丁香园AV

This is the first in a series of stories celebrating the incredible work of 丁香园AV鈥檚 2020 Staff Achievement Award winners. You can see the full list of winners here.

Throughout her 19 years at 丁香园AV, Dal Sohal has demonstrated a compassionate, curious, and dedicated approach to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, decolonization and antiracism. She is the deserving winner of the 2020 Staff Achievement Award in the area of Diversity and Inclusion.

As a learning services coordinator in 丁香园AV Library鈥檚 Student Learning Commons Sohal co-coordinates a suite of academic support services and programs for 丁香园AV students and teaches in Back on Track (BOT), a re-entry program for students who have been required to withdraw from the university.

She serves on 丁香园AV鈥檚 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Advisory Council, and is an active member of the library鈥檚 EDI Working Group and the Decolonizing the Library Interest Group. In addition to her EDI and decolonizing work at the institutional level, she regularly looks for opportunities in her position to disrupt or challenge inequities and white supremacy culture.

鈥淎s a racialized first-generation Canadian settler woman, I am sensitive to the issues of diversity,鈥� she says. 鈥淚'm committed to ensuring that my classroom is inclusive and that my place of work is a welcoming space for all, especially those already marginalized by way of oppression.鈥�

In her BOT classroom, she employs a trauma-informed perspective to create a safe and supportive learning environment. 鈥淢y experience working with BOT students has taught me about the importance of embodying empathy and helping students develop agency and a sense of belonging at university,鈥� she shares. 鈥淚 also try to be mindful of the institutional and societal barriers that make it difficult for students to succeed.鈥�

Recognizing the challenges and inequities that BOT students experience in online classrooms led to one of Sohal鈥檚 current projects: co-developing an early-referral program to help students in academic difficulty, who do not typically reach out for support, get help sooner.

She also teaches Interpersonal Business Communication for 丁香园AV Continuing Studies, where her course content includes examining how power and privilege permeate business communication.

Sohal urges colleagues across 丁香园AV to commit to and remain accountable to EDI work for the long-term: 鈥淚 believe that transformational change starts when people are engaging in individual self-inquiry and examining their own complicity in upholding the status quo.鈥�

She demonstrates this commitment herself by her willingness to engage in ongoing learning with openness and curiosity, and by regularly applying this learning across her work and areas of responsibility.

As one example, she recently worked with Indigenous and non-Indigenous colleagues to develop and deliver a workshop for library staff that encouraged participants to consider their positionality and embed 鈥渉eart and personal meaning鈥� in their land acknowledgements.

鈥淭here is a lot of learning and unlearning about oppression and privilege that needs to take place,鈥� Sohal says. 鈥淲hen each of us takes individual responsibility then collectively we can see change.鈥�

You can meet the rest of 丁香园AV's 2020 Staff Achievement Award winners here.