To describe my time at McGill University as transformative would not fully capture its impact. Because, after all, the trajectory it took was not entirely up to serendipity. In fact, I had long envisioned McGill as the only institution where I could pursue all my passions, and as a result, it was the only university I applied to. Walking onto campus for the first time thus felt like a dream achieved; so much so that I became involved on campus only thirty days after the first day of classes.
As a timid yet fearless freshman, there I was, at the dawn of fall, walking in my first fashion show organized by CoF McGill. Strutting next to the pools of the Olympic Stadium, this experience taught me how to dive head first into the unknown, and how to swim through the waves of new, exciting paths. Whether facing a tidal wave of opportunity or a sudden surge of fear, it didn’t matter: I would keep on swimming. And it is this pelagic mindset, coupled with a resilience that I credit to my Haitian heritage, that I believe resulted in making my McGill experience such an odyssey.
Throughout my journey, I strived to turn lemons into lemonade in and out of campus, starting with my involvement with UNICEF Canada. During my first year, I led a brilliant team of people from across the nation to create an Advocacy Plan against racism and discrimination in Canadian institutions. I presented our published research at Parliament Hill during World Children's Day, and have been blessed to continue such work ever since, as an appointed UNICEF Canada Youth Advocate.
In the midst of the conversations occurring on the Hill, one moment that stayed with me was when a Member of Parliament, the Honourable Arielle Kayabaga, asked me what I enjoyed doing most aside from advocacy. She stressed the importance of investing in the myriad of our passions, and how, in return, they could make us stronger leaders. I took those words to heart and turned to what I love doing most: creating. Among the many projects I made at McGill, one I'm most proud of is Harantxa’ s Court of Style, a creative project that was liked by Zendaya and reposted by Serena Williams on social media.
Published in the third edition of the student magazine Pamplemousse, this moment showed me our ability, even as students, to extend the reach of scholastic endeavours far beyond campus. I kept that same vision in class: while Professor Alain Farah’s Atelier d’écriture made me experiment with diglossic writing in French and Haitian Creole, a method I still employ,
Professor Amber Rose Johnson’s warm advice and coursework in Political and Cultural Theory encouraged me to showcase my artworks more zealously. Thereafter, they were displayed in multiple events and journals, including a six-month exhibition in Montreal. Over the span of my degree, serving as a Research Assistant for Professor Katherine Zien’s book project, speaking about my experiences on the radio and as a panelist, or engaging with cultural leaders as Culture Editor at Le Délit, all contributed to my sense of direction. Interviewing figures such as Dr. Monica L. Miller, co-curator of the 2025 Met Gala exhibition, Matthew Rankin, director of Canada’s 2025 Oscar selection for Best International Feature Film, or co-interviewing a hundred-plus Montrealers as a RISE Ambassador, reinforced my understanding that a protean perspective is central to one’s adroitness to question the status quo; which informed my role as a United Nations Delegate in the McGill Youth Advisory Delegation.
Indeed, after months of co-authoring policy recommendations, I had the honour of presenting them alongside my fellow delegates at the United Nations during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. Engaging with world leaders in that setting amplified the curiosity I have for the way culture, politics, and intellectualism intersect transatlantically. And by the beginning of my third and final year, my curiosity ultimately led me to an academic exchange at Sciences Po Paris.
As much as I enjoyed the Parisian art de vivre, it didn’t last long before flying to Barcelona to serve as the first Youth Representative of Canada in the history of MONDIACULT, UNESCO’s quadrennial World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development. For the first time since 1982, Member States formally included Youth Representatives in the Conference, making my appointment by the Government of Canada historically significant. As such, my undergraduate experience unfolded through a series of milestones that surpassed my wildest dreams.
This journey was far from easy. Being able to venture into this many adventures while pursuing my academic goals showed me how capable I am, but nothing would have been possible without my faith and my family’s support. It is their prayers and encouragement that have dared me to raise the bar every time I have started something new, and for that, my gratitude cannot be expressed through words.
Above all, amid the sea of surprises that awaits after graduation, I will remind myself, and I encourage you, to remember the lesson my first activity at McGill taught me: to keep on swimming.
Harantxa is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Honours International Development Studies and a minor in French Literature. With experience in academic research, presenting on national and international stages, and writing and creating works that extend her interests beyond scholarship, Harantxa was involved in more activities than one can count. She will now embark on a new journey in New York City, as a PhD student at Columbia University. Researching in the Department of French, she hopes to deepen the questions explored in her research regarding transcultural identity formation, as seen notably in her UNESCO-published piece on Haitian-Canadian identity. When she’s not busy, you can find her at the movie theater, travelling, or exploring museums.