Onyx Initiative is a gamechanger for young people aspiring to work in corporate world
March 3, 2025
Networking builds relationships and opens doors to new opportunities.
A year ago, Darius Bruno was flying by the seat of his pants.
Unsure about a career path to pursue his skills and knowledge and without knowing anyone to help him chart a course, he was introduced to the Onyx Initiative that bridges the gap in recruitment and selection of Black college and university students along with recent graduates for roles in corporate Canada.
Early Childhood educator Leslieann McLean-Bruno, who left Trinidad & Tobago in June 1972, told her son about the program.
“She is always looking for opportunities to help my two young siblings and I advance,” said Bruno. “When I was younger, mom and dad (Gary Bruno) talked to me about the importance of networking and acquiring internships, but I didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying.”
The lightbulb came on after his first networking event at OPTrust which invests and manages Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the Ontario Public Service Employees Union pension plan.
Suddenly, the young man saw the wisdom in what his parents were preaching.
“I was very apprehensive and unsure of myself going into that event,” recounted Bruno who completed high school at St. Michael’s College School. “As soon as I got into that space, everyone made me feel welcomed and I perked up.”
Meeting Satwant Pannu, who is OPTrust Senior Vice-President of Information Technology Operations & Security, was a Godsend.
“I am considering getting into the cybersecurity field,” he said. “Because of Onyx, I was able to meet someone in the field who could guide me. Previously, I was on LinkedIn where people are not comfortable sharing much information if they don’t know you. I am now doing a lot of networking and meeting amazing people who are giving me advice to advance my career.”
They include Pannu who is mentoring Bruno who started university to become a therapist.
He changed course and graduated with a Psychology degree in 2022 from Wilfrid Laurier.
Still unsure of a career goal, Bruno took a year off before doing a Computer Programming diploma course at Seneca College.
“I have always been big on technology and I love doing computer graphics,” he pointed out. “I built computers and did troubleshooting for friends’ devices. My YouTube channel is all about tech videos.”
While enrolled in the Onyx program, he started the BusyQA 14-week cybersecurity analyst and co-op program.
“Because of this program and Onyx, I have learnt more than I did in the four years doing a university degree,” added Bruno who was among Onyx scholars, employee partners and supporters celebrated at the second annual gala on February 22 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Toronto.
The young scholars have access to personal and professional development courses via a curated LinkedIn Learning Path and they engage in executive fireside chats with successful business leaders and take part in employer discovery sessions with recruiters and decision-makers from some of Canada’s largest firms, including Bell, Hyundai Auto Canada, BMO, PwC, CIBC, National Bank, HOOPP, OPTrust, Home Depot, OTPP, Eli Lilly Canada, Air Canada and TD.
In addition, they can go to a job board with hundreds of co-op placements, internships and full-time opportunities offered by Onyx’s partners and a LinkedIn group that is exclusively for scholars to engage with each other and share insights, information, advice or inspiring personal stories.
York University Schulich School of Business final-year student Ramla Elmi learnt about the program in 2021 through a friend who is an Onyx graduate.
Ramla Elmi (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Born in Canada, she spent her formative years in Egypt before returning to pursue higher education.
“When I learnt that Onyx is a community that supports Black students, I jumped at the opportunity because that is what I needed at the time,” Elmi said. “I enjoyed the networking sessions and the job board was beneficial because it is an exclusive pathway.”
Through the program, she secured a four-month IT Risk Management internship at Mackenzie Investments in 2023.
Young people who make a positive impression during their internship often have a good chance of being offered full-time employment.
Human Resource professional Dwight Gayle, who was with Mackenzie at the time, was Elmi’s mentor.
“When I applied for a job with them and got an interview, one of the first things the interviewer said is, ‘We heard good things about you’,” she pointed out.
Since August 2023, Elmi has been a Cybersecurity Analyst with Mackenzie Investments, one of Canada’s largest investment management firms.
Gayle said his mentee is an outstanding student who is keen on pursuing opportunities that impact her personal and professional development.
“She quickly embraced the responsibilities of the role, sought and acted on feedback and made a significant impact on the team,” he added. “Her passion to learn and grow and her commitment to making a key contribution will see her making significant strides in her career.”
Buoyed by the Onyx experience, Elmi -- who aspires to be a Software Engineer -- is an Onyx Ambassador at York University.
“It is such a joy for me to tell students about my Onyx experience and promote the program,” the 2025 Onyx Scholar Award recipient said.
The award is presented to a student who is passionate about Onyx’s mission and vision, takes advantage of various career success resources, possesses proven leadership and is a genuine collaborator, among other things.
Part of Onyx’s unique experience is participating in webinars and interactive sessions focused on resume writing, honing interview and pitch skills, mental health and well-being, and transitioning into the workforce.
After completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba, Chimdinma Chijioke needed help enhancing her resume.
The Onyx Initiative provided her with that assistance and more.
“The program opened me up to a world of possibilities,” said the University of Manitoba Black Students Union Co-founder who majored in Political Science and minored in Asian Studies. “I did not know what my career would look like or what I could aspire to be. Through the fireside chats with Black professionals and employer discovery sessions, I was like, ‘Wow, I could do a lot career wise’.”
Chijioke came to Canada at age 15 as an international student from Nigeria.
