At each step along the way at uOttawa, Faculty of Education students are learning, innovating and changing their environment. Guided by a deep passion and shared ambition, their paths offer unique experiences that enrich our community. As Convocation celebrations echo, the Faculty takes a proud look at three graduates, Albertine Diane Simo Souop, Katherine Fouzie and Josée Lebel. Three faces, three stories, but one promise: to shape education with a human touch.
Albertine Diane Simo Souop: Persistence and inclusion
Albertine arrived in Canada from her home country with what was already a very full past. Returning to studies was a major step, one heavily influenced by the reality of balancing work, family and studies.
Along with her practicums and family life, Albertine involved herself body and soul in student life as president of the formation à l’enseignement students association (AEEFE). Under her, the association increased its initiatives to strengthen students’ sense of belonging: welcoming activities, mentorship, orientation sessions and community recognition. This leadership earned her formal recognition from MP Mona Fortier, who awarded her a Leading Women and Girls certificate.
Beyond her involvement with associations, Albertine mentions the warm environment and guidance offered by the Faculty administration, the consistent closeness of the dean and the availability of many resources supporting success and wellness that paved the way for her.
With invaluable experience and a caring vision of her future profession, Albertine is turning the page on this uOttawa chapter of her life.
“What I remember from my experience is, first of all, developing my self-confidence as a future Ontario teacher. The practicums let me discover different social realities, learn to work with students with different profiles and develop a more...”
Albertine Diane Simo Souop
— Formation à l'enseignement Graduate
Katherine Fouzie: Language teaching as a bridge between cultures
Katherine Fouzie’s experience in the Faculty of Education was a particularly personal adventure characterized by caring and collaboration. Right from the start, she felt “supported by a network of peers there to share ideas and support each other in the toughest moments.” This guidance from professors, the practicum office and the associate teachers was essential to her growth and instilled in her the confidence she needed to start on her path as an educator.
During one of her practicums, in the field, everything truly became clear. Through direct contact with her students, Katherine understood that the impact of her profession was measured primarily by the strength of the relationships she established. “Simple exchanges during a lesson, something clicking for a student or shared laughter showed that teaching happens through daily acts of caring.” Katherine initially enrolled in teaching French as a second language (FSL) as a reflection of her own positive learning experiences. But she became a fervent ambassador for the discipline (as part of the FSL ambassadors initiative and training as a DELF examiner).
She has come to see language as a unique bridge between cultures. By making room for individuality, the classroom changes: it stops being just a place to learn a language and becomes an inclusive community. Relying on research, because “staying curious is vital for an educator,” Katherine is getting ready to cross the threshold of her own classroom with the heart and the rigour the Faculty has instilled in her.
“Language teaching excels when we see beyond the textbooks and become interested in the people in the room. Each student, each family comes with its own history.”
Katherine Fouzie
— Teacher Education Graduate
Josée Lebel: Rethinking science instruction in minority settings
For Josée Lebel, it all started in Sudbury when she was 10, at the opening of Science North. That’s where this Franco-Ontarian discovered a very personalized, interactive approach to science, a form of social constructivist pedagogy that would shape her future. After working in several Canadian science centres and being fulfilled in the classroom thanks to her education at the University of British Columbia, Josée chose the University of Ottawa to do a PhD.
Returning to Eastern Ontario after 20 years away wasn’t without its challenges. Josée says she experienced a period of linguistic insecurity, questioning her legitimacy compared to classmates from Quebec and French-speaking Europe. Paradoxically, it was at uOttawa itself that she found her answers, understanding that the reality of Franco-Ontarians was itself a valuable study topic. In questioning the hierarchization of languages, she not only dispelled her own doubts. but also developed a dialogic approach to teaching science, a field no longer perceived as neutral and objective but as deeply influenced by the social and cultural setting.
“What I especially remember from my experience in the Faculty of Education is the space I was given to move from a reflective practitioner, concerned first and foremost with improving my own teaching practices, to a research practitioner able to contribute to a broader reflection on education,” she says.
Between publishing articles, organizing symposiums and receiving funding, Josée learned to embrace doubt and constructive criticism as drivers of learning, becoming ready to make a lasting contribution to the broader reflection on education in minority settings.
“Even when we aim to produce rigorous work, no study can claim to offer a definitive answer. Instead, each research project helps enrich, add nuance, confirm or question existing knowledge. With time, I’ve learned to welcome criticism as an opportunity for reflection and learning. This openness to the ideas of others has transformed my way of imagining both teaching and research,” says Josée.
“Even when we aim to produce rigorous work, no study can claim to offer a definitive answer. Instead, each research project helps enrich, add nuance, confirm or question existing knowledge.”
Josée Lebel
— PhD Graduate
A lasting community impact
Albertine’s, Katherine’s and Josée’s stories are a powerful demonstration of how the Faculty of Education is much more that a place for passing on knowledge — it’s an incubator of social change. Whether it’s deconstructing linguistic insecurity, making science a space for dialogue or using a second language as a force for cultural inclusion, our graduates are ready to change the world.
To all graduates preparing to celebrate Convocation, the Faculty of Education congratulates you. You’re the proof that passion and ambition, driven by people-centred values, can create a brighter, more just future. Good luck on your journey!