Student

Elise is an RN from Edmonton, Alberta who practices in Addictions and Mental Health. She has had many professional roles over the years, including clinical nurse educator, unit manager, and currently patient safety consultant. She is an Athabasca University 2023 graduate from the Master of Nursing program. Addiction and mental health care and education in the context of the Canadian healthcare system was, and continues to be, the focus of her work.

Erica Burdzy is in her final year in the Master of Counselling program. She is looking forward to beginning her practicum in her hometown, St. Albert. She has enjoyed her work in Behavioural Therapy within the school system, but is looking forward to the new challenges ahead. The flexibility of online education allowed her to work full time and then to continue her education while on maternity leave.

Ms. Jodie Steffan is a graduate student in the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University. She is completing a Master of Nursing, with a Leadership Focus Thesis. Her thesis supervisor is Dr. Tammy O'Rourke. Jodie lives in Calgary, AB and has been a Nursing Instructor at the University of Calgary for over 10 years. Graduated with a BSN from the University of Victoria in 2004 and worked in a variety of acute and community-based organizations for more than 10 years in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. Jodie is a Canadian Certified Nurse Educator (CCNE) and Certified in Rehabilitation Nursing Canada (CNR(c)).

Lolly Lede is a researcher (into trauma-informed education) and writer. She writes about unresolved trauma using nature, science, spirituality, and her own lived experiences of mental illness. Lolly was born in Canada and grew up in Nigeria. She communicates in English, French, Yoruba, and ASL.

Sarah-Jean Watt is the coordinator of the Write Site at Athabasca University. She has worked in writing centres since 2016. Sarah-Jean is excited about the potential for effective and ethical uses of AI by students to improve their writing confidence and skills. Now, as a student in the Leadership & Management Development certificate program, she has taken an interest in using strategic management to respond to the potential challenges posed by AI so that its positives can be harnessed without compromising the important work writing centres do.

Violeta Faulkner is in her first year of the Master of Health Studies program at the Athabasca University, supervised by Dr. Gina Martin. She is committed to pursue meaningful and impactful research that makes a difference in the lives of others by addressing the gaps of health and mental health services through research and practice. Violeta’s research interests include: mental health and wellbeing, anxiety disorders, health outcomes, resilience, cross-cultural research and community engagement.

Ali Kiani is pursuing his second year in the Doctor of Business Administration program at Athabasca University. Ali's research centers around investigating the significant impact of leadership in fostering inclusive environments within higher education workplaces. This area of focus is driven by his deep-rooted passion for creating empowering and inclusive spaces that celebrate diversity and support individuals from various backgrounds.

Arifuzzaman Arif is studying Master of Arts -  Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University: Focusing on Work, Governance, and Leadership. He has public and private sector management-level working experience. Mr. Arif’s academic background is in Statistics and Computer Science. He developed an interest in social science, especially in political economy, covering economics, political science, and sociology. He is an avid reader of political philosophy books and journal/media articles, especially about leadership and governance, globalization and development, politics and economics. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and two sons.

Dr. Benjamin Quito is a Business Analysis professor at Conestoga College. He has a Ph.D. in Development Education and over 22 years of teaching and information technology experience. His postgraduate degrees include an Athabasca University Master of Information Systems, a Master of Arts in Public Management, and a Master of Science in Business Administration, which helped shape his strategic leadership abilities. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Information Technology degree at Walden University.

Brycie Klassen is a senior graduate of the Kimmapii School of Shamanism and is currently in her final year of the Master of Counselling program at Athabasca University. She operates as a shamanic psychotherapist in Lac du Bonnet, Winnipeg, and surrounding areas within Treaty 1 and Treaty 5 territory. Her research focuses on integrating Western psychology with shamanic theory and practice. Brycie believes that arts-based research and expressive arts therapies provide an ideal platform to synthesize earth-based healing with evidence-based therapy. She is committed to challenging Western epistemological and cultural biases to foster intergenerational resilience within Canada's First Nation, Métis, and Inuit populations.

