Social Sciences valedictorian Malaika Manda crossed an ocean and found a community

From her first Canadian winter to the convocation stage, Manda found friendship, support and a sense of belonging at McMaster.

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When Malaika Manda came to Canada from Malawi to study at McMaster, one worry stood out: the infamous Canadian winter.

“I was really nervous, especially about winter. I was shocked about how the sun disappears and the temperatures get crazy,” she said.

“But, luckily, my Canadian friends really helped me get through it.”

That sense of support, she says, is what helped McMaster feel less like a place she was adjusting to, and more like a place she belonged.

Now, four Canadian winters later, Manda is ready to give her valedictory address at convocation, where she will graduate in economics and political science.

Four years ago, when Malaika was deciding where to go to university, she knew she wanted to go abroad. The options seemed endless, but once she had decided on Canada, it wasn’t long before she homed in on McMaster.

“I was looking for a place that would feel like a home away from home,” she said. “So I did a lot of intensive online research, trying to figure out what schools felt like they could really facilitate my academic growth, but also give me a community as well.

“McMaster felt like it had the strongest sense of community and students that helped each other succeed.

“And I’m glad to report that all of my internet stalking was accurate! I was really happy with my choice.”

Her choice to go into economics and political science was a fairly natural one based on her interests.

“I was always curious about how the world works, especially being from Malawi,” she said. “Malawi is a beautiful country but it has its share of economic hardships. And you can’t help but wonder, growing up in a country in the global South, about how the world works and why is this the way it is and how can we improve that? How can we fix where we are?”

Admittedly, there were times when being so far away from home took its toll, but, just like it was during that first deep winter, it was her friends who got her through it.

“I didn’t feel nervous when I came back for second year,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was going to like this like really foreign place. There were people that I had connected with, people that I was excited to see, people who were excited to see me.”

Indeed, connection and community were some of the biggest themes of Manda’s time at McMaster. She quickly got involved with the Black Student Success centre, where she found a welcoming group of like-minded students that she could connect with.

She then joined the McMaster Social Sciences Society (MSSS).

“Both the BSSC and MSSS really helped me find my people,” she said.

Manda joined MSSS as a diversity officer, before becoming the vice-president of administration in her third year, before eventually becoming the society president.

And it’s no surprise that Manda’s time in all three roles was about creating a welcoming community for all.

“I just kept on thinking, ‘there’s more that we could be doing with this society, there’s more that we could be giving back to our peers and creating a real community amongst social science students’, which is ultimately the goal of the MSSS,” she said.

Manda also made a point of increasing the presence of MSSS in the wider campus community, facilitating conversations to make sure that social sciences students were represented in different aspects of McMaster life.

“I made a point to ensure that we were always represented,” she said. “And I think that did make a real difference because we had a better idea of what was going on across campus and how that would affect social sciences students.”

After Manda graduates in June, she’s moving to London, UK, where she’s been accepted into a prestigious double-degree master’s program with the London School of Economics and the University of Toronto.

After that, she doesn’t have any concrete plans apart from going into a field where she can give back to her home community.

“I’m just really hoping to be able to be lucky enough to work in something that where I can give back to my home in one way or another,” she said.

For Manda, the biggest lesson she gained at McMaster is the value of collaboration.

“There’s an African saying that goes, ‘if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together’,” she said.

“And that’s been paramount to my experience here. When you’re lucky enough to go to a really prestigious university like McMaster, sometimes you feel like you make your way independently.

“But, being willing to ask for help and being lucky enough to have people who are willing to help you and making sure that we all really succeed together, I think that has been testament to my experience at McMaster.

“And it’s something that I’ve also tried to exemplify. I’ve always tried to give back and make sure that I approach success as a more collaborative thing rather than an individual thing.”