UWindsor students are leading the way in making research more equitable, inclusive, diverse, and accessible. Read the profiles of some of our past awardees below.
Aislyn Lewis-Laurent is currently finishing her BSc with Honors in Biochemistry & Computer Science at the University of Windsor and looking forward to a career Computational Chemistry. As Google’s Women Techmaker Ambassador for the Windsor Essex region, she helps improve the lives and careers of women in tech. She is part of the RISE network, which partners with organizations throughout the community strives to hold business accountable while helping them reach their EDI goals. Aislyn also leads the University of Windsor’s chapter of Google’s Developer Student Club where she works to recruit and showcase the talents of women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and ethnically diverse students. Beyond these organizations, Aislyn has worked to support several events including the LGBTQ+STEM Conference, and BorderHacks, Windsor’s first ever cross border hackathon which brought together over 600 students worldwide to strengthen the relationship with our American neighbours and develop solutions for a better future. Aislyn was nominated by Dr. James Gault and Dr. Drew Marquardt (Chemistry and Biochemistry).
Erica Rossi advocates for EDI for within her local and university community, through her volunteer work with FIRST Robotics, and as an Outstanding Scholar. Through her research with Dr. Lori Buchanan in the department of Psychology she has combined EDI advocacy with her mechanical engineering education to explore the relationship between how male and female engineering students view themselves as engineers and how that compares to the qualities of an engineer that they endorse as important. Engineering has traditionally been a male dominated field with engrained gender inequities that still have reach to this day. Through this research Erica hopes to develop a deeper understanding of the implications of these various inequities and how it affects a student’s self-perspective. By understanding these relationships, she believes we can work towards developing a more progressive and equitable engineering culture. Erica is the President of Women in Engineering at the University and the Chair of the FIRST Robotics ED&I Youth Advisory Council. Erica was nominated by Dr. Lori Buchanan (Psychology).
Janet MacIsaac is White, queer/lesbian, femme, non-binary woman who moved to “where the river bends” for graduate school from Epekwitk (colonially known as Prince Edward Island). Janet's pronouns are she/her/hers and they/them/theirs. In 2019, Janet completed their MA in Applied Social Psychology at the University of Windsor where their research focused on the protective factor of self-compassion in non-suicidal self-injury. Now, Janet is a doctoral candidate being supervised by Dr. Charlene Senn, where their dissertation research looks at the intersection of being trans/femme and experiences of joy and gender euphoria. Janet is so thankful to have such a supportive supervisor and committee to focus on this under-researched area. A few other fun facts about Janet are that they have a lovely cat named Eleanor, they love cycling and recently completed their first 100-mile ride, they have completed a marathon, and they love lavender!
Aimée-Larissa Dushime is a third-year Civil Engineering student. She chose to pursue engineering to help develop a safer and more sustainable future. Larissa is a member of the Outstanding Scholars Program, where she combines her academics with related research experience alongside a mentor faculty. As a volunteer for the Faculty of Engineering WINONE Office, Larissa helps tutor undergraduate engineering students in need and inspire high school students to think critically and creatively as they master new skills. As a Black student, she strives to empower and motivate other students to apply to universities in the STEM fields.
In the Faculty of Engineering, Larissa is a student co-lead for an Anti-Black Racism Student Leadership Experience Grant (ABRSLEG) Project with Staecey Ngabire, an engineering graduate student, in a team that includes faculty mentors Dr. Rajesh Seth, Dr. Jennifer Johrendt, and Dr. Andrew Allen. The project aims to promote the recruitment and retention of Black and Marginalized students in UWindsor Engineering. The team also hopes to gather and learn from current and past students to help bring positive change in the student experience at the Faculty.
Larissa looks forward to contributing to a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environment in collaboration with UWindsor Engineering and the campus community. Larissa was nominated by Dr. Rajesh Seth.
Staecey-Merveille Ngabire is an MASc Civil Engineering student. She chose to pursue a career in engineering because of her love for learning and passion for innovation. As a student volunteer and tutor, with the WINONE Engineering office and Students Offering Support, Staecey learned that one of the many benefits in the engineering profession is collaborating with people from various backgrounds and developing innovative solutions that directly impact a growing diverse society. As a Black student, she strives to empower and motivate students to consider and pursue careers in engineering.
In the Faculty of Engineering, Staecey is a student co-lead for the Anti-Black Racism Student Leadership Experience Grant (ABRSLEG) Project with Larissa Dushime, a third-year Civil Engineering student, in a team that includes faculty mentors Dr. Rajesh Seth, Dr. Jennifer Johrendt, and Dr. Andrew Allen. The project aims to promote the recruitment and retention of Black and Marginalized students in UWindsor Engineering. The team also hopes to gather and learn from current and past students to help bring positive change within the Faculty.
Staecey looks forward to contributing to a more diverse, equitable and inclusive learning environment in collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering and the UWindsor campus community. Staecey was nominated by Dr. Rajesh Seth.
