Empowering Black students with Crown Mentorship

Moyo Williams is proactively working on starting his career while completing his studies. The civil environmental engineering student at the University of Alberta participated in Mentorship Shadow Day in Edmonton, where he connected with Deloitte professionals from the Black community for an inside look at the working world. Moyo instantly knew he was in the right place.

“I felt at home because the people from Deloitte were very kind and down to earth,” says Moyo.

Something Josephine Okunlola, a consultant in Technology & Transformation, who hosted the event, wish she experienced as a student.

“Growing up, sometimes you are the only Black person in the room,” says Josephine. “A day like this gives people a thought that I’m not the only one here, there’s someone else like me in this field."

The Mentorship Shadow Day is organized by the Crown Mentorship Foundation (CMF), a non-profit dedicated to providing formal mentorship programs that connect Black professionals with industry leaders. Deloitte supported this event through its Impact Every Day program, which encourages Deloitte professionals to volunteer their time and knowledge to empower individuals from underrepresented communities and help prepare them for the future of work. The collaboration between Crown Mentorship and Deloitte reflects a shared commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and professional growth for the Black community.

Josephine noticed the networking sessions, which provided more than career advice, received positive feedback.

“The students were able to build connections and share each other’s LinkedIn pages.” said Josephine. “As important as it is to know your stuff, developing your networking skills is also important and can only be learned in practice.”

Deloitte also sponsors CMF’s Alliance Program that provides bursaries. In 2024, our firm provided $20,000, resulting in six students receiving $2,500 towards their education. Deloitte has increased funding to $30,000 in 2025.

“Deloitte has been amazing to work with,” says President & CEO Siju Fatona of the Crown Mentorship Foundation. “We look forward to continued growth and to make this opportunity available across Canada.”