One student’s experience with Undergraduate Fellowships in the Public Humanities Program helped her put theory into practice
Ruth McGill learned about the Undergraduate Fellowships in the Public Humanities program just before the deadline. Her last-minute decision to apply would end up changing the trajectory of her academic career.
“I only heard about the program when they sent out a ‘last chance to apply’ post on Instagram,” she laughs. “That was the first I heard of it, first I saw of it. So, it definitely was a last-minute application. My mom also saw [the post] and sent it to me, which was extra incentive to give it a try.”
The Undergraduate Fellowships in the Public Humanities program is a work-integrated learning opportunity facilitated by the University of King’s College, with seed funding by BMO Financial Group. It provides students with a nine-week summer job placement and a fellowship grant of $6,500. The university helps connect students with participating organizations that are often run by King’s alumni. Participating organizations gain an extra teammate for the summer while providing invaluable work experience for those like McGill who are looking to kickstart their career.
Helping students find real-world, practical applications for what they’ve learned in their humanities education is at the heart of the Undergraduate Fellowships in the Public Humanities program.
McGill, a social anthropology student, set her sights on two participating organizations: The Black Planning Project and the Sooke Regional Health Commission. The process is competitive, and a work-placement is not guaranteed—nevertheless, McGill was accepted by both employers. One-on-one guidance provided by the fellowship team helped her fine tune her resume and ace the job interviews.
She went with the Black Planning Project, a nonprofit organization based in Toronto that focuses on elevating Black voices in urban planning created by Abigail Moriah, a King’s alum.
“I chose the Black Planning Project because I was really interested in the work they were doing that I could see would have an impact on a community,” McGill explains. “That’s something I really want to focus on in my own professional trajectory … I’m just really passionate about their messaging of making big industries that impact all of us, like urban planning, inclusive for everybody.”
McGill began her placement in May of 2024, working remotely from her home in Victoria, B.C. As a Research Coordinator, she assisted the team with an ongoing project focused on removing barriers faced by Black professionals in the urban planning industry. The project, funded by Government of Canada (Canadian Heritage) was called “Building the Profile of Black Planners. It included a report, “Navigating Racism in the Workplace: Unveiling the Experiences and Strategies of Black Urban Planners in Canada.” a social media campaign, a presentation for the Ontario Professional Planners Institute Conference and an exhibit highlighting Black excellence in planning.
It didn’t take long for McGill to become immersed in every aspect of this project. At first, she and the team interviewed Black planners about the challenges they faced in their profession. Then, they shared their findings in a report. McGill transcribed interviews, set up the framework of the report and wrote it with her co-researcher, a PhD student. Once the report was finished, she helped the team present its findings to a general audience.
Despite being separated by 4,000 kilometres and a three-hour time-difference, she quickly grew close to her colleagues, particularly Project Manager Hanaa Ali.
“A lot of days were independent work, but Hanaa was this constant presence of support and also mentorship and guidance. She was a really big factor in my success … I was just so supported the whole time by the people at Black Planning Project that there were no barriers that weren’t surmounted relatively easily.”
McGill always felt like the team had her back, and, according to Ali, the feeling was mutual.
“It was a wonderful experience working with Ruth,” says Ali. “Her commitment, attention to detail and her organizational skills are exceptional. I was completely able to rely on her to complete tasks with as little direction as possible.”
As a Research Coordinator, McGill was performing tasks on-level with PhD students. And one of her most valuable takeaways from the experience was learning to meaningfully listen when people tell their stories.
“The topic that we were dealing with brought forth a lot of very strong emotions from both my co-researcher, who is herself a Black woman, and from our interview participants,” says McGill. “Reliving those experiences can be very challenging, and so that led to a lot of emotional moments that I had never been in the position of a being researcher having to manage.”
Founder of the Black Planning Project Abigail Moriah, who completed the Foundation Year Program in 1997, became interested in this fellowship opportunity after attending the Universities Studying Slavery conference co-hosted by King’s in October 2023.
“This encouraged me to apply, knowing that King’s has signaled a commitment to racial equity and justice,” she explains. “Personally, this was something that I felt was absent when I studied at King’s … I’m happy to see the institution’s current involvement and, as an alum, play a role in providing a platform and opportunities for students to practically engage in racial equity and justice.”
She describes the program as a great opportunity to reconnect with her alma mater, and “provide an opportunity for students to engage practically with work connected to the histories and experiences of African Nova Scotians and Black Canadians, often not widely known.”
Helping students find real-world, practical applications for what they’ve learned in their humanities education is at the heart of the Undergraduate Fellowships in the Public Humanities program. It’s an opportunity that certainly made an impression on McGill. “I had learned the theories, I had learned the methods,” she says. “I knew in theory how to do this, but this is my first real experience of actually applying it every step of the way.”
The experience piqued her interest in the field of human rights and she’s considering a career in law, focusing on social justice. “Having an opportunity like this was so valuable for establishing for me that I like doing nonprofit research. I like doing social advocacy work. I think this is something I could really see myself doing going forward.”
Funding support for this student’s Fellowship in the Public Humanities experience was generously provided through a gift from BMO Financial Group.