Carrie L. Ferguson is in her third year in the Master of Education program. She is the founder and Executive Director of a non-profit neuro-affirming blended-learning centre in Penticton, BC. Her area of research is blended learning and its suitability for Autistic students. The flexibility of online learning has enabled Carrie to continue working, raising her children (one of whom is Autistic), and furthering her education from her very rural home.

Jihan is in his final year MSc Information Systems student from Toronto, ON. He has been an AU student for 3.5 years now. From a professional capacity, he is a senior software engineer and currently a GRA with Dr. Janelle Baker (Boreal Food Sovereignty). His focus in the graduate program is data analytics and AI that aligns with his career goal of becoming a Natural Language Processing researcher. His research goals are AI, software engineering, data science, cyber security, etc. to name a few.

Danielle White Eagle is a Cree-Métis woman living in Calgary, AB. She is in her final year of the AU Master of Counselling program. Danielle is on a lifelong journey of healing by reconnecting with Métis culture and community. She is passionate about revitalizing Métis ways of knowing, living, and healing. After graduation, Danielle will facilitate culturally responsive psychotherapy and develop culturally appropriate mental health treatments to help Métis women heal from intergenerational trauma.

David completed his studies at Athabasca University, where he followed his passion for academic writing. He was admitted to the Interdisciplinary Studies program in 2020, and this journey greatly enriched his mind and enhanced his abilities. During his undergraduate study, he became interested in the interaction between economic growth and social change. His work experience in sales and marketing has provided him with extensive business knowledge and it inspired him to study contemporary economic developments and their impact on Canadians. In the future, he wants to continue exploring his interests using the improved methods obtained from the MAIS program.

Deborah Exelby (BSc, MBA, PMP) is currently completing her thesis (Online or face-to-face: A risk-based approach to blended learning design) in the Master of Education in Open, Digital and Distance Education Program. She is a project manager focused on instructional design and healthcare commissioning projects and a graduate research assistant with the Faculty of Health Disciplines at AU. Her area of research interest is workplace training and orientation in the healthcare sector.

Hilary Schmidt will shortly defend her thesis in AU’s Master of Education in Open, Digital, and Distance Education program. Her area of research is survivors of complex trauma as adult online learners. Previous peer-reviewed academic publications include two articles examining female pioneers of online learning: Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Christine von Prummer.

Hyeyung Park is a researcher on learning analytics, data visualization, and lifelong learning with data. The topic of her research is focused on learning analytics dashboards that support the development of self-regulated learning skills. She had a master’s degree in TESOL from the University of Southern Queensland obtained in 2006. In the non-academic world, she is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC-IRB) and a subject matter expert at the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). She is a lifelong learner and a lifetime professional.

Ishaw is an Indo-Canadian healthcare professional living in Toronto with over a decade of experience in clinical research, public health and digital health and holds a BSc in Life Sciences and an MBA, all of which inform her work towards creating an equitable healthcare system in Ontario and beyond. Outside of work, she focuses on deepening her academic research on digital health and its impact on pre-existing inequities in Ontario and advocating for community health through public forums.

Ivy Shawl-Song, BPA-Human Services, is an Equity Facilitator focusing on child advocacy and ‘whiteness in action’. She enriched her undergraduate experience training with the Equity Literacy Institute under founder Dr. Paul Gorski. She is a recipient of the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship and currently sits on Athabasca University's Research Ethics’ Board in the graduate student position while volunteering in her rural Alberta community as a Commissioner for Oaths. Ivy’s social semiotic research in the MEd program is informed by critical whiteness studies and the pervasive practice of teaching difficult history using images of racialized children.

Jean Smith is in her final year of the Doctor of Education in Distance Education program at Athabasca University. She lives rurally in Alberta, Canada and highlights that distance studies have enabled her to teach full time while generating new knowledge to support the practices of rural registered nurses (RNs). Her area of research is the just-in-time learning activities of RNs using blended educational resources in the rural hospital workplace. Jean has been a rural RN for 37 years – 22 years as a staff RN and 15 years as an educator with the BScN program at Red Deer Polytechnic.

