Grad School in Montreal

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I  started undergrad not really knowing about grad school, but after studying at Laurier, wanted to learn more about Canadian elections and voting behaviour. Putting my law school aspirations on hold, I received a masters degree (MA) at McGill  University. Unexpectantly, for the first 6 months, I had 2 different neck braces after a summer neck injury. 

My  MA experience was one of the most enriching and humbling moments in my life. It was moments like the summer R bootcamp or watching Andrew McCormack present on their own R package (mapcan). The best part was  learning alongside some good friends at the CSDC.

The best part of my graduate experience was a result of being a student member of the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC). I also served on the Post Graduate Students’ Society's (PGSS) Judicial Board and served as a mentor for undergraduate students through a mentorship program.

I worked with Prof. Éric Bélanger (also my MA supervisor) as a Research Assistant and as a Conference Assistant on the 2018  Canadian Municipal Election Study Conference (which is where I first discovered an interest in municipal politics). I was a Teaching Assistant including for POLI 210 (Political Science Research Methods) x 2, POLI 378 (Canadian Judicial Process), and  POLI 321 (Issues in Canadian Public Policy). 

I wrote a master's thesis on issue ownership voting, which began as an intellectual passion at Laurier. I presented some of its findings at a CSDC graduate student conference in 2019. In the summer in-between finishing my MA and starting law school, I served the public by working for public service on public policy in the Ontario Ministry of Education (Curriculum, Assessment, and Student Success Policy Branch).