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Smart Learning and Development, Centre for

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Smart Learning and Development, Centre for laurie.bulchak Tue, 07/30/2024 - 01:14

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https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/aphd/centre-smart-learning-and-development

Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, Centre for (CERLL)

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Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, Centre for (CERLL) laurie.bulchak Tue, 07/30/2024 - 01:11

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https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/cerll/

Canadian & International Education, Centre for the Study of

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Black Studies in Education, Centre for

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Indigenous Educational Research Centre (IERC)

laurie.bulchak — Sat, 27 Jul 2024 20:45:53 +0000

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https://www.oise.utoronto.ca/deepeningknowledge/

InnovED

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‘A big moment’: 91�Թ� alumni who graduated with virtual convocations return for in-person celebrations

lanthierj — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:03:33 +0000

‘A big moment’: 91�Թ� alumni who graduated with virtual convocations return for in-person celebrations

lanthierj Mon, 12/05/2022 - 13:03

Cutline

More than 7,700 members of the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 are expected to cross the stage at Convocation Hall (photo by Neil Ta)

Alexa Battler

Topic

Our Community

2020 & 2021 Graduation Celebrations

Convocation Hall

Alumni

Faculty of Arts & Science

OISE

Rhodes Scholar

Rotman Commerce

Rotman School of Management

91�Թ� Scarborough

Liwei Liao didn’t put much thought into his outfit when he viewed his virtual convocation ceremony at 91�Թ� at the height of the pandemic – but next week, he will be getting dressed up.

With an honours bachelor of science degree from 91�Թ� Scarborough, Liao is one of more than 7,700 grads expected to cross the stage at Convocation Hall as a part of a series of in-person celebrations for the classes of 2020 and 2021.

He says he’s looking forward to a signature 91�Թ� moment.

“It's going to be very special for me and probably one of the best days of my life,” Liao says. “I’ll be thinking about the respect I have for my home campus. This is the place that paved the way to where I am now.”

Alumni and their 24,000 guests will attend 28 special in-person graduation celebrations over 13 days. Cohorts are organized by campus and degree. Two celebrations were already held on Nov. 12 for Rotman School of Management and Rotman Commerce graduates.

Mariana Saraiva

“This graduation celebration was a special milestone for me,” says Mariana Saraiva, who earned an executive MBA degree in 2020. “It was my first experience in Canada graduating, so I am grateful to have been present and have my moment on stage with all my peers and fellow graduates.

“For me, it was extraordinary to return to campus and celebrate what we achieved in person.”

The celebrations include decades-old 91�Թ� traditions as well as a new role introduced to 91�Թ� convocations this spring – the Eagle Feather Bearer, a sign of the university’s profound respect for Indigenous communities and cultures.

“These in-person celebrations are part two of the initial, virtual convocation ceremonies held at the height of the pandemic,” says Bryn MacPherson, assistant vice-president in 91�Թ�’s Office of the President and chief of protocol. “This is the culmination of a multi-year effort to ensure our graduates have as many as possible of the experiences they would have enjoyed during their in-person Convocation ceremonies.”

Institutional leaders, deans and principals from the three campuses will deliver remarks. Each recent grad will then hear their name called and take the short but significant walk across Convocation Hall’s stage.

Ikran Jama, who graduated from the Faculty of Arts & Science last year and is now studying at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, says her thoughts will be with the people cheering her on in the audience.

“I’ll be thinking of my parents and the struggles they went through to give me an education and a fighting chance,” Jama says. “To finally see their daughter cross that stage is a big moment for the people I love and care about.”

Jama says she is flying back to Toronto to attend the celebration and is looking forward to visiting family and reconnecting with classmates she hasn’t seen in years, as well as those she only managed to connect with virtually.

“We haven’t seen each other in so long and people have gone across the world,” Jama says. “I'm so excited to come back and speak with them about what they're doing.”

13 days of celebrations – a huge undertaking

Behind the scenes, staff faced an array of logistical challenges when organizing the events – not the least of which was contacting graduates who might not have opened their 91�Թ� email in years.

