Student Stories

Headshot of Delane, a white woman with long blonde hair, wearing a beige shirt and dark turquoise blazer and is smiling at the camera.

Delane Linkiewich Spotlight: Tapping into the Value of Lived Experience

Although chronic pain is often an invisible illness, the impacts it can have on the lives of those living with it are profound.  

Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology PhD student Delane Linkiewich hopes to support adolescents living with chronic pain through peer support groups, where they can connect with others who have similar lived experiences to share knowledge and build relationships. 

Tzu-Yi poses in front of the University of Guelph Portico wearing her graduation robes.

Scholarship Enables Tzu-Yi to Return to Supportive Community at U of G

For Master of Applied Nutrition student Yang Tzu-Yi, the decision of whether to pursue her master's was a tough one. After completing the last year of her undergrad in Applied Human Nutrition online while living in China during the pandemic, Tzu-Yi got a job in China as a teacher. She debated whether it made sense to walk away from a stable job and take on the high cost of paying for continued education and moving back to Canada. 

The Looking Glass: Loving Plainly

Abigail Mitchell (she/her) is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Guelph and holds an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy from U of G. Her research focuses on domestic homicide, sexual femicide and internet-facilitated child sexual abuse.  

Laureen Owaga headshot. Laureen has her hair pulled back in braids and is wearing a red blazer with a necklace and dangling earrings.

Laureen Owaga Spotlight: Breaking the Silence Around Sexual Assault

Sexual assault may feel like a difficult and taboo topic to bring up in conversation, but second year Psychology and International Development PhD student Laureen Owaga wants to break the silence around sexual assault and intimate partner violence. 

Passionate about her work, Laureen hopes that her research looking at implementing a Canadian sexual assault prevention program in Kenya will not only help Kenyan women and girls, but also inform findings that can improve the program back in Canada.  

On the left, an aspirational Katie with some big dreams; on the right, also an aspirational Katie with some more meaningful dreams.

The Looking Glass: Growing as I Go

"What do you do when you give so much of yourself to one label or identity that you forget about all the others?"

While working her way through academia, Katie Pothier unintentionally learned more about herself than she ever expected. Katie discusses her experience of having a false idea of her identity, losing it all, and eventually discovering her true self through the pursuit of a master's degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy.

Olivia Dobson headshot

Olivia Dobson Spotlight: Autism, Needles and Managing Pain

Olivia Dobson is a master’s student in the Department of Psychology’s Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (CCAP)program. Olivia’s research, under her supervisor Dr. Meghan McMurtry examines needle pain management strategies that assist those with autism.

Olivia recently received the 2021 Autism Scholars Award – an $18,000 prize – for her “leading edge scholarship into autism."

Justine is standing by a lake and wearing a toque and scarf

The Looking Glass: Reconciliation is Not a Metaphor

Justine Townsend is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics. Her research interrogates the possibilities for reconciliation in the Canadian conservation sector, particularly by supporting the current surge in Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas.

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