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Work Study Students

Fall/Winter 2022-2023

Megan, a work study student. Megan has shoulder-length black hair and is wearing glasses and a black woolen sweater. Megan is smiling in front of a snowy background. There is a building behind Megan.

Megan Pham-Quan

Megan (she/her) Pham-Quan lives and works on the territories of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the Huron-Wendat peoples, among many Indigenous peoples that have traversed and cared for this land. Megan is currently a Year 1 teacher candidate in the MA in Child Study and Education program at OISE. She came to this program from her undergraduate studies in women and gender studies and philosophy at the University of Toronto, and is interested in creating justice-oriented, liberatory spaces in primary/junior classrooms.

Describe a place in our natural world that you feel connected to.

 

I grew up a few blocks away from Gabekanaang-ziibi (Anishinaabemowin name for the Humber River). This river has played many roles in my life from teacher to friend. I am grateful for the warm rocks along the shore, the rushing currents, and the minnows that swim among them.

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Gladys Cen

Gladys Cen is a guest on Turtle Island and a first-year Doctor of Education student in the International Educational Leadership and Policy program at OISE. Gladys is a curriculum designer and educational innovator. She has over six years of experience in curriculum design and development, teachers’ professional training, k-12 education, early childhood education, language and literacy learning, and multi-modal learning. Gladys is a certified IB PYP educator and AMI Primary Montessori Guide. Gladys loves to use music, drama, drawings, handicrafts, photography, toys, games, natural materials, and technologies to support the students in learning trans-disciplinary lessons. Her doctor’s research will focus on teachers’ professional training and educational innovation in developing countries. In April 2022, Gladys was invited to be a showcase guest speaker at the 13th Harvard China Education Symposium to present her language lesson through environmental education and a multi-modal learning approach. 

Describe a place in our natural world that you feel connected to.

 

I grew up by the West Lake in Hangzhou, which is a southeast city in China. The lake played an essential role in my childhood. I could never forget the scene of picking lotus pods with my grandma in a boat on West Lake when I was a child. The boat crossed the lotus leaves; I sat on the boat, and my body was moving by following the water flow. I listened to grandma singing nursery rhymes, ate the fresh lotus seeds, and felt nature surrounding me.

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Stephanie Sun

Stephanie is a guest on Turtle Island and is a Teacher Candidate in the Master of Teaching program at OISE. After graduating from U of T with an Honors Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Geography, Stephanie worked in the surveying and mapping industry for several years and had the privilege of traveling around Turtle island.  Stephanie has a passion for outdoor and alternative (digital technology) environmental education, and is hoping to support children’s mental health and emotional well-being in her future career.

Describe a place in our natural world that you feel connected to.

 

Growing up in Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China, I feel the happiest when I am close to the sea. The wet and salty sea breeze entering my lungs and passing my fingertips, the sound of ocean waves and squawky seagulls occupying my ears… I feel surrounded by this wonderful memory of me spending hours and days with my parents on a tiny beach at the back of my home.

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Hannah Mathew

Hannah is a guest on Turtle Island and is a first year student in the Master of Teaching program at OISE. Hannah completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto majoring in Sociology with minors in Philosophy and Education, and had the opportunity to work in several educational settings as a tutor, coach, camp counselor, and assistant teacher. She hopes to use her passion for learning to build a successful career as a primary/junior teacher.
 

Describe a place in our natural world that you feel connected to.

I grew up close to Sunnybrook Park where I loved to spend my time as a child. One of my favourite things was being able to see the horses there and appreciate their strength and beauty. It was a great place for me to connect with nature so young, and explore my local environment by going through the trails, and starting collections of the most interesting pinecones, sticks, and leaves I’d find around to take home with me.

Past Work Study Students

Katherine Chen, a past work study student. Katherine is wearing a teal shirt, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. Katherine is smiling while seated on a rock and holding a camera. Katherine is in front of a ravine with large trees and a blue sky behind her.

Katherine Chen

Asha, a past work study student. Asha is petting a white cat while smiling. Asha is wearing glasses, a red shirt, and a gray woolen shawl. There is a bookshelf filled with books and a framed painting on the wall behind Asha.

Asha Bruce

Edward Larocque, a work study student. Edward has short dark hair and a pair of glasses, and they are in a natural space next to a lake.

Edward Larocque

Kanchana Madulaarachchi, a past work study student. Kanchana is smiling with a hat and next to a lake

Kanchana

Madulaarachchi

Maham, a past work study student. Maham is wearing a floral dress and a light blue hijab. Maham is walking away from the camera into a forested area of tall trees, sparsely spread out around her.

Maham Tabassum

Megan, a past work study student. Megan is looking into the distance and smiling. Megan has short brown hair, and is wearing a teal earring, a heart-shaped necklace, and a jean jacket over a black shirt with a leather strap across Megan's chest. There is a shoreline with a short sandy beach and a grassy area behind Megan. Beyond the grassy area, there are a few trees and houses.

Megan Abley

Adia Mojsiak, a past work study student. Adia is smiling in an outdoor space with a lot of ice.

Adia Mojsiak

Haleigh Brody, a past work study student. Haleigh is smiling with long golden hair while laying on the grass

Haleigh Brody

Betty, a past work study student. Betty is wearing a red top and blue jeans, sitting cross-legged on the grass surrounded by fallen leaves. There are trees with red, green, and orange leaves and three benches behind Betty.

Betty Luo

Amelia, a past work study student. Amelia is wearing a cream-coloured top and smiling widely. Amelia is standing in front of a large tree and forested area.

Amelia Rutledge

Georgia, a past work study student. Georgia is staring pensively at the camera. Georgia has shoulder-length brown hair, and is wearing a light teal jacket. There is a large tree directly behind Georgia. Beyond that tree, there is a shoreline with a pebble beach and larger rocks near the water.

Georgia St. John

Aleksa Nitsis, a past work study student. Aleksa is smiling with long curly golden hair in an outdoor space with plants

Aleksa Nitsis

Kate Barrett, a past work study student. Kate is smiling in an outdoor space with mountains and a lake

Kate Barrett

Brandon Hewitt, a past work study student. Brandon is smiling with long curly hair in an outdoor space next to a lake.

Brandon Hewitt

Lauren Rzepecki, a past work study student. Lauren is in a natural space and their face is hidden behind a book

Lauren Rzepecki

Sam Kilpatrick, a past work study student. Sam is writing at a table

Sam Kilpatrick

Colleen Cornett, a past work study student. Colleen is smiling with a pair of sunglasses and a hat in a natural space with lots of trees

Colleen Cornett

Amanda Santos, a past work study student. Amanda is smiling with long curly dark hair in front of leaves

Amanda Santos

Mariah Martin, a past work study student. Mariah is smiling with golden long hair in front of a green field

Mariah Martin

Anna Silverstein, a past work study student. Anna is in a natural space and has half of their face hidden behind a leaf of vegitable

Anna Silverstein 

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Corinna Luciano

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Naomi Milla-Koch

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