“I didn’t know the ropes when I got here,” she said. “Everything was new. Getting into the Onyx program set me up for success, including a career. I am so excited and grateful for that opportunity. The sense of community and belonging I have found has been instrumental in my personal and career development. Onyx is a gamechanger for me.”
Onyx Initiative graduate Chimdinma Chijioke is entering McMaster University later this year to pursue an MBA (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Chijioke enters McMaster University in September to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in finance.
Over 1,000 young people have been exposed to the Onyx Initiative since its inception in 2020.
The window for new applicants, that opened in January, closes next month with the launch of the sixth cohort.
“The Onyx Initiative is more than just a program,” said alumna Jania Husbands-Jackson who is an Environmental, Social & Governance and Sustainability Co-ordinator at Colliers. “It supports and provides us time to figure things out, helping to light a path to a future I never thought was possible.”
Onyx Initiative graduate Jania Husbands-Jackson (Photo contributed)
With far too many Black and racialized students missing out on professional opportunities in corporate Canada because of a paucity of social networks and mentorship, serial entrepreneurs Wayne and Nigela Purboo launched the groundbreaking initiative after the unprecedented social unrest wave following George Floyd’s murder in May 2020.
They wanted to send a clear message to Canadian businesses that qualified and ambitious Black candidates exist.
“Nigela and I felt we had to respond with more than a donation to a worthy cause,” Wayne Purboo said. “This event touched us in a way like no other. We began to contemplate how we can have a generational impact on the Black community. We wanted to build something that could be sustainable, lift the Black community and be a valuable asset to Canada.”
In the wake of Floyd’s murder, many companies across various industries took action to show support for racial justice and inequality.
In response to recent political and social pressure, some have reversed course on diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)-related policies and pledges.
That does not sit well with the Purboo family which is awarding $5,000 to four Black students annually to assist with their academic expenses.
“For too many reasons to name, the attack on DEI is so heartbreaking to Wayne and me, partially because of the challenges we have faced with inherent bias and discrimination on our journeys,” Nigela Purboo said. “This unfortunate reality is still prevalent and impacts our sons, nieces, nephews and other loved ones as well as the many hardworking, intelligent and highly qualified scholars who are investing their time and money to earn and learn the necessary skills to have access to opportunities, not be given opportunities. The ancestry of all immigrant families, regardless of race or ethnicity, is built on hard work, determination and earning our way…DEI is not about giving opportunities to people who are not qualified. It is about ensuring that people who are more than qualified are not excluded based on race, gender, religion, disabilities or sexual orientation. DEI is in alignment with merit-based hiring and not in opposition to it.
“We have said many times before that we started Onyx with the hope that one day this organization will not be needed because the recruitment, hiring and promotion practices in Canadian society and globally will be based on merit and not means, skills and not the school you graduated from, ambition and not just access to the right people. No one values a system of meritocracy more than the underserved who, contrary to the belief of some, are not undeserving.”
Onyx presented awards to several of its partners.
McMaster University was the recipient of the Education Award, the Community Award was presented to King’s Trust Canada and OPTrust and CIBC were recognized with Employer honours.
There is a reason why Onyx Volunteer Award winner Dwight Rodgers is passionate about giving back.
When he and his family arrived in Hamilton in the early 1990s, they didn’t know anyone or anything about their new surroundings.
“It was the first time I had travelled on an aircraft and I felt isolated and overwhelmed when I got here,” said Rodgers who is an advisory board member of the Pan African Credit Union that is seeking regulatory approval. “I cried and told my parents I wanted to go back to Jamaica. In my four years at McMaster, I don’t think I had someone I could call a friend. Years later, I thought about how much difference it would have made if I had someone to help me negotiate a new country. That is when I decided I had to help someone else, whether formally or informally. Knowledge is power and if I could help a young person clear a few hurdles, why not do it?”
Onyx Initiative mentor Dwight Rodgers (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
A mentor-mentee relationship works when both sides are committed, open and willing to learn from each other.
“I gave perspective and not direction,” said Rodgers who attended Campion College in Jamaica and played soccer with Hamilton Steelers in the Canadian Soccer League. “If you are an introvert, I can’t give you a strategy that may work with an extrovert. The first question to my mentees is ‘What are you looking for in this relationship’?”
For businesses to sustain and grow, they must evaluate a range of factors.
The Onyx co-founders understand that and are proactive.
“Specifically, we would like to grow our team and the number of scholars we admit into the program to bring in more applications from students and recent graduates outside of Ontario and raise awareness amongst both high school graduates and first or second-year post-secondary students about the importance of joining our program to get their foot in the door early,” Nigela Purboo added.
“This is so important since insights from our employer partners and our research confirm that corporate Canada is more inclined to select candidates that come from their internship pool. Also, we want to continually raise Onyx profile to attract more corporate partners from a wider range of industries as well as educational and community partners who can support our efforts in reaching our ideal scholars. It truly takes a village. So, the more like-minded and empathetic allies that we bring into the fold, the better.”
By providing expertise and strategic guidance, advisory board members are crucial to the success of an organization.
Onyx has some of the well-connected and brightest minds at their disposal, including George Brown College president Dr. Gervan Fearon, PwC Partner Angela Yoo, Bell Canada Senior Vice President Jennifer Pavlov, BMO Financial Group Chief Inclusion Officer Vanessa Lewerentz, TD Bank Group Senior Manager Sharon Chung and Toronto Metropolitan University Chancellor Donette Chin-Loy Chang.
