Doctoral Student Profiles

I am a first-year PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. I am originally from Nova Scotia and first studied History at Mount Allison University and eventually Education at Brock University. With an interest in exploration, I first went to South Korea to teach English and then to China where I mostly taught Social Studies and English Language Arts in two BC curriculum offshore schools. I also coached ultimate frisbee and helped build a youth league with other schools in Shanghai. When I returned to Canada, I completed an MA at the University of Victoria researching the perspectives and experiences of BC offshore school graduates and internationalization of education. Now at UBC, I plan to research how Canadian teachers depict and Chinese students perceive social studies and humanities courses taught in British Columbia offshore schools.

My name is Jennifer Anaquod and I am from Muscowpetung Saulteaux First Nation in Saskatchewan and grew up as a grateful guest on Musqueam territory. I completed my B.Ed in NITEP (Indigenous teaching education program) at UBC in 2007. From there I went on to become an instructor at Native Education College in Vancouver. I completed a Early Years Diploma at UBC in 2013 and an M.Ed in Curriculum in Leadership in 2015. I began my PhD studies in 2015. The research I am engaging looks at what Indigenous students attending Indigenous post-secondary institutes consider success. More specifically, I am interested in how this knowledge will help improve the educational journeys of Indigenous institutes. Other interests include how story, place-based education and Indigenous ways of knowing and pedagogy inform our practice as instructors.

I, Maria Jose, am an educator who has had the opportunity to walk alongside Indigenous people on educational projects defined by their own terms. I have identified myself as two-Spirit Mestiza, with Indigenous heritage. I feel honoured to have worked collaboratively and to have learned how to recreate a curriculum in order to make it culturally responsive. After working on culturally relevant curriculum development, I always wonder what have others felt and learned from the experience and what we all can learn from that process. This is the reason why I wanted to explore the experience of the stakeholders involved in developing lessons based on the tipi story for my Master’s thesis. I was born in Mexico City and raised since I was two years old in the Cancun area. I have the blessing to speak the Mayan language, of the territory I grew up in, and my Mayan name is X-Jose. But also, I have worked with and understand Ayuujk Jay, Pur’epecha, Ñöñho, Yaqui, among others. I have been a visitor in Musqueam territory where I have had the blessing of studying my MA and now my PhD at UBC. For my PhD I want to compare how teachers feel to be prepared or not to work in minority Indigenous groups in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. I love the outdoors, love to share life, food and stories. I am happy to be part of the EDCP graduate community again!

Being through many events in my personal history, I identify myself as a complex being—a mixed character of many things—a collage. I may have arrived at a place in understanding of others residing within or without, but that is only in part. My educational interests lay in the areas that link philosophy, theory and history together. As for the research interests, I am hoping to have a more or maybe a different understanding of the self and of the others. Meanwhile, I am wandering around, which leaves the subject moving between the binaries of being happy and content, and lost and vulnerable in the world.

Kiera Brant-Birioukov is Haudenosaunee from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia, under the supervision of Dr. William Pinar. She holds an MA in Education from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Bachelor of Education (Primary/Junior) and Bachelor of Arts (Aboriginal Studies). Her MA thesis entitled "‘But how does this help me?’:(Re)thinking (re)conciliation in teacher education" sought to identify how a praxis of reconciliation transpires within initial teacher education in Canada and New Zealand. Outside of academia, she dedicates her time to pursuing Vancouver’s best craft beer and beating her husband in badminton.

Rafael is a PhD student at the University of British Columbia’s Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. He is from San Juan, Puerto Rico where he worked as a public-school History teacher for over 6 years and completed an M.A. in History at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. His research interests include history education, critical pedagogy, coloniality, decolonizing pedagogy, textbooks, and participatory action research. Rafael is also an activist who has worked with various organizations throughout the years with the aim of promoting Puerto Rico’s political independence. His doctoral work is focused on decolonizing the curriculum from its Eurocentric framework and searching for endemicity amidst the chaos of Caribbean identities.

