A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Sarah Chiavarini (BBA '16) remembers the first time she entered Laurier's Waterloo campus Indigenous Student Centre as a warm and welcoming experience.
"They helped me with everything I could possibly imagine," Chiavarini says. "I'm a huge advocate for the Indigenous Student Centre, which is one reason why I'm trying to help with students there and mentor them."
Today, Chiavarini is a second-year student at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.
"I always knew I wanted to get into law school," Chiavarini says. "As a seven year old, I was walking around telling people: 'I want to be a lawyer.'"
Chiavarini grew up in St. Catharines with family ties to Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Her father owned a small business, sparking an interest that would see her enrol at Laurier's Lazaridis School of Business and Economics.
– Sarah Chiavarini
"I also grew up in love with the idea of being an entrepreneur," Chiavarini says.
Chiavarini credits the learning opportunities she had at Laurier with preparing her well for law school.
"I like Laurier for a million reasons, but the business program is just incomparable to other schools in the way it gets you involved," she says. "I think the business program helped positively affect my experience in the law environment."
During her time at Laurier, Chiavarini became involved in clubs and organizations, including serving as assistant to the events coordinator at the Waterloo campus Indigenous Student Centre and as a marketing and communications intern in the Office of Indigenous Initiatives. She was also a member of the university's recreational dance team.
Chiavarini's other work includes assisting in the development of a career coach role geared toward Indigenous students at Niagara College.