Tony Boyd is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Gender and Sexuality Studies (GSXS) and has been a devoted peer helper at the Women’s Resource Centre (WRC) since 2023. Throughout their time at the WRC, Tony has been instrumental in cultivating the same space of solidarity, diversity, and solace that has supported them, ensuring fellow students can find a community where they feel respected, accepted, and seen.

Currently, Tony is a member of the Peer Support and Outreach team, though their journey with the WRC began much earlier as a GSXS practicum student. Deeply committed in social justice, Tony credits the WRC in providing them with invaluable opportunities through events, workshops, and trainings that have helped develop their skills and expand their capacity for anti-racist and anti-oppressive work. Importantly, their involvement has helped them recognize their strengths and build a renewed sense of self-confidence. Even during the challenges of university life, the WRC has remained a place of relief for Tony, an environment they now strive to recreate to support students facing similar experiences.

In their role, Tony goes above and beyond, mentoring new Peer Support and Outreach Peer Helpers and serving as a quiet, steady presence volunteers and visitors can confide in as they navigate life’s challenges and grow through experience. Tony finds fulfillment in witnessing that growth, whether through formal peer support or informal conversations at the WRC’s main table, cultivating a space in which individuals of all backgrounds feel welcomed and included. In the words of fellow volunteers, “speaking with Tony feels as though you are truly being heard, without judgment or expectation. As anyone who has interacted with Tony can attest, they inspire through their compassion and enormous heart.”

Tony believes in the power of small, everyday interactions, recognizing that even minute gestures can have a meaningful impact. They approach each situation with thoughtfulness and critical awareness, rooted in an understanding of how our individual and social experiences are connected. Through these daily acts of care and attention, Tony leads not by authority but by embodying kindness, empathy, and authenticity. Furthermore, Tony’s commitment to supporting their peers is grounded in harm reduction, a principle they see as essential to both self and collective care, and one they hope to carry into their future career.