I was born in Edmonton and I studied at the University of Alberta (B.Ed., LL.B. M.Ed.) and at York University (LL.M.) before my acceptance into the doctoral program in the Faculty of Education at UBC. I have been exceptionally fortunate to study with Dr. (Bill) Pinar (Committee Chair) and Dr. (Bill) Doll who have both enhanced my appreciation of curriculum studies. I am also indebted to Dr. Vanessa Andreotti and Dr. Cash Ahenakiw who are invaluable as members of my committee. I am now a Ph.D. Candidate and I currently teach four (on-line) legal studies courses at Athabasca University. My extensive work experience, including many years with the Ministry of Education in Alberta as a legislative consultant, as well my combined background in education and law has provided a solid foundation from which to study the work & recommendations of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). My research focuses on the commitment made by the Ministers' of Education (in response to the findings of the TRC) and the unanimous agreement to ensure that all students learn about the Indian Residential Schools in Canada. My particular research question asks: "Why do we study the traumatic past?"

Sandra is a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in management and a MSc. in Economics from Universidad Nacional of Colombia. As researcher, her interests include social movements, activism, critical pedagogy, curriculum studies, academic capitalism and academic freedom. Some of her articles have been published in Education and Policy Analysis Archives, Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor and in Revista Íber: Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales, Geografía e Historia.

Peisen Ding is pursuing a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies with a specialization in Art Education. His research focuses on the conceptual art practices intertwined with everyday life and their educational potentials. He has successfully completed his Master’s degree in Experimental Archaeology from the University of Sheffield in the UK, exploring the reconstructions of ancient artworks and crafts in relation to contemporary society. He also holds a B.A. in Fine Arts (Fine Arts Education) from Nanjing Normal University in China, and has worked as a fine arts teacher, curriculum designer and chief consultant of curriculum development at different art schools and institutions since his undergraduate studies. He loves to travel and explore various lifestyles by staying with local families and volunteering in local communities. For example, he volunteered in hospitality in Spain and childcare and art education in Mexico.

I have been teaching grade 7 in North Vancouver for the past ten years. During this time, I completed an MEd in Curriculum Leadership and Instructional Strategies at UBC. My focus was teaching Aboriginal art as a non-Aboriginal person. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked for many years in health sciences. My current research interests lie in alternate approaches to science education that include philosophies of care, visual culture, Indigeneity, and critical pedagogies of place.

Héctor Gómez is a PhD Student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. In 2005, he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Universidad de Santiago de Chile and an MA in Education from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2013. Since 2006, he has been working in education as a teacher in schools in Chile; as a professor in different universities in Chile; and as researcher focused on curriculum, gender,  and queer theory.  In his most recent work on curriculum policy, he was the National Coordinator of Social Studies in the Curriculum Unit of the Ministry of Education in Chile.  His doctoral research analyzes discourses of quality in teacher education curriculum from a Performativity Theory perspective.

Kshamta Hunter is pursuing her PhD in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy. She is also a Manager of Sustainability Student Engagement with the UBC Sustainability Initiative.  Kshamta’s PhD research aims to investigate operationalization of innovative leadership capacity and the necessary knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and competencies for innovation toward sustainability. Using culturally responsive pedagogical models, her study will explore urban youths’ adoption and conceptualization of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals that encourage social innovation.

I am a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at UBC. Prior to beginning my doctoral studies, I completed my BA (history), B Ed (secondary education), and M Ed, all at York University in Toronto. My research has explored young people’s activism about education, the experiences of gender non-conforming K-12 teachers, and gender in teachers’ work more broadly. My writing has been published in the Journal of LGBT Youth and Teaching Education.

