Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections

The Lang Students' Association and Guelph Black Professionals are excited to present "Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections", an in-person event to create a dialogue around being a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Colour (BIPOC) student choosing a future career path.

This event is free, and will include dinner and a complimentary drink ticket (alcohol 19+).

Attention BIPOC-identifying U of G Alumni: if you are interested in attending this event to network with students, please email lsaevent@uoguelph.ca for more details and to sign-up.

What to Expect

The event, hosted at Cutten Fields Golf Course, will be broken into two unique parts, designed to promote networking and learning for different groups within the University of Guelph community.

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM: Networking exclusively for BIPOC-identifying students

Participants will be guided through networking activities to meet over 15 professionals from a variety of business domains including entrepreneurship, higher education, and corporate employment. This is an opportunity to ask questions and create connections with others who may share similar experiences.

Networking professionals expected to attend the event will be released on the Lang Students' Association and Guelph Black Professionals Instagram leading up to the event.

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Dinner and panel event

At this time, all students, faculty, and staff from the University of Guelph are invited to attend the event for continued networking, a full dinner, and a thought-provoking panel event.

The panel will be facilitated by Bankole Alade, a recent University of Guelph BComm graduate currently completing their MSC of Digital Management at the Ivey Business School. Topics covered will include finding employment, incorporating equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into the workplace and what we can do as members of the University of Gueph community to create a more inclusive environment.

Questions for the panel can be submitted in advance using the registration form.

Ticket and Registration Information

This event will follow provincial and University of Guelph guidelines surrounding COVID-19 restrictions. A capacity of 150 people will be maintained at the event to allow for increased physical distancing beyond full capacity. As a result, tickets are limited and will be prioritized to BIPOC-identifying students.

Registration for BIPOC-identifying students will open on February 15, and will be restricted until February 21, at which point it will open to the University of Guelph community.

Managing COVID-19

As an in-person experience, the Lang Students' Association and Guelph Black Professionals are committed to maintaining a safe and enjoyable experience. As such, the following guidelines must be followed:

• Attendees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and provide QR code proof of vaccination and official government ID.
• Attendees will need to complete the University of Guelph's COVID-19 Screening Form and show their green checkmark of completion upon entry.
• A medical-style mask must be worn at all times unless actively eating or drinking. Eating or drinking must be done when seated at a table.
• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the venue.
• Contact tracing will occur in the event organizers are made aware of a COVID-19 exposure after the event.

Questions related to the event and managing COVID-19 can be directed to lsaevent@uoguelph.ca.

Our Partnerships

This event is presented with support from the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics and the John F. Wood Centre for Business and Student Enterprise.