Mandy Bonisteel shares her wisdom with Loyalist grads

By Steph Crosier

BELLEVILLE, ON (09/06/11) Mandy Bonisteel gave the convocational address during Loyalist College's 44th convocation. Spoke of the benefitting from feecback, facing adversity, wanting to see the world as a better place, and her anti-violence work. Photo by Linda Horn

Mandy Bonisteel told Loyalist College grads to trust the wisdom education has given them because it is the best guide to life.

“I know that many of you have experienced some form of adversity in your life, a rough patch that you’ve been through,” said Bonisteel. “And I know that you know, as life brings you opportunities and change happens, that adversity turns into wisdom. That wisdom is probably the best guild.”

Bonisteel gave the convocational address at the 44^th Loyalist College convocation ceremonies. In an interview Bonisteel explained her message to the grads.

“My main message had really to do with our relatedness with each other,” said Bonisteel. “There is no such thing as a relationship in which both of us don’t learn. So if we do want to end poverty and violence or really do social change work, we need to be in relationships with those people who need those changes to take place.”

Bonisteel graduated from Loyalist’s nursing program in 1978. Since then she has worked as a nurse but also been an activist and advocate as well as a consultant in the anti-violence movement.

Her primary focus has been adult survivors of sexual abuse. Her projects have set her all over the world including in countries like Bosnia Herzegovina, Kosovo, Namibia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, India and Samoa. Bonisteel is now a professor at George Brown College in Toronto, teaching assaulted women’s and children’s counsellor/advocate program.

More significantly, Bonisteel is a recipient of the Ontario Medal of Citizenship, and in 2010 she was awarded the Premier’s award in Health Sciences.

It was at Loyalist that she learned what she was capable of.

“What I discovered at Loyalist College was that I had to be, I had to do, I had to act, and I had to receive feedback about that,” said Bonisteel. “The feedback I received from my professors was feedback from people who believed that I also should be there, and they were helping me get there.  And I am now, more than 30 years later, very grateful.”

During her address Bonisteel touched upon social myths in the world.

“It is important to uncover stereotypes and preconceived ideas and myths about people if you’re going to provide excellent health care,” said Bonisteel later. “So, I’m learning, myths and ideas that stop us from seeing the barriers that many people have. Either its access to health care or education, we sort of have to unlearn those preconceived ideas in order to do good work.”

“I’d grown and matured in my program and I was ready for take off,” said Bonisteel. “I just didn’t know what that takeoff would look like. And one thing I can promise you is that the greatest thing about being alive is how life changes, and how life changes us, if we let it do that.”