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The Faculty of Arts and Science recently welcomed prospective, previous, and current Pre-Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Fellows to the Agnes Etherington Art Centre for a meet and greet event. The evening was an opportunity to connect in an informal setting, celebrate the success of the pre-doctoral program, and recognize the new post-doctoral students.

Lavie Williams, Acting Associate Director Human Rights Advisory Services, hosted the evening. After giving the land acknowledgement and introductory remarks, she invited Dean Barbara Crow to the podium for a few words.

“I’d first like to thank our Vice Dean Lynda Jessup who created the pre-doctoral fellowship,” Dean Crow says. “It was based on her experience with one of her graduate students who had done a pre-doctoral fellowship in the United States. Lynda was really inspired by the student’s experience. She introduced the idea, and I was really excited to support it. It was the first of its kind in Canada.”

The Pre-doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students program was designed to support the intellectual and scholarly development of senior Indigenous doctoral candidates in ways that position them for success, Dean Crow added.

“This is an amazing opportunity that cannot be underestimated,” says Nathan Brinklow, Associate Head for Indigenous Studies. “Thank you to the Faculty and to Lynda for developing this program and then helping to expand it.”

Lavie Williams, Acting Associate Director Human Rights Advisory Services, chats with Daniel McNeil, Professor in the Department of Gender Studies and the Queen's National Scholar Chair in Black Studies during the Meet and Greet event.

Daniel McNeil, Professor in the Department of Gender Studies and the Queen's National Scholar Chair in Black Studies, celebrated the collective and creative work the pre-docs in Black Studies developed during their fellowships. He also offered his thanks to members of the Queen’s Black Faculty and Staff Caucus for adjudicating exceptional applications from across Canada and to departments across the Faculty for supporting the interdisciplinary work of the fellows.

Ifeoluwatari (Tari) Ajadi (Assistant Professor, Political Science, McGill University) talked about his experience as a pre-doctoral student within the program and how it helped shape his future. “The fellowship program gave me space to breathe and think through the process,” he says. “The program also wouldn’t have been meaningful without the other fellows. The friendships, collaborations, and care they provided was invaluable.”

At the conclusion of the evening, Dean Crow announced the first-ever Post-Doctoral Fellowships for Indigenous Students and in Black Studies. The recently announced program offers emerging scholars from a wide range of disciplines access to the financial support, mentorship, and career development opportunities needed to build the foundation for a successful professional future.

The successful candidates are Dr. Melanie Manitowabi (PhD candidate, Education and Sustainability, Nipissing University) and Dr. Sefanit Habtom (PhD candidate, Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto).

Sefanit’s research examines Black student organizing in relation to Indigenous lands and communities while Melanie’s research explores the meaning of innovation with expert Indigenous Early Childhood Educators through the sharing of their lived experiences.