I am a second-year Ph.D. student in Curriculum Studies, with an M.Sc. in Pharmacy and M.A. in International & Comparative Education. My undergraduate degree is in pharmacy, and then I shifted to education with my growing passion for personal development and social change. Before moving to Canada for my graduate studies, my work involved curriculum design and teaching in non-formal educational programs of science, character and citizenship education in Egypt. I also worked as a curriculum designer and teacher educator in various settings such as rural and community schools, international schools, as well as Science and Education for Sustainable Development programs. I recently co-edited a book entitled ‘The Struggle for Citizenship Education in Egypt’, published by Routledge. My research interests include culturally-relevant pedagogy, critical pedagogy and citizenship education. I am particularly interested in exploring teacher’s personal theorizing of critical pedagogy, and teacher agency within the context of neoliberal reforms. I am currently serving as one of the peer advisors in the Curriculum and Pedagogy Department for the academic year 2020/21. I love the outdoors and enjoy hiking and biking.

I am excited to be entering into my first year as a PhD. student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy under the supervision of Dr LeAnne Petherick and Dr Anthony Clarke. I completed my MEd. in Physical Education at UBC under the supervision of the late Dr Joy Butler and looked at “Enacting successful change in a secondary physical education department.” I am a husband, father and a full time Lecturer in the Health Outdoor and Physical Education (HOPE) program area also in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education at UBC. I am a trained K-12 Physical Education (PE) teacher, consultant and have extensive experience in secondary schools as a PE teacher, PE department head, and an assistant athletic director. My current research and passions lie in the promotion and advocacy for Quality Physical and Health Education and the Physical Literacy movement. In my spare time I enjoy being outdoors, camping, out on the water, mountain biking, playing ice hockey, being active and coaching a plethora of youth sports in the community.

I was born and raised in Uganda. I completed my B.ED at The catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi. I then taught for eight years and later moved on to complete my MA.ED with Walsh University. Prior to starting my doctoral studies, I worked as a high school teacher both in Uganda and Kenya, a role that was punctuated with classroom teaching and administration. I developed a passion and a marvel for instructional technology, which I decided to venture into in a one-year course in Information Technology. Currently as a PhD student in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, I am making strides in making my vision become a reality by delving into Instructional Technology. My areas of interest are education technologies, moral education, higher education, educational foundations and management. Currently, my research focus is on ‘The status and use of ICT in Uganda secondary Schools: Teachers’ competencies, dispositions and perception.’ And, when I am not in school, then I am in religious service…

Born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, I completed my Undergraduate degree in Honours Mathematics at Florida State University. I then made the move to the west coast to complete my Master's degree in Mathematics at the University of British Columbia, where I was strongly involved in a teaching and learning group within the department. I am currently a PhD student in Curriculum Studies at UBC with my research focus being secondary and post-secondary mathematics education. In my spare time, I'm an avid ballet dancer, dog lover, and retro music enthusiast.

I am from Vancouver and taught secondary English at a local independent school for 16 years. Before returning as a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr Anthony Clarke in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, I studied at UBC (BHK, BEd, MA) and completed a thesis entitled, "Coach-to-coach mentoring in a youth soccer academy: Applying theoretical knowledge within relevant contexts of practical sport coaching." During this time, I was able to work closely alongside Dr Harry Hubball, whose guidance and mentorship were instrumental to my professional and academic development. My current research interests include teacher autonomy, teacher education, and curriculum theory. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer and golf, working in the garden, and being Daddy to my beautiful daughter.

I landed in Curriculum and Pedagogy after pursuing degrees in both Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Sociology. I have previously worked as a sexual health educator and harm reduction youth worker. My research focuses on trans and gender non-conforming young people in educative spaces. I am also active in the queer sports community in East Vancouver, a bicycle enthusiast, and a vegan truffle maker.

David joins the EDCP community to pursue a PhD in Curriculum Studies with a passion to explore how (young) people develop what Aldo Leopold coined as a "Land Ethic." He very much wants to see the United States incorporating a Land Ethic into the standard public education curricula. With years of traveling, teaching, and living in countries around the Pacific Ring of Fire, Dave is excited to look at this idea through a cross-cultural lens. He serves as the director of an after-school program that promotes Mexican cultural enrichment and scholastic academic support. When not reading, writing, or working with students, he enjoys time homesteading and gardening with his wonderful wife, Michelle, in Bellingham, Washington.