Organizers are taking steps to give alumni from the classes of 2020 and 2021 every chance to attend. Since the initial deadline, more than 350 names have been gathered and added to convocation lists. Organizers said registration of latecomers would continue until the start of the ceremonies – and a limited supply of extra academic gowns will be available on site for those who missed the deadline to order ahead.

Those late entries present another logistical hurdle. Graduates had the ability to provide information about the pronunciation of their name in advance so that this would be captured in the recordings. To accommodate late additions, names will be on different types of cards and delivered live.

Yet, despite the challenges, organizers say they are committed to making these celebrations as special as possible.

“We recognize that the pandemic made reaching this academic achievement more challenging,” says Silvia Rosatone, director of the Office of Convocation. “In partnership with our Faculty and College partners, we are all committed to providing our graduates with the opportunity to celebrate this important milestone.”

Members of the Rotman Commerce Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 celebrate at Convocation Hall (photo by Tam Nguyen)

Inspired by her father’s message, Jacque/line Lavallee earns doctorate at age 79: CTV

mattimar — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 16:17:03 +0000

Inspired by her father’s message, Jacque/line Lavallee earns doctorate at age 79: CTV

mattimar Tue, 11/15/2022 - 11:17

Cutline

Jacque/line Lavallee, pictured here when she served as an Eagle Feather Bearer during spring convocation, graduated this fall with a doctorate in education from OISE (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

Topic

It has been a lifelong dream of Jacque/line Lavallee to receive a doctorate in education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the 91�Թ�, reports CTV National News.

The 79-year-old great-grandmother, who is Indigenous, told the news outlet that her father was her inspiration for continuing her education.

“I only knew him for a short time when I was a kid, but he always stated, ‘When you get big, when you become a woman, you need to pursue the educational field,’” said Lavallee, who is an Elder-in-residence at OISE.

Lavallee’s doctoral research focused on the importance of Anishinaabe traditional knowledge in higher education. She centered it around her own story of education and her experiences as a residential school survivor.

“The rest of the world doesn't understand what traditional knowledge is,” she said. “It's oral. It's always spoken. It's not written down on some paper. If you want to learn something, you have to go look at look for it.”

Bonded like sisters, 91�Թ� grads lean on each other as they explore their Indigenous roots

mattimar — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 17:45:30 +0000

Bonded like sisters, 91�Թ� grads lean on each other as they explore their Indigenous roots

mattimar Wed, 06/01/2022 - 13:45

Cutline

Temerty Faculty of Medicine grad Kristine Keon, left, and OISE grad Angelique Belcourt, right, say they looked to each other for support, inspiration and connection to their Indigenous roots (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Mariam Matti

Topic

City & Culture

Convocation 2022

Temerty Faculty of Medicine

Graduate Stories

Hospital for Sick Children

Indigenous

OISE

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

Angelique Belcourt never expected to attend university – let alone graduate with a master’s degree from the 91�Թ�’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

Originally from the Georgian Bay Métis community, Belcourt was raised by a single mother in low-income housing in Toronto and says her academic career has been built on a sturdy foundation of support from close friends, colleagues and fellow Indigenous students.

Now, she wants to pay it forward by one day opening an Indigenous culture camp, with focus on land-based education, in her home community or elsewhere – as long as it will help make Indigenous history and knowledge more accessible.

Angelique Belcourt with her Menoncle (great-uncle) Fernand Belcourt, who she credits as a vital influence on her life (photo by Brianna Fisher/Brianna Pam Photography)

“Every Indigenous person deserves to know how rich their history is, how rich their knowledge is,” Belcourt says. “I feel blessed that I’ve had opportunities in my life to have people teach me about the different ways in which I can live, but I’m mindful that not everyone has that experience.

“I want to make that accessible to Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people because our knowledge is everyone’s knowledge.”

Belcourt traces her own journey in higher education back to Grade 12, when she changed high schools. She credits her former history and law teachers for spotting her potential – and then helping her navigate a maze of university and financial aid applications.

