Two new graduation coaches for Black, African and Caribbean students bring a wealth of lived experiences to their occupation and a genuine appreciation for the importance of their roles.

Angelina Kieu and Yahaya Diakite work with school staff and board leadership, offering direct support and mentorship to Black high school students to support their well-being and academic achievement, occasionally working with younger students to help ease their transition to secondary school. They also promote greater access to postsecondary opportunities so that when they graduate, students can get the specialized training they need to enter well-paid, skilled careers. 

“I think what helps me the most is that I went to one of our high schools, so it’s kind of like second nature to me to help these kids,” said Kieu, a graduate of F.J. Brennan. “I can speak to them almost like I’m a peer in some sense.”

Both graduation coaches come from immigrant backgrounds which helps them relate with the diverse populations in their schools.

Diakite was born in Niger, but spent most of his life in Ghana, and has also lived in Burkina Faso and Guinea. 

“I’m able to relate with the students,” he said. “I don’t find anything too surprising. Whatever they are dealing with, it’s nothing new because I’ve experienced many of the things they have.”

After university Diakite did an internship with UNICEF in Niger, supporting refugees from other African countries. He  studied international relations and economics in the United Kingdom, and from there, he went to the University of Ottawa where he studied anthropology. He worked with his brother in Iqaluit, where they started a business association supporting entrepreneurs with proposal ideas, while also working as a research associate for the Nunavummi Disabilities Makinnasuaqtiit Society.

Kieu was raised in Windsor, but her family came here from South Sudan about a year before she was born. Growing up in an immigrant family helps her better understand many of her students.

“When they tell me about things that are going on at home, I can relate to those things, because I may have gone through those experiences with my parents,” she said.

After graduating from Brennan, she went to the University of Windsor and earned bachelor of science in economics and biology, with a special emphasis on understanding how health care decisions are made. Since then, she has worked for Black Kids Code, an international program which supports Black girls in their learning related to technology and innovation, and the Windsor-Essex Community Health Centre where she was a community health worker, doing health promotion and community advocacy in lower income neighbourhoods. She has also worked as a tutor for the WECDSB.

Both coaches say they never had the luxury of a graduation coach, which makes them appreciate the role so much more. Diakite said he didn’t have many mentors and had to figure things out on his own.

“It’s a privilege to have someone to guide you,” he said. “We didn’t have that.”

“I’m happy that the kids have somebody who they can go to,” said Kieu, who added that most of the issues students present with involve academics, family and social issues.

A common issue many of the students that Diakite deals with are of a financial nature.

“Many are immigrants and may not have access to resources,” he said. “Many parents have come to Canada with certain qualifications that may not be recognized here, so they end up doing lower income jobs.”

A lot of the work he does with those students is helping them find work that will help support them as they move onto post-secondary school or other pathways.

“It’s all about supporting them, keeping up with them, asking them questions every day and giving them hope,” he said.

Diakite said he’s always loved helping people, so this job is like a “calling” for him.

“I get a lot of satisfaction because I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s very demanding but I get a lot of satisfaction from it.”

Kieu said she just wants to continue on with the great work that was done by the graduation coaches who came before her.

“I think they did a great job of creating spaces for Black students to come to,” she said. “I want to continue to be that person they confide in, but also to empower them with the tools and resources to continue advocating for themselves.”