'Education is the key to change'

When MRU alumnus Gio Dolcecore (they/them) walked across the stage at their high school graduation, the moment felt more like doubt than celebration. “The principal looked at me with surprise and said, ‘Wow, you actually made it.’ Her words made me feel like an exception — like I wasn’t supposed to be there.”

At the time, their neurodivergence had gone unrecognized, and coming out had been painful, chaotic and isolating. But when Dolcecore enrolled in Open Studies at Mount Royal College, everything shifted. “I quickly discovered that I wasn’t bad at school—I just needed a learning environment that made sense to me. Once I understood and embraced how I learned best, I had an entire team beside me.”

That support carried them all the way to graduation with honours — and to the lectern as valedictorian.

Identifying as non-binary, trans-masculine, and bisexual, Dolcecore says, “Each of my identities matters for different reasons, and together they shape how I move through the world. I identify as queer, not just in terms of who I love, but as a political statement. I have the privilege of being out, and with that comes a responsibility — to be visible, to challenge norms, and to create space for others.

More than a decade after leaving Mount Royal, Dolcecore has come full circle as an assistant professor in the Department of Child Studies and Social Work. “I am part of every student’s circle of support, because I believe that education is the key to change and everyone deserves access to education.”

Their teaching and research are rooted in collaboration and advocacy. This fall, Dolcecore is launching a new SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) project focused on the blurred line between health-focused lifestyles and emerging patterns of body relationship distress among post-secondary students. The project explores how professionals can respond with affirming, body-liberatory approaches rooted in mental wellness and inclusion.

For Dolcecore, Pride is about liberation. “Pride is the activism freeing ourselves from oppression, constraints and domination. Pride is the collective social, cultural, political and systemic movements to dismantle oppression. Pride is freeing ourselves from the monsters in our head that were fed from the world’s toxic messages. Pride is euphoria, joy and those moments in life that take our breath away.”

Their journey reflects both resilience and transformation — from a student who once felt out of place, to a professor shaping the future of inclusive education. “My journey at MRU has taught me that leadership and self-advocacy are inseparable. It’s not just about advocating for myself — it’s about ensuring that MRU is a place where every student, present and future, can thrive.”