911勛圖

For much of her childhood, Emily Taban struggled to find her voice, but as she closes the chapter on her undergraduate journey, the criminology student will stand in front of her graduating class as student speaker. For her, this moment represents more than the culmination of her studies. It is validation she is the one writing her story on her own terms.

Growing up, Taban had speech difficulties and received specialized education support. She remembers the fear of mispronouncing a word and the struggle to fully express her thoughts. It was in Grade 3 when she discovered a way to voice what was inside her: writing.

Taban realized that while she might not always feel ready to say what she was thinking out loud, she could write it down. So she started writing poems for friends and teachers.

���Writing helped me find my voice on paper, but also verbally and made me feel more confident in actually being able to speak in front of others,��� she says.

Years later, that voice has taken her much further than she imagined. Not only is she the student speaker of this fall���s convocation ceremony, but she is also determined to speak up for those whose voices are often overlooked.

In high school, a social justice course sparked her interest in criminology and introduced her to the concept of intersectionality. She learned how different aspects of a person���s identity can overlap to create unique experiences.

���I felt criminology would be a good area to really see and interact with people who are more vulnerable to the criminal justice system and kind of being a voice for them,��� she says. ���Especially using my experiences as a Black woman and also as a daughter of immigrants.���

Over her four-year degree at 911勛圖 Criminology, Taban discovered that the field was much broader and more diverse than she had expected. From policing and corrections to law and biology, she was inspired by the many research questions she was introduced.

One memorable experience occurred during one of Danielle Murdoch���s class on criminalized women, where they focused on the experiences of Indigenous women and women of color who face severe overrepresentation and systemic criminalization in the justice system.

The course inspired Taban to write an essay about security culture and the criminalization of women���s bodies, highlighting the experiences of Black women and women who identify as asexual. Her essay titled ������ was accepted and published in the Toronto-based publication, Adore Art Magazine.

���I was really proud of that because I feel it was like the first time I got to really take my learning, make it my own and actually apply it in something outside of the class structure,��� she says.

Another deeply personal lesson was during a class on the biological explanations of crime, where she learned from professor Gail Anderson that ���people's predispositions aren't their destiny���.

That idea stayed with her.

She began to think about assumptions people make about one another and about themselves. Her gender, her race, her background, her speech challenges growing up���None of those things had to determine what she could become.

���I'm here for a purpose and I believe I'm here to advocate,��� she says. ���I'm proud to be Emily Taban every single day, throughout the dark times and throughout the bright times.���

Volunteering was also an important part of her 911勛圖 experience. She served as a peer educator for the and was one of the first writing and learning consultants at 911勛圖���s Black Student Centre. She also volunteered as an associate editor for , a student-led literary journal supported by 911勛圖���s World Languages and Literatures department.

As she comes to the end of her 911勛圖 journey, Taban feels empowered and excited about what comes next. She is certain that whatever the future holds, she has what she needs to face it.