Zaida-Joy Aurelius She/Her

Zaida-Joy Aurelius grew up in Scarborough. She knew she belonged in the arts as early as the 8th grade, when she auditioned for a performing arts high school in the city. Since then, Zaida-Joy had explored every art she could including dance, illustration, vocal music, writing and filmmaking, but none have spoken more to her than voice acting. She has expanded her craft into a multitude of artistic mediums including coding, interactive storytelling and virtual reality. Zaida-Joy has a great interest in cultural and culturally-related art. Being bilingual (English and French) and working her way to becoming trilingual by learning Chinese Mandarin, Zaida-Joy loves learning about the history and experiences of people all over the globe.

Accolades and awards

• The Dennis Mock Student Leadership Award 

What does it mean to be a Black TMU grad?

It means becoming another reason for a Black student behind me to go for it. It can be really hard as a Black person to try something that, perceivably, very few Black people have tried for whatever reason. If you look at the grad list and see "Oh! there's a Black person in this class!" you might feel that studying something you love (in my case, it was art) isn't that out of reach.

What advice do you have for other Black students at TMU?

Look for the clubs, the events and the gatherings. I know it sounds cheesy, but having a place to connect with people that shared my experiences made a big difference in my final year, especially since I didn't have a chance to at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It really helps!

Social Media

Find Zaida on LinkedIn  (external link) 
Twitter: @zaida_joy (external link)