Why did I accept this position?
I wanted to play a role in supporting our School, its students, instructors, and other staff as we navigate this moment of trauma and a return to campus-based life. Change is hard, but development studies is all about understanding how to confront challenges that are interlaced with each other, like the pandemic, settler colonialism, or environmental crisis.
The best part about my job
I love teaching: helping people to see something they thought was familiar in a new light, or to find connections between things they never considered before. Because our School is so multi- and interdisciplinary, I am surrounded by students and faculty who bring a fantastic diversity of perspectives to everything they do.
What people don’t know about me…
I have always been obsessed with learning languages. Besides English and French, I speak Swahili, can revive my Arabic, Bambara, German, Spanish, and Mandarin with some effort, and am currently studying Algonquin (Anishnaabemowin).
My favourite quotation
The proverb “The tree remembers, the axe forgets” is a great reminder of the asymmetries inherent in trauma and oppression. I want always to be on the side of the trees and regrowth.