Well, you asked for it; the other day I asked your opinions on upcoming blog posts. I received an outstanding number of ideas which I am excited to write about in the coming weeks. But before I dive into these topics, you also asked to hear more about me, my research and my story. I figured this week is a good place to start and I am excited to share it with you all.   I hope I will be able to shed some light onto what has brought me where I am today, what my day-to-day currently looks like with my school and projects, as well as where I want to head in my future. So here it goes, a glimpse into the past, present, and future of Christine.

How I got here:

With my values of social justice strong, my love of the social work profession started in the unlikely place of a Research Methodology & Statistics course in the second year of my undergraduate degree. I applied, was accepted and completed my Bachelor’s of Social Work Degree at King’s University College at Western University in London, Ontario. I had social work placement positions at a local NDP Constituency Office, and at the Student Development Centre at Western University. During this Degree, I learned the importance of research in the profession and went on to pursue my Master of Social Work Degree at the University of Calgary, which was completed in 2012. This degree was focused in community and international development, as well as results-based management. I completed a social work placement position in Geneva, Switzerland at the International Social Service, Reference Centre.

Since then I have worked in Saint Lucia, at the Organisation of Eastern Carribean States. As well as World Vision Canada in its Programs and Policy Division. I further worked on social work research projects involving youth social exclusion and civic engagement, as well as professional suitability in social work.

Before heading to Ottawa, Ontario for my Ph.D., I spent time working at York University in the Research and Innovation Division. And I still currently work there (5 hours a week – full time in the summer).

My current schedule:

I know every Ph.D. program is a little different and I wanted to share with you what my schedule will look like for this current year and next, while I finish my courses. I am currently registered in the Social Work Program with a Specialization in Political Economy 

First Year	Fall	Winter
	0.5 SW6101 Theoretical Foundations	0.5 SW6102 Ethical Foundations
	0.25 SW6303 PhD Seminar	0.25 SW6304 PhD Seminar
	0.5 SW 6401 Critical Pedagogy	0.5 SW6105 Advocacy Practicum
		0.5 PECO 6000 Political Economy Core Concepts
		= 3
Second Year	Fall	Winter
	0.5 SW6201 Theory & Methods	0.5 SW6202 Research Design
	0.25 SW6301 PhD Seminar	0.25 SW6302 PhD Seminar
	0.5 Elective	0.5 SW6500 Qualifying Exam
		= 2.5

After I successfully complete my comprehensive (qualifying) exams, I will move onto my research proposal, dissertation and defense (with hopefully some teaching experience along the way).

My current projects:

My advocacy practicum is currently with a project on Re-Imagining Long-Term Care and supporting them in sharing it’s research findings through unique opportunities such as animation videos.

I am also involved in another two research projects and slowly working towards writing and publishing papers for both of these projects.

And in my spare time, I am contributing my time to blog posts and the co-creation of logic models with the YouthREX project. YouthREX helps promotes the integration of research evidence and evaluation in the development and delivery of Ontario’s youth programs.

My future research: 

I plan to explore what the current context of precarious employment (insecure work such as contract positions, non-paid internships, nonstandard employment, positions with no benefits etc.) in Ontario looks like for youth, as well as mapping precarious employment across social dimensions, locations, and contexts. This research will enable me to identify factors contributing to precarious employment, indicate the most common in various industries, occupations, and geographical locations. As well as improve employment outcomes for youth in the Ontario labour market. I also intend to address intersects such as gender/sex, race/ethnicity, for youth precarious employment for young women and men’s well-being and inclusion.

If you couldn’t yet tell from above, I also have interests in:

• Research and Evaluation in Social Work
• Precarious Work
• Youth Social Exclusion
• Social Work Education
• Models of Assessment and Professional Suitability in Social Work
• Political Economy of the Welfare State
• Labour Market in Ontario
• Non-Standard Employment in Ontario
• Anti-Oppressive and Structural Approaches to Social Work
• Social Policy

 

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions. If you still have more, ask them in the comments below or over on Instagram (happy to share more).

 

Okay enough about me – now I want to hear from you!

• What year are you in?
• What are you studying?
• What is your research about?
• Whats your schedule?
• And what projects are you currently working on?

 

 

Until next time,

 

 

 

P.S Don’t forget to use #ScholarCulture #ScholarSquad #ScholarSunday to keep me updated on your experiences as grad students.

P.P.S Applying to grad school for the 2018/19 school year? Check out this FREE eBook on 5 steps to a successful grad school application. Are you in grad school and struggling to find easy lunches to bring to campus? Check out three FREE recipes and full nutritional information here.