Education, Grad Studies

Starting my PhD program

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I started my PhD program this month at McGill University in Montreal (PhD in Educational Studies). My summer off was great but it went by so fast! I have to admit that I am not looking forward to doing course work again but I’m hoping it won’t be so bad. It was hard to say goodbye to Concordia after so many years there. I built up this support network for myself and other students and made many friends. It’s hard to start over.

The vibe at McGill is very different from Concordia. I think it might be tough to find my place in this new community at first considering that I only have one course on campus and it’s in the evenings every other week. Basically, I am never on campus! I guess PhD student life is like that.

I am taking a mandatory seminar class with the chair of our department. It’s nice that I get to meet my entire PhD cohort. My peers are doing very different and interesting research project. I’m hoping we’ll bond to support each other because grad student life is so isolating. So far, so good!

Starting a whole other journey with this PhD thing, let’s see where it takes me.

In Peace & Friendship,

Wahéhshon

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Concordia U, Education, Grad Studies

Day School Research

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For the past two years, I have been conducting research on the Indian Day Schools that existed in my home community (Kahnawà:ke). Initially, I planned to blog about my research process as I went along. Due to the sensitive nature of this research topic, the university ethics committee stipulated that I could not publicize information about my research until I defended my thesis. My thesis examination was on April 26, 2019 and I passed! The final thesis has been submitted and I will be graduating from Concordia University’s Special Individualized Program this Spring.

I created a page on my website about my Day School research to make some of the information in my thesis more accessible to community members and to the public. I added an appendix to my thesis with a chronology of notable dates and events pertaining to Day Schooling in Kahnawà:ke. I cite references in each entry to help interested parties locate the source. There is still a lot of information to dig up and analyze on this topic. I am continuing my research at McGill University in the Integrated Studies in Education PhD program this Fall (2019).

Now that I have passed the thesis examination, I will be adding posts to my blog about my research process. I hope that sharing how I tackled certain issues will help other graduate students and Indigenous researchers. For anyone interested in reading my Master’s thesis, I will post information on how to access it after my submission is accepted by the Spectrum database.

Niá:wen 🙂

Wahéhshon

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Concordia U, Education, Kanien'kéha

First Post – Grad Studies Topic

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Kwe Sewakwé:kon,

It has been difficult for me to get in the habit of posting regularly but I have emerged from the comfort of my quiet life to share some of my experiences as a grad student. Many other students ask me for help and advice and a few of them made me realize how much I have figured out (with help) along the way. I hope that sharing my experiences will help some of you with the struggles of university and grad school. Posting here, there is a better chance that the info will reach a broader audience. When I mention universities, programs, or any other resources I will provide as many links as possible to help you all out. I also added some additional info at the end of the post for those of you unfamiliar with some of the lingo.

In this post, I would like to start with an overview of my educational background. In 2013, I began my studies as an undergraduate student at Concordia University in the First Peoples Studies Program (FPST). I also have a minor in Anthropology. I completed my degree in the spring of 2017 with Great Distinction* and served as an Arts and Science Valedictorian (my speech is on the “video” page). There are currently no graduate degree programs in First Peoples/Indigenous studies in Quebec. Luckily, Concordia has an Individualized Program (INDI) that allows you to build a unique multidisciplinary Master’s or Doctoral program. I put together an Individualized Master’s degree grounded in First Peoples/Indigenous studies that merges education, anthropology, communication, history, and applied human sciences. My Master’s research is on the Indian day schools in my home community of Kahnawà:ke. I expect to complete this research and graduate this Spring, 2019.

I have received numerous messages and emails with questions about things like: FPST, scholarships, grad studies, student leadership, INDI program, grad school applications, choosing research topics, territorial acknowledgements, cultural protocols, Indigenous issues, and so on. As a graduate student, I have tackled some of the typical issues that arise and faced a few unique ones as an Indigenous person. After this initial post, I plan to write about each of these topics one by one. Note that I am not an “expert”, just someone who is willing to share my experiences in the hopes that it helps someone else.

In Peace & Friendship,

Wahéhshon (“She walks about”)

 

*Great Distinction (Definition at Concordia University, note that gpa is calculated on a 4.3 scale)

Access Nov 26, 2018:  http://www.concordia.ca/academics/undergraduate/calendar/current/sec16/16.html

16.1.9     High Academic Achievement

A degree “With Distinction” will be awarded to students who obtain a final graduation grade point average (FGGPA: see §16.3.10 II.c) of at least 3.40 and below 4.00.
A degree “With Great Distinction” will be awarded to students who obtain a final graduation grade point average (FGGPA) of 4.00 or greater.

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