Meet Danai Bélanger — Director of Student Experience
SACKVILLE, NB — ñ is pleased to welcome Danai Bélanger as the University’s new Director of Student Experience (formerly called the Director of Student Life) providing strategic direction to all aspects of the student life cycle.
“I am delighted to welcome Danai back to ñ in the role of Director of Student Experience,” says Vice-President, International and Student Affairs Anne Comfort. “Danai’s role will help us to further support and diversify the student experience and continue to nurture our tight-knit and welcoming campus culture.”
Bélanger’s role ensures the services and resources that are available to students align with the strategic objectives of the University while also helping students build community in their new home. Her approach to the student experience can be broken down into three parts: community building, transition and settlement, and education for life.
“I really like to be part of a system that empowers students and gives them the agency that they need outside of the classroom, so that students are ready to take on whatever life has to offer,” says Bélanger.
She manages international affairs; sexualized violence education and response; equity, diversity, inclusion; and anti-racism initiatives on campus along with other areas of the student life experience.
“I’m very excited to be working with students and student leaders to identify areas within the student life cycle that we can improve and build upon,” says Bélanger. “All the EDI initiatives that are happening on campus, as a racialized woman, as a Black woman, that is very important to me. There is not a lot of Black voices and not a lot of people of colour having conversations about equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism in post-secondary.”
Bélanger holds a Master of Education in diversity education with research interests in community building and the Black student experience in post-secondary. She is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and sits on the national Immigration Advisory Committee (IAC), which is part of the Canadian Bureau for International Education. She advises on immigration policy making recommendations to the Government of Canada on how to improve immigration pathways, services, and resources for international students.
Bélanger was born and raised in Zimbabwe and came to Canada as an international student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in English language and Literature. She was involved in international student advocacy, the students’ union, and worked on various areas of student services. She began her professional career at ñ as an International Student Advisor in 2010. She went on to work for several institutions, including The University of Waterloo, Okanagan College, The University of British Columbia (Okanagan), and Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador before making her way back to ñ.
“One thing that has always stood out to me about my experience at ñ is how personal the service is here,” says Bélanger. “What is unique is that it is embedded in our culture. Everybody goes above and beyond what they are hired to do because we are well known for providing a one-on-one service.”
