In December of 2005, I completed my Masters degree in Applied Language Studies. My research was based in the Writing Studies stream of this programme. Since completing my studies, I have held numerous exciting professional opportunities that allowed me to use this degree. For example, I have worked as the Coordinator of Carleton’s Writing Centre, as an Instructor in Carleton’s School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, and as a Research Fellow at Canada’s International Development Research Centre. Currently, I am a second-year PhD student in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. I have won a fellowship with International Development Research Centre which enables me to conduct my doctoral research that focuses on the potential rhetorical and epistemological reasons African researchers struggle to publish in the international journals of their academic fields. The fellowship has allowed me to travel to Africa and spend some time there interviewing African academics about their experiences publishing in international journals. One of the key reasons I strongly recommend pursuing graduate studies in SLaLS is because of the incredible amount of support offered by this department’s faculty members. They go out of their way to offer you the support and assistance you require to succeed in your studies. Without their unwavering support, helpful advice, and continual mentorship, I would never have been able to achieve my professional or academic goals.
(Last updated: December 2, 2010)