet-ups, networking opportunities, and lunch-and-learn sessions.
Finding nurse mentors who share different aspects of our identity can foster belonging and longevity in our careers, be it bedside or academia. My vision for this 2SLGBTQIA+ Nursing Network is to facilitate this kind of opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students alike. ~ Zoë Esseiva
Supervisor: Dr. Farinaz (Naz) Havaei.
Together, these initiatives reflect the School of Nursing's ongoing commitment to equity, inclusion, and building a community where all students feel seen, supported, and connected.