Congratulations Angela!
On September 25th, 2026, Angela Simmonds received the 2026 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Alumni Legacy Award from Mount Saint Vincent University.
Angela completed her degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Mount Saint Vincent University in 2023, fueling her commitment to building workplaces where people feel valued and have room to grow.
A message from Angela:
When I think about my journey at the Mount, it doesn’t actually start with a classroom.
I think about my children Angelina and Adré, attending playschool there while I was attending classes. I was a young mom, raising my family, going to school, and trying to figure out how to make all the pieces of life work.
I wasn’t thinking about legacy back then. And then life happened. My dad became ill, and I made the decision to leave my studies. Family has always been at the centre of who I am, and that was where I needed to be.
I thought that might be the end of this part of my story. But fast-forward years later, a simple conversation with Dr Joel led me back to Admissions, where people encouraged me, supported me, and helped me find a way until it was done.
That is equity. That is inclusion. And that is what justice should look like.
Sometimes it’s having someone willing to remove a barrier and create a pathway where one didn’t exist before. I have spent much of my life trying to do the same for others.
What felt particularly special was the memory of sitting in that same awards ceremony last year and watching Angelina receive her own award for exceptional community service. I remember the pride I felt watching my daughter stand here in her own right, on her own journey. This was the same little girl who went to Playschool here while her mom went to class. This year, we simply switched seats.
None of us get here alone. I stand on many shoulders. I am here because of what God imagined for me. Because of family and community. Because of people who prayed for me, advocated for me, challenged me, lifted me, and sometimes saw something in me before I could see it in myself.
Maya Angelou reminds us that when we learn, we should teach, and when we receive, we should give. That is something the Mount gave me long before I understood it.
Education gave me knowledge. Knowledge gave me power. But I’ve learned that real power isn’t about what you hold onto.
It’s about what you do with it. So use it.
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Read MSVU’s full award re-cap on Angela here!
