Samara Wessel (MSc) is a PhD in Counselling Psychology student at the University of Calgary. Samara's work lies in the intersection of psychology and social justice. Her research centers on the critical topics of cultural safety and exploring the ways in which psychology can support self-determination and data governance within Indigenous communities. 

samara wessel

University of Calgary
Research Assistant

Saria James-Thomas (BEd.) is a teacher who has returned to the University of Calgary to pursue a second degree in psychology. Saria’s long term goal is to work with children in a psychological context and she aims to research ways to reduce the barriers to the positive mental health of BIPOC populations. She moved from Jamaica and relocated to Calgary at the age of 12. During this time, she has been interested in learning about Indigenous cultures and as a teacher, she tried to implement Indigenous ways of knowing into her lessons. In her free time, Saria is a mental health advocate where she volunteers and works with national organizations such as Jack.org. She also likes experiencing nature and doing activities such as hiking.

SARIA JAMES-THOMAS

Dawson Strand is an MSc in Counselling Psychology student at the University of Calgary. His research interests coalesce around philosophical ethics, hermeneutics of selfhood, and fostering moral dialogue amongst differing ideological commitments. 

dawson strand

University of Calgary
Research Assistant

University of Calgary
Research Assiatnt

Before taking on her current role of Director, Field Experience (Community-Based Pathway), at the Werklund School of Education, Dr. Astrid Kendrick was a K-12 classroom teacher for nineteen years specializing in Physical Education and English/Language Arts. Dr. Kendrick has two main research foci: firstly, on compassion fatigue, burnout, and emotional labour in Alberta educational workers, and secondly, on building the instructional capacity of preservice teachers in online and virtual learning environments. She is the primary investigator on a SSHRC-funded Partnership Development Grant with the Alberta Teachers Association, ASEBP, and Northwest Territories Teachers Association; a co-investigator on a health promotion grant through Alberta Education; and a co-investigator on an SSHRC Insight grant into improving teacher integration of Indigenous knowledge.

She is committed to improving the health and wellness of children through establishing partnerships with local school districts and Alberta Health Services. For the past several years, she has served as the co-chair of the Health Promoting Schools Collaborative for the southern Alberta region and is looking forward to serving with PHE Canada next fall. Dr. Kendrick is the co-producer of the Ed Students in Conversation podcast series on voicEd Radio Canada.

She was the recipient of the 2020 Online Teaching Award from the Werklund School of Education as well as an Emerging Scholar Award from The Learner research network in 2019. 

astrid kendrick

University of Calgary

Dr. Theodora Kapoyannis is the current Director of Field Experience ( On- Campus Pathway), at the Werklund School of Education. Before taking on this role. she was a K-12 Classroom Teacher for eighteen years and an educational consultant. Dr. Kapoyannis' research interests include linguistic and culturally responsive pedagogy, teacher well-being and digital literacy.

DR. THEODORA KAPOYANNIS

Lisa Trout is a dedicated educator committed to holistic education and social justice. She has spent over 18 years teaching French immersion in Alberta, Canada, integrating food education and language development while discovering their connection to indigenous ways of knowing.

Currently pursuing her M.Ed. at the University of Calgary, she is deeply committed to experiential learning in classrooms and communities. Her work reflects her belief in the power of food as a tool for cultural connection, environmental stewardship, and social equity. Lisa is passionate about building nourishing educational environments while honouring and integrating Indigenous knowledge and perspectives on sustainability and community well-being.

Lisa Trout

University of Calgary

University of Calgary
Research Assistant

Originally from France, Eva Lemaire is a professor of Education at the University of Alberta, on Treaty 6 territory. She is Associate Professor at Faculté Saint-Jean and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Education (Department of Educational Policy Studies). Her areas of expertise are intercultural education, multilingual education, as well as language awareness/cross linguistic awareness. Eva Lemaire is interested in the integration of Indigenous perspectives in school settings, especially in the French immersion and French immersion minority contexts; with language revitalization and language awareness being conceptualized as a pathway to reconciliation.

Eva Lemaire

University of Alberta

Through his teaching, service, and scholarship Josh seeks to create the conditions to (re)story education as a journey towards agency, wonder, and expansive awareness of oneself-in-the-world. He is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and his ancestors trace back to Métis, Eastern European, and English communities. Josh is an assistant professor in the department of Education at Mount Royal University. He is currently exploring storytelling, Indigenous land
based learning, and heterarchy in the contexts of learning, teaching, and leadership in k-12 and
post secondary education. Prior to his professorship Josh worked for many years at Rocky View Schools as a teacher and system leader.

DR. JOSHUA HILL

Mount Royal University

Kathryn Crawford (EdD) is an assistant professor at Ambrose University, teaching learning theory and application and a Faculty Lead at Yorkville University in Curriculum and Pedagogy
and Indigenous Education. Her experiences as an educator with students in First Nation communities, special education programs, inclusive classrooms, and with preservice
teacher/partner teacher partnerships has been integral in affirming the importance of first-person stories in teacher preparation and in the teaching profession. She is interested in the taken-for-granted socialization and evaluation of preservice teachers, identity development of preservice and early-career teachers, the role of communication in the authorization of the idealized teacher through field experience, and in organizational storytelling.

KATHRYN L. CRAWFORD

Ambrose University

Dawn Burleigh (PhD) is a former high school teacher in an isolated First Nation community and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge who studies the intersections of policy and curriculum in Indigenous education.

DAWN BURLEIGH

University of Lethbridge

Robin Bright (PhD) is a professor and Interim Dean in the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge, living and benefitting from Blackfoot Confederacy traditional territory. After enjoying a ten year career teaching elementary school, Robin pursued her commitment to lifelong learning as a researcher, writer and teacher educator working with preservice teachers, practicing teachers, parents, children, and colleagues in the areas of language and literacy. She continues that commitment to learning through understanding Indigenous ways of knowing to support rich experiences for students and teachers in classrooms.

ROBIN BRIGHT

University of Lethbridge

Chloe Weir (Ph.D.) traces her passion for teaching and education to her second-grade teacher who had a profound influence on her life. She currently serves as the Chair of the School of Education at Burman University. She is devoted to teaching and enjoys learning new ways of engaging preservice teachers. She is a strong proponent of the view that there is a space for understanding how Indigenous ways of knowing and doing can contribute significantly to human development.

CHLOE D. WEIR

Burman University

Lorelei Boschman (M.Ed) has been an educator for thirty-four years as an elementary teacher, high school mathematics teacher and currently Chair of Education and Instructor at Medicine Hat College, Alberta, in the Bachelor of Education degree collaboration with Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. An important aspect of this role is to collaborate in Indigenous education with faculty, local teachers and preservice teachers. Lorelei’s scholarly work has been focused on mathematics education, leadership, experiential learning and high-impact
educational strategies. Educating preservice teachers and creating truly meaningful and thorough learning experiences to prepare them for teaching is paramount to her. She also enjoys adventuring in the outdoors and is a firm believer in place-based experiential learning, appreciation and personal growth.

LORELEI BOSCHMAN

Medicine Hat College

Laurie Hill (PhD) was born and grew up in southwestern Ontario, near Lake Huron, the territory of the Anishinabek Nation and the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. She now lives in Calgary and works at St. Mary’s University where she is currently an Associate Professor in the faculty of Education. Laurie is a settler with Scottish, Irish, and British heritage. 

S. LAURIE HILL

St. Mary’s University