Then, during a two-day orientation program at the University of Guelph for Indigenous students in 2014, Belcourt met Kristine Keon, a member of Nipissing First Nation who also has Algonquin ancestors. The pair formed an immediate bond and now describe themselves as “sisters” who lean on each other for support, inspiration and connection to their Indigenous roots.

While the two went their separate ways after leaving Guelph – Belcourt moved to Switzerland for a short time – they reconnected several years later at an event hosted by 91�Թ�’s Indigenous Education Network. Unbeknownst to each other, each had decided to pursue graduate work at 91�Թ�, with Belcourt pursuing a master’s degree part time at OISE while Keon had enrolled in the medical biophysics master’s program at the Temerty of Faculty of Medicine.

They quickly picked up where they left off.

Kristine Keon wants to address the underrepresentation of Indigenous people in the medical field (photo by John Paillé)

“We're not blood-related, but that's my sister,” says Belcourt, who now works for the Ontario Ministry of Education as a policy and programs adviser in the Indigenous Education Office. “We've gone through a large chapter of our lives together, not once but twice.

“I think that’s a special gift the Creator has given us.”

She adds that Keon continues to play an important role in her life.

“I would call my friendship with Kristine a beacon – she’s a beacon of hope, of kindness,” says Belcourt. “We both have similar backgrounds; we care a lot about our community and we try to give back as much as possible.”

Keon, for her part, agrees that their friendship is one that’s built on mutual support.

“I remember feeling very stressed one day in my undergrad and she came over to visit and we just did some drumming – and we did a smudge ceremony,” she says. “It was one of the happiest days of exam season for me.”

At 91�Թ�, both women not only reconnected with each other but also solidified their connection to their roots.

Keon says she feels lucky growing up with a sense of her identity given that so many Indigenous people in Canada didn’t have that opportunity because they lost family members to the residential school system. She adds that she often feels overwhelmed when she thinks about the stark contrast between her comfortable upbringing in York Region and the experience of her grandmother, who hid deep in the Quebec forests with family members to avoid being taken by authorities to a residential school.

“We didn’t have the opportunity to learn our traditional language because my grandmother never learned it,” she says. “Her parents were worried she’d get in trouble for speaking our language.”

Keon, who works as a research assistant at the lab of 91�Թ� Professor John Rubinstein at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, plans to attend medical school at 91�Թ� in the fall. She hopes to one day become a doctor so she can help address underrepresentation of Indigenous people in the medical field and provide a safe space for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in the health-care system.

Kristine Keon, left, and Angelique Belcourt, right, share a laugh outside of First Nations House following the Indigenous Graduation ceremony earlier this year (photo by Johnny Guatto)

She is already thinking about how to use her research background to implement policy changes that could break down barriers and make health care more accessible for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. That could include finding ways to merge traditional Indigenous medicine with a Western approach.

“I don’t know if we’re going to be able to bring in traditional medicines during brain surgery, but if there’s something that makes the patient feel better – if we all do a smudging ceremony beforehand or, if that’s not possible, being able to find alternatives in a way that doesn’t take away from culture – I think that’s ultimately what I hope to do.

“I hope that ultimately for all my patients, Indigenous or not, I can do things in a good way that makes people feel safe.”

Rubinstein, a professor of biochemistry and medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and a senior scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, is looking forward to watching Keon’s medical career unfold.

“Kristine is an amazing human being,” Rubinstein says. “She brings boundless energy and positivity to everything she does. I know she is destined for great things.”

As for Belcourt, she says her time at OISE taught her that lived experience and education began on the land.

“I can’t thank the Indigenous professors at OISE enough,” she says. “They translated their lived Indigenous experiences to create to their own unique educational space in the academy.”

While she says she came close to quitting her master’s studies more than once, she credits her professors and mentors at OISE for keeping her going. “They showed me that I deserved to be here,” she says.

She cites, in particular, the role of Lindsay DuPré, a former Indigenous education liaison at OISE. DuPré, who now works at the University of Victoria, says she feels fortunate to have earned Belcourt’s trust and have served as her sounding board as she explored complex research topics during her master’s degree. “I am excited to see how her ideas and community work will continue to evolve post-graduation,” DuPré says.

