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This article is part of our series profiling the Class of 2018 鈥� the grads of Dal's 200th year. Click here for more profiles, and learn more about Dal Convocation at the Convocation website.

Looking back on his childhood growing up in the Bahamas, Mario Rolle points to two main things that shaped him as a person: growing up in poverty, and discovering that even from a young age, he was driven to make a difference.

鈥淔rom a very young boy, my goal was to help people. It was something I always found fulfilling,鈥� he says.

As a child, Mario says he didn鈥檛 realize he was poor. Looking back now through the lens of someone with five university degrees (including the Masters of Social Work he will receive in the fall), he sees clearly how the social determinants of health can keep people down. He sees mentorship as key to helping people overcome these barriers.

鈥淚 advocate for mentorship. If you鈥檙e in a position in life where you鈥檙e doing well, you need to mentor someone else. My goal is to help others, and to keep bringing people up 鈥� not so that they can be me, but so that they be the best person they can be.鈥�

Important outreach and community work

During his MSW program, Mario has had the opportunity to work first-hand with underserved and marginalized communities, such as at-risk youth and young men involved the prison system. He was an outreach worker for at-risk youth with a local non-profit organization in Dartmouth, a role he found very fulfilling.

鈥淥ur focus was on empowering young people, and helping them to see their potential. A lot of the guys I worked with are natural leaders, but they can鈥檛 see it because they are in the poverty bubble,鈥� he says.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to let these guys know: it鈥檚 not where you鈥檙e at now in life that counts, it鈥檚 where you鈥檙e headed. You may be frustrated, you may be in poverty, but there will be an end to that hard road you are on. It may take 20 years, but you can pull yourself out of it. But first you need to change your thinking; you need to step out of the bubble.鈥�

Mario first came to Canada in 2009 to pursue his dreams of education and found social work to be his calling. He was attracted to Dalhousie because of its excellent reputation. In addition to other degrees earned at various universities, Mario has a Bachelor of Social Work he earned from Dal in 2015. This fall, he will graduate with his Masters of Social Work.

He says the key to his educational pilipili漫画 was the support of his wife, Saundria.

鈥淪he was always there for me, every step of the way. Any time I felt like giving up, she鈥檇 say 鈥榶ou鈥檝e got this,鈥� and remind me of why I鈥檓 here,鈥� he says. 鈥淪aundria played such a strong role in my education, I like to joke that she鈥檚 an honorary social worker,鈥� he says.

Building relationships to improve health

Mario currently works for the Nova Scotia Brotherhood Initiative (NSBI), a program offered through the Nova Scotia Health Authority. It鈥檚 a free program for Black men to access health care in the community in order to improve their overall health and well-being.

鈥淢en of African descent often don鈥檛 like going to the doctor. At NSBI, we have a family physician, a psychologist and psychiatrist. Our focus is on providing an holistic approach to their health needs.鈥� Mario has two roles at NSBI; he is the community liaison and also the wellness navigator for patients. He does outreach with the community and also offers support and guidance to help clients access the health care services they need.

In future, Mario would like to have his own practice, including lower-income clients who may not otherwise have access to therapy. He has come a long way, but he still remains committed to his boyhood goal of reaching out and making a real difference in the lives of others.

鈥淎s long as I鈥檓 living, I鈥檓 going to be helping.鈥