Karli Olexyn is a student of the Master of Counselling program. She is passionate and enthusiastic about her research in weight stigma and very eager to begin her journey as a provisional psychologist in Alberta. Karli also has research experience investigating hoarding disorder. While her primary work experience has been working with children and adults on the autism spectrum, Karli is always excited to learn something new and work with a broad spectrum of concerns.

Kelly DeCoste is in her final year of the Master of Nursing program. She is a Nurse Educator in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Kelly’s current research explores maternal mental health and infant feeding, focusing on equitable access to healthcare services. Her thesis research has received financial support from the Canadian Nurses Foundation. Kelly is ‘driven to learn,’ teach and conduct research. She plans to complete a Ph.D. in Nursing and to continue her career path in academia.

Rebecca Rychliski is currently completing her undergraduate studies through Athabasca University, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. She is currently in her fourth year and resides in Calgary, Alberta. Working full time in the landscaping industry while pursuing her education online, Rebecca’s most recent community-based research project reflects an interest in interdisciplinary fields with practical, data driven results.   

Reginald Kaip is in his final year in his undergraduate psychology degree at Red Deer Polytechnic and hopes to attend a masters in counselling program next year and become a youth counsellor. He has worked with Closer To Home Community Services for two years in their group homes.

Samarjit is a Registered Nurse in BC Canada and a candidate in the Doctor of Education program at Athabasca University. She is currently employed as an Education Consultant with BC College of Nurses and Midwives, Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about supporting Registered Nurses in their journey to transition to the role of part-time clinical nursing instructors and is exploring the use of online professional development programs to support their role transition.

Dr. Sami A. Houry is a Senior Research and Data Officer with Institutional Data Analysis at Athabasca University. He also teaches Evidence-Based Marketing at Mount Royal University. Dr. Houry holds a BSc in physics from the University of Toronto (1997), an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland (2000), and a Certified Analytics and Insights Professional designation from CAIP Canada. In 2018, he earned his doctorate from Athabasca University.

Dr. Houry has undertaken quantitative research with numerous information technology and research consulting companies where he conducted statistical analyses, feasibility studies, marketing research, program evaluations, and research project management. In his current role with Athabasca University, he undertakes various statistical analyses on database extracts and other secondary and primary research data to inform program reviews and institutional planning.

Dr. Houry’s research interests focus on complexity science applications in business, specifically investigating generic early warning signals for critical transitions in socio-economic systems, as well as network science applications in institutional planning, the coming together of his physics and business backgrounds.

Tara lives on Vancouver Island and teaches in the MBA program at University Canada West and the undergraduate programs at Vancouver Island University and North Island College.  Tara attained a Master of Business Administration degree at Dalhousie University, where she also gained a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in accounting. She is a fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (legacy Chartered Accountant) and is currently completing her Doctorate of Business Administration at Athabasca University.

Tim Isnana is a member of the Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation entering the third year of the Doctor of Business Administration program with Athabasca University. Currently, working as a full-time lecturer with the First Nation’s University of Canada. 20+ years of business Industry experience, sharing his wealth of knowledge and expertise developing Indigenous learners with the business fundamentals applicable to their future careers. Research focus includes Collaboration Theory, Indigenous Stakeholder Partnerships, and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Warren Tracz graduated from the Doctor of Education program in November 2022. He is the Senior Manager of System Operations Investment Management and Business Reporting at Hydro One Networks. Previously he was Senior Manager of Training and Development and taught Electrical Engineering at an Ontario College. His research focus is on the professional development of adult learners and online learning adoption in utility operations.

Yemi Adegbite is a Nigerian-born Canadian with a master’s degree in education from Walden University, Minnesota, USA. Currently, he is a doctoral student at Athabasca University in the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies. He is working on the final stage of his dissertation. He started his doctoral journey at Walden University and applied to transfer to Athabasca University 4 years ago with no regrets whatsoever. As a professional educator, Yemi believes in the concept of life-long learning that ceases only after death. His research interest includes but is not limited to online students' mental health.