Belcourt’s academic journey – which ultimately included several awards and scholarships – was also given a lift by the youth-based Indigenous research work that she did in OISE’s Critical Indigenous Health and Social Action Lab under Jeffrey Ansloos, assistant professor in the department of applied psychology and human development.

“I was going through the hardest time of my life when I took his course and he just accepted me with grace and open arms,” says Belcourt. “He showed me that Indigenous spirituality could be part of my journey.”

Belcourt ended up asking Ansloos if he would supervise her master’s research project, which explored how Métis youth form identities as Indigenous people and was focused on youth from the Georgian Bay Métis community of Penetanguishene, Ont.

“We need to support Indigenous young people in making their dreams became a reality in the present and in our futures,” Belcourt says.

As for her own future, Belcourt is considering pursuing a PhD.

“I know that after my time at OISE, the sky is the limit,” she says. “I feel well equipped that in any room I walk into, I know there are people out there who will support me 100 per cent.”

“I firmly believe in communities of care.”

OISE student makes more than 1,000 masks for people in need: 'I felt the need to act'

lanthierj — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:29:52 +0000

OISE student makes more than 1,000 masks for people in need: 'I felt the need to act'

lanthierj Thu, 07/16/2020 - 16:29

Cutline

“I felt the need to act and help,,” says Fernanda Yanchapaxi, a doctoral student at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (photo courtesy Fernanda Yanchapaxi Travez)

Topic

When Fernanda Yanchapaxi’s grandmother in Ecuador died early in the pandemic, she was unable to travel home to grieve with her family.

A doctoral student at the 91�Թ�'s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), she had difficulty reaching relatives, and wasn’t able to connect with friends in Toronto due to the lockdown.

Yanchapaxi felt the need to do something, so she started making non-medical masks – initially for friends and family, but then for others. She has now sewn more than 1,000 of them, donating them to Sistering, a local women’s multi-service agency for women, and St. Joseph’s Hospital, as well as to grocery store workers, nurses, and friends who are immunocompromised.

“I felt the need to act and help here [in Toronto],” she says.

Yanchapaxi’s six-year-old daughter assisted by folding and packing the masks and keeping a list of requests for donations.

“It helps her practise her writing and math, and she learns what it means to be a community member,” Yanchapaxi says.

She also sewed masks for two of her daughter’s friends, both pre-teens, who used their business platform, Leeloodles, to sell the masks and donate the proceeds to three Black and Indigenous organizations.

Yanchapaxi, who is researching ways to protect Indigenous knowledge for future generations, says she felt a sense of duty to take action.

“I’m a graduate student, with a student income, but I know that I am healthy, and that I have a home and food, and that I am in a more privileged position than other people here,” she said. “I did what I was able to do using my skills and limited resources.”

As COVID-19 cases increase among Indigenous communities in Ecuador and elsewhere, Yanchapaxi says it’s crucial to keep in mind that Indigenous peoples have been enduring loss and pandemics for generations.

“This might be the first time my generation has lived through a pandemic, but it is not the first time that our [Indigenous] communities have had to protect themselves while being underfunded, underserved, or left out from governmental actions,” she said. “As an Indigenous person, I feel I have an obligation to the people who live in the same land as me.

“If there are people in need, I should do what I can do to help.”

OISE

Smart Learning and Development, Centre for

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Educational Research on Languages and Literacies, Centre for (CERLL)

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Canadian & International Education, Centre for the Study of

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‘A big moment’: 91�Թ� alumni who graduated with virtual convocations return for in-person celebrations

13 days of celebrations – a huge undertaking

Inspired by her father’s message, Jacque/line Lavallee earns doctorate at age 79: CTV

Read more at CTV News

Read more about Jacque/line Lavallee

Bonded like sisters, 91�Թ� grads lean on each other as they explore their Indigenous roots

OISE student makes more than 1,000 masks for people in need: 'I felt the need to act'