How mentorship shaped Jamaican-Canadian scholar’s journey

In a year marked by both loss and professional milestones, one young scholar has found herself reflecting deeply on the people, places, and moments that shaped her journey from a third-generation Jamaican-Canadian, unsure of her academic path, to an acclaimed doctoral researcher whose work bridges diaspora, culture, and identity.

Recently inducted into the prestigious Edward A Bouchet Graduate Honor Society at Yale University, Kayonne Christy is quick to deflect attention away from herself. For her, the recognition is not a solitary achievement; instead it is the culmination of years of guidance, encouragement, and belief from mentors who helped to shape her.

Christy, a doctoral candidate in sociology at the University of Michigan, did not always envision this path. In fact, the 31-year old’s journey into academia began in a very different place.

As the first in her family to attend university, she entered McMaster University with her sights set firmly on medicine. She enrolled in life sciences but something didn’t quite fit.

“I thought, maybe university just isn’t supposed to be enjoyable,” she recalled. “But at the same time, I was always drawn to questions about inequality and social systems.”

That pull toward social justice, which she explored through campus organising and community involvement, set the stage for a new found love of sociology. It came in the form of a research opportunity, one that introduced her to qualitative research and had her looking at the social determinants of health. Christy saw a way to merge her scientific training with her curiosity about how society shapes lived experiences.

But even then, the shift was not one she navigated alone.

Central to that transformation was Professor Juliet Daniel, a mentor Christy shared had passed away the day before she sat with Observer Online for this interview. Daniel, a Barbadian-born cancer biologist at McMaster University, was the first Caribbean woman Christy had met who held a PhD.

“That mattered more than I can explain,” Christy said. “Seeing someone who looked like me, who shared a similar background, made me believe that it was possible.”

Daniel’s passing has made Christy’s reflections on her journey even more poignant. She credits the late cancer biologist along with other mentors, such as Dr Lawrence Grierson and Dr Meredith Vanstone, with helping her navigate her academic journey.

“If it weren’t for them,” she said, “I don’t know if I would be doing a PhD right now.”

It was another mentor’s suggestion that ultimately led Christy to sociology. She joined a programme at the University of British Columbia, where she worked with Dr Gerry Veenstra, one of the few scholars in Canada studying racial disparities in health at the time. There, Christy found herself leaning into the process.

“What I appreciated about sociology was how broad it is,” she explained. “It allowed me to explore different interests while still staying connected to the questions I care about.”

Those questions regarding race, inequality, health, and systems of power would eventually lead her to the University of Michigan, home to one of the world’s leading sociology programmes.

For Christy, this work is not just academic, it also holds personal significance.

Though born in Canada, her connection to Jamaica has grown over time. It wasn’t until her early 20s, during a visit for a family reunion, that Jamaica felt like home to her.

“I fell in love with Jamaica,” she said with a smile.

As her academic interests evolved, so too did her commitment to ensuring Jamaica remained central to her work. Now based in Kingston for her research, Christy is examining how members of the diaspora are contributing to the city’s cultural and creative economy and what that means for urban change.

“Culture is such a central part of the Jamaican diasporic experience,” she explained. “As Kingston moves toward culture-led development, there are new opportunities for the diaspora to engage and contribute. But there are also challenges, and I want to understand both.”

As she learns and navigates this journey, Christy shares that she believes in “lifting as you climb,” a philosophy rooted in her own experiences of being supported along the way.

“Anything I’ve done is a product of people who poured into me,” she said. “Mentors, family, and community made this possible.”

Her family’s support, she adds, has been unwavering.

Now, as she looks toward completing her PhD by 2027, Christy remains focused not just on finishing her dissertation, but on continuing the legacy of those that shaped her.