Shortly after graduating from SLaLS, I started working as a research coordinator at the Academy for Innovation in Medical Education at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. Among other things, my job involved helping PhD and clinician researchers apply for funding, obtain approval from research ethics boards, and write and revise research papers and abstracts. I also participated in data analysis on qualitative studies. I am certain that I would not have been able to do that job, let alone have been hired for it in the first place, without having completed the MA program at SLaLS.
I have since gone on to study library science, and I am now the Digital Literacy Librarian at the University of Ottawa; however, my experience in Applied Language Studies continues to pay off. Not only have I been well-prepared for work in academic environments, but also having paid close attention to the ways language works comes in extremely handy when creating robust and comprehensive search strategies for systematic reviews.
I also met my best friend in SLaLS. I’m not saying that’ll happen for everyone, but there you go.
Photo credit: Mélanie Provencher
(Last updated: January 6, 2020)