Explorations

Jun 2024 – present
'Rooted Storytellers' column - CATA-ACAT's Envisage online magazine (contributor)

'Rooted Storytellers' is an ongoing column I contribute to in CATA’s online magazine Envisage. The column is dedicated to unearthing and amplifying diverse voices and knowledge keepers in the creative arts therapies, primarily in Canada. It seeks the inclusivity of histories that have shaped art therapy to reflect and represent diversity in the field.

Oct 2024
Child and Teen Consumption Conference: Playing with Borders Series (panellist, p. 28)

The 2024 CTC Conference was held in Toronto (Canada) and hosted by York University and Toronto Metropolitan University on Oct. 16-18, 2024.

My presentation, ‘Intersecting Borders with Youth: Reflections on my Experiences in Animation, Childhood Studies and Therapeutic Arts,’ was part of a panel on Canadian Media (Co-panellists: Prof. Natalie Coulter (York U.) and Pat Bonner (Concordia U.); moderator: Jessica L. Campbell (York U./Toronto Metropolitan U.).

Feb 2024
Reflections on Research, issue 11 (author)

The Reflections on Research series asks Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies’ associates to go beyond the specifics of their research findings, often published elsewhere, and instead reflect on the scholarship process and the subjective factors that brought them to their work.

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The reflective piece is based on lived experiences surrounding my Humanities MA’s major research project (MRP), titled “A Multistoried Artist: Holistic Self-Reflexivity in Childhood Studies,” which explores creative reflexive tools and key sources to understand our positionality as researchers or practitioners working with young people. I expand on my research process, academic/professional journey, and some key takeaways to consider in research.

Sept 2023
York University’s ‘Robarts Connects’ Series (panellist)

Our interdisciplinary panel discussed how researchers have struggled with and navigated meeting their research goals since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the challenges scholars face as they seek to produce knowledge, some opportunities that have arisen and some stories of adaptations and resilience.

Moderators:
Jean Michel Montsion - Director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies chez York U.
Carolyn Podruchny - Professor of History, York U.
My co-panellists:
- Gillian Parekh - Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Disability Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, York U.
- Joshua Thienpont - Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, York U.
- J. Gary Myers- Ph.D. Candidate, History, York U.

Hosted by the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at York University, the 'Robarts Connects' series aims to connect York graduate students, their studies with their future, and their research with unavoidable challenges in the contemporary Canadian landscape.

Mar 2021
Hidden in the Shadows: An Artifact of Remembrance (artist, panellist)

Art project presented at York University’s annual multidisciplinary ‘Undergraduate Research Fair and Art Walk,’ a campus-wide juried event. The event offers experiential learning opportunities, incorporating presentations and panel discussions in an inclusive environment. My project titled ‘Hidden in the Shadows: An Artifact of Remembrance,’ which celebrates the lives of children “hidden in the shadows” during and after WWII, is an art piece I developed for a course called ‘Holocaust Literature for Children and Youth.’

Dec 2020
Intersectionality: My Story and Reflections (guest lecturer)

Guest lecturer in Prof. Martin Hanley’s ‘Visual Media Theory’ class at Ballyfermot College of Further Education’s Irish School of Animation (Dublin, Ireland). During the virtual course, I briefly talked about Kimberlé Crenshaw’s theory of Intersectionality and my experiences in the Animation industry through this lens.