Congratulations to Shams Moh'd Fares Khalaf Al-Anzi, PhD Student and president of the Graduate Student Nurses Association (GSNA), who joins a group of changemakers funded by UBC’s StEAR Enhancement Fund this year.
January 20, 2026
Ms. Al-Anzi's project, “Undoing Racism in Nursing: Story Circles and a Storytelling Toolkit for Equity, Belonging, and Change in Health Education,” aims to foster equity, belonging, and systemic change in nursing and health education at UBC by centring the lived experiences of racialized, migrant, international, Muslim, and other ethnic minority students.
Through a year-long series of themed Story Circles, participants will share stories of racism, resilience, and inclusion in academic and clinical settings. These narratives will inform the co-creation of a Storytelling Toolkit for Equity and Belonging, featuring student voices, reflection prompts, and strategies for inclusive education. The project will culminate in a Knowledge Sharing and Art Exhibit, advancing the StEAR Framework through interactional, curricular, and structural change.
Ms. Al-Anzi shared how the StEAR Enhancement Fund will support her research:
The StEAR Enhancement Fund supports students like me by spotlighting our lived experiences and recognizing students as experts in shaping meaningful change within the university. By centring student voices across both graduate and undergraduate communities, this work helps reframe how equity, safety, and belonging are understood and advanced in academic spaces.
Through this project, students are engaged as partners in co-creating spaces for learning, reflection, and change, grounded in their lived experiences. This approach strengthens cultural awareness, fosters safer learning environments, and directly addresses experiences of marginalization and victimization in ways that respond to real student needs. Ultimately, this work enhances the academic experience at UBC by supporting more inclusive, accountable, and student-informed educational spaces.
Ms. Al-Anzi, whose graduate research is supervised by Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc and Dr. Rubee Dev, is the Student Anti-Racism Committee representative (SARC) on the Anti-Racism Committee (ARC). She is also the recipient of a number of awards, including the UBC Public Scholars Award (PSI), the President’s Academic Excellence Initiative PhD Award, the International Tuition Award, and a Faculty of Applied Science Graduate Award. She is also a Canadian Nursing Foundation Scholar.
Through my role as President of the Graduate Student Nurses Association (GSNA), I work to centre graduate nursing student voices and support initiatives that foster connection, wellbeing, and inclusive academic experiences. As a Student Anti-Racism Committee (SARC) representative on the Anti-Racism Committee (ARC), my work focuses on advancing equity- and anti-racism-informed practices that centre student perspectives within health and nursing education.
Learn more about StEAR’s 2025 fall funding cycle
Read about Ms. Al-Anzi’s Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
