When shannon paladsingh (BFA ’21) reclaimed her experiences of racism through philosophy and political science research essays, she never expected the ordeal to transform into an award-winning, and nationally recognized spoken word poem. Performed for her capstone Bachelor of Fine Arts project, her spoken word poem oh, thank goodness won her a national award. She was selected as the British Columbia winner for the BMO 1st Art! competition, which celebrates the creativity of art school students from over 100 post-secondary institutions across Canada. 

Since her graduation in 2021, shannon has been focusing on her work in anti-racism and graphic design. On March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the School of Social Work held a screening of Vinay Giridhar’s Emergence: Out of the Shadows. shannon spoke as a panelist on her experience as a queer and non-binary person with an Indo-Caribbean background. She continues to challenge institutional and systemic oppression, while building her own non-profit organization for queer and trans Indigenous, Black, and people of colour. 

She hopes to use the skills she learned during her time at UFV for the betterment of marginalized communities and lands in Stó:lō Téméxw, where she humbly lives.