Rayon Finnikin grew up in Bethel Town, Westmoreland, a community near Montego Bay, Jamaica. In his youth, he came to Canada as a refugee to start his life over. “I came to Canada with little to no confidence because I grew up thinking that I would never be able to reach university,” Finnikin says. “To be thinking about Convocation now is still hard to believe.”
Due to the lack of opportunities available to him while growing up, Finnikin was always passionate about supporting marginalized and at-risk youth. This naturally led him to his current role as a guidance services assistant with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), where he worked full-time while studying Law and minoring in Psychology at Carleton.
Rayon Finnikin
“I knew that long term, I would be working within the community,” says Finnikin, who is receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Law. “I wanted to have a better understanding of the legal system in Canada to help individuals navigate the system and also understand psychology to offer mental health support.” Carleton, he says, provided him with the tools and knowledge to apply what he learned to real-world settings.
He thanked Prof. Zeina Bou-Zeid for taking an interest in his professional and academic development. “I learned so much about grammar, citation, and communication in her course,” Finnikin adds. “She talked to me about my long-term goals, and it helped push me into the direction I wanted to go.”
Although Finnikin has reached the finish line on his undergraduate degree, his educational journey is just beginning. He is looking forward to starting a Bachelor of Education at the University of Ottawa in September. He hopes to continue his journey as a social justice educator and redefine what is means to have education equality.
Congratulations Rayon!