A recent graduate from the B.Sc. Honours Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences (health stream), Natalie initially developed the idea to create a medial intake form that is more inclusive to members of the transgender and gender diverse community as a part of Dr. Porters CURES course, where she learned about the gap in knowledge and understanding surrounding the health needs of the LGBTQIQ+ community. With the input of doctors, researchers and members of the transgender and gender diverse community her form that could be used to assist with the collection and utilization of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in databases such as; Electronic Health Records, Canadian Cancer Registry and Specimen Resource Locator. These administrative databases collect information that can be used to monitor health trends, address health needs and evaluate the quality of patient centred care of transgender and gender diverse people.
Natalie's project developed into an internship with WE-SPARK Health Institute, where she volunteers as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Wellness Working Group. During her time with WE-SPARK, with the support of Adriana Grande and Karen Meltcalfe, Natalie wrote a position paper on improving cancer care for transgender and gender diverse individuals through the modification of medical intake forms to collect sexual orientation and gender identity data (SOGI), and worked in collaboration with Trans Wellness Ontario to create a database of health resources that are available for transgender and gender diverse people within Windsor Essex, as well as across Canada
Following graduation, Natalie enrolled in a certificate program in clinical trials research, where she hopes to work towards advancing research and the standard of care for LGBTQIA+ individuals and make health research a more inclusive, equitable and diverse for all Canadians. Natalie was nominated by Prof. Adriana Grande.
Arief Kartolo is a PhD candidate in the Applied Social Psychology Program, supervised by Dr. Catherine Kwantes. His research revolves around the “dark side” of diversity and inclusion, where he looks at the impact of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in the workplace. His dissertation project, for example, looks at the impact of intersectional (i.e., gender and ethnic) stereotypes on leadership expectations and evaluations. His other work includes the assessment of organizational culture, and its effects to reducing the perception of discrimination in the workplace. He has also led multiple projects looking at behavioural differences from cross-cultural perspectives. His work has been published in many reputable academic journals, and one of his contributions has been recognized by the International Research and Collaboration committee at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He has also been involved in various research advocating for the Indigenous communities, such as the impact of #IdleNoMore movement on policy making at the federal level, and the experiences of educational developers in their efforts to Indigenizing the post-secondary curriculum. He is currently a Research Associate at the Diversity Institute, providing research and consultation services to advance equity, diversity and inclusion for private, non-profit and government organizations across Canada. Arief was nominated by Dr. Catherine Kwantes.
PhD student in child clinical psychology Alexandra MacTavish (she/they) investigates the role of social support to mitigate the mental health risks that early life stressors can present in the lives of children (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, socioeconomic disparity, health stress). Their MA thesis research provided one of the first accounts of the acute impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of Canadian children then demonstrated the potential for social support from family and friends to ameliorate the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic. In addition to research, they are passionate about creating inclusive and welcoming spaces on campus. They serve on a university-wide EDID task force and are currently working with the university Student Counseling Centre to implement a group psychotherapy for LGBTQIA students that she developed from the extant evidence base. Everyone, regardless of their background, deserves a safe space to learn and grow. Alexandra was nominated by Dr. Lance Rappaport.
PhD candidate Ayesha Mian Akram’s activism and experience organizing on campus and in the community, as a Muslim feminist doing inter-faith work, working with RAACES and being a model and mentor to junior graduate students, inform and is deeply integrated with her dissertation and her dedication to serving the campus community. Her social justice orientation, commitment and belief in individual activism and collective engagement for broader equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization transformation is demonstrated in her research which is built on a community action project through which she worked with several other Muslim women activists to take on a community action and explore their relationship with their faith, community, and social justice. Her research and intellectual work are informed by and embedded in her experience and organizing for EDI goals and this experience informs the work that she does on campus and in her community.
Through her research, Ayesha works with precarious immigrant women workers and Black Africans experiencing racism in Windsor. She also volunteered with Friends of Women's Studies when she first came to Windsor as one of the first concrete actions towards building her community. In addition to her studies, Ayesha is a Sessional Instructor in Women’s and Gender Studies in the areas of social justice, race, and gender and encourages students to develop critical thinking skills and reflexivity both in and outside the class and is currently serving on the inaugural board of the Equity, Diversity, and Human Rights Awards Adjudication Committee as well as the Anti-Black Racism Implementation Oversight Team. Ayesha was nominated by Dr. Jane Ku.
Lila Iriburiro Happy completed her undergraduate Law & Politics degree from UWindsor in May 2023. Her excellent campus and community engagement won her the Gold LEAD Scholar Medallion. Her intersectional research focuses on social justice, Black joy, geopolitics, indigeneity, womanism, linguistics, and anti-colonization. Lila is an African-Diaspora woman with a unique positionality as a global citizen who is fluent in 4 languages and has lived in 7 countries. As a justice seeker, Lila aspires to be a children rights defender, human rights lawyer, and judge with niche focus on trauma-informed support in sexual violence prevention. “Leadership is about the willingness to help and establish a precedent on equity,” says Happy. “My guiding philosophy is servant leadership, centering compassion and accessibility, to ensure everyone has the support and resources to thrive. Giving back is my action-oriented method to being an effective leader.”
Lila’s research has been featured in The RAACES Review and the UWindsor EDID newsletter, and her term as president of the Windsor Model United Nations (WINMUN) has inspired a passion for pro bono work. Lila was nominated by Dr. Eahab Elsaid and extends her thanks to him and to her mentors in RAACES, Kaitlyn Ellsworth, Dr. Tom Najem, Dr. Clinton Beckford, Dr. John Sutcliffe, and Dr. Tim Brunet.
Master of Human Kinetics (HK) student Mikala Jones has a long history of working with individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). During her HK undergraduate degree, she acquired significant volunteer experience working with children living with DD at the John McGivney Children’s Centre in Windsor. Her passion for helping others encouraged her to volunteer for the APEX (adapted physical exercise) program at the University of Windsor. Mikala worked one-on-one with adults with DD by taking them through their sport and exercise program with considerable skill and sensitivity to their individual needs. With her exemplary commitment as an APEX volunteer, Mikala was recruited for the HK graduate program by Dr. Horton.
As the current APEX Coordinator, Mikala oversees recruitment, implements multiple 3-month sessions each year, and communicates with community partners. Mikala’s master’s research builds on APEX programming. Her objective is to increase understanding of how quality volunteer experiences may enhance the effectiveness of community programming and increase the social inclusion of persons with DD. This study can make important contributions to the fields of adapted physical exercise, disability, and sport for social change. Mikala was nominated by Dr. Sean Horton.
Willow Key is a former Master’s student in History who has worked to give the local Black community its rightful place in the historical narrative of Windsor and Essex County. As an undergraduate, her research delved into postwar interracial adoption policy in Canada. As a graduate student, Willow became the lead researcher on the McDougall Street Corridor project which tells the story of a once-vibrant Black neighourhood in downtown Windsor destroyed through urban redevelopment policy. Her current position as a researcher for historical services agency Know History contributes to larger efforts to redress injustices against Indigenous people. She is currently a member of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, and the Association of Black Women Historians. Willow was nominated by Dr. Sarah Glassford.
Madeline Jones is a third-year Juris Doctor student at the University of Windsor. She plans to pursue a career in child protection law. Through research with Dr. Tess Sheldon, she has looked at authoritative materials of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concerning the duty of State Parties to consult disabled people. The research is part of a larger project on the legal requirements to take disability into account through meaningful participation in decision-making processes. Madeline has a background in biological sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Calgary, having written her honours thesis exploring the entanglement of autism and vegetal life in works of contemporary science fiction. Madeline engages with disability through various support work roles and academic works. Currently, she is the president of the Disability Student Law Society of Windsor (DSLSW). She has participated in the Mental Health Justice Clinic in the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, ON and has been a student intern to Dr. Laverne Jacobs at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva, Switzerland. Madeline was nominated by Prof. Tess Sheldon.
Anna Beneteau is a master’s student in the Faculty of Human Kinetics. As part of her graduate school experience, Anna coordinates the APEX (Adapted Physical Exercise) program, implementing multiple 3-month sessions each calendar year. Each of these APEX sessions pairs undergraduate students with a person with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to lead them through a tailored sport and physical activity program. Each session involves 10-15 volunteer student trainers working one-on-one with persons with IDD.
In addition to her coordinator role, Anna works one-on-one with select participants, taking them through their exercise programming with a focus on their individual needs.
Anna’s master’s research builds directly on APEX programming. Anna is conducting qualitative interviews with past APEX volunteers to increase understanding of how quality volunteer experiences may enhance the effectiveness of community programming and promote the social inclusion of persons with IDD. This study has the potential to make an important contribution to the fields of adapted physical exercise, disability, and sport for social change.
For more information, please visit the APEX program website (https://www.apexuwindsorkin.com), which features an exercise manual and an accompanying video series that feature our program’s participants and is available for free. Theye also provide highlights on our Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/apexuwindsorkin/).
Madeline was nominated by Drs. Sean Horton and Chad Sutherland.
Fallon Mitchell, PhD candidate in Kinesiology, has demonstrated a commitment to improving accessibility and inclusion for people with a disability through volunteerism and research. During her graduate work, Mitchell has volunteered as a Youth Accessibility Leader with Connections Early Years Family Centre to successfully attain a grant which funded the installation of an accessible ramp. She has also volunteered with Parkinson Society Southwestern Ontario and Community Living Windsor, gaining insight into the needs and capabilities of diverse populations. These are a few of the experiences that fostered her passion for research exploring environmental factors that influence activity participation among diverse individuals.
Currently, Mitchell’s research aims to understand accessibility, usability, and inclusion within fitness and recreational facilities. The overarching goal of her graduate research is to contribute knowledge that can inform the development of environments that are usable for all people. Identifying factors that restrict and enable participation in physical activity across diverse individuals will provide a foundation from which strategies can be developed to remove barriers and enhance inclusion in fitness facilities. As physical activity is beneficial for all, everyone should be included at fitness facilities. Mitchell was nominated by her supervisor: Paula M. van Wyk.