Gender Equality and Social Justice

In the five years since graduating from the Gender Equality & Social Justice program (BA with Honours, double major with English Studies), I've hit several other professional and academic milestones, thanks in no small part to the skills and tools I picked up in this department. The critical thinking and communication abilities I honed within the GESJ department have earned me internships, writing and editing contracts, and admission into excellent schools. In particular, I found that the GESJ Honours Seminar was just the right mix of self-directed and faculty-supported learning so as to prepare me for further higher education.

After graduating in 2012, I worked for two years before going on to my Master's degree in Gender Studies, during which time my research focused on critical discourse analysis of federal policy development on missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada. The rigour and high standards set by GESJ faculty left me well situated to complete this degree in two years, all while holding several Research and Graduate Assistantship positions and earning a Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies Award..

Currently, I am employed by the Native Women's Association of Canada as a Policy and Research Analyst in Justice and Human Rights. This puts me in the unique position of doing work that is often precisely in line with my studies and passions. For this, I am extremely grateful to my professors and mentors within the GESJ department.

Kim Wakeford, BA '11

After graduating from the GESJ program in 2007 I looked for a future working with marginalized communities. I worked for an AIDS service organization for a number of years, as an office administrator and volunteer coordinator. This work was rewarding and allowed me to further develop and use the skills and knowledge I gained from the GESJ program. In 2011 I returned to Nipissing University and earned my BSc Nursing through the Scholar Practitioner Program, a 2-year second degree nursing program.

Currently, I am working as a registered nurse with the University Health Network in Toronto. My focus is in the Inpatient Mental Health and Inpatient Eating Disorders programs. I am also completing a Collaborative Academic Practice Fellowship through UHN that will allow me to create practice change towards better patient experiences. My experiences in the GESJ program have helped frame my nursing practice, and helped influence how I provide care to my patients.

Caitlin Don, BA '07, BScN '13

In 2013, Dawn completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Gender Equality and Social Justice. She currently works at the North Bay Indian Friendship Centre as a research associate for the two-year project Urban Aboriginal Communities Thrive, which is a community-driven capacity building initiative in North Bay. Dawn is also a superintendent of a building owned by the local Children's Aid Society where she mentors and supports youth transitioning from foster care to independence. In her spare time, she is currently learning about the four medicines and the healing Jingle dress, adding jingles daily to her dress to dance in powwows in the coming year. Excerpts of Dawn’s Honours thesis -- “The Intergenerational Effects of Indian Residential Schools on Foster Care Today: A Personal Narrative” -- are now available in the online journal Society for Building a Healthy Kugluktuk.

Dawn Lamothe, BA '13

I majored in Gender Equality and Social Justice with a minor in Sociology. The Gender Equality and Social Justice program was the ideal fit for me, and right from the first class I finally felt like I really belonged – It was in GESJ where I experienced my click moment. The GESJ program literally transformed my entire life and majoring in it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I would most strongly recommend this program to anyone who believes a better world is still possible. On a personal note I have been HIV positive for probably going on twenty years. To say the least, I have experienced a share of pain and heartache in my life. The GESJ program taught me to see hope even when things seem bleakest. The professors and students were incredibly supportive of my situation, and I have made some lifelong friendships as a result. The GESJ program has made it possible for me to work as a peer research associate for the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. My work for the OHTN mainly entails research and field interviews. I have done public speaking, consultations and facilitation for a number of HIV/AIDS organizations, allied organizations as well as government agencies about my personal journey. Additionally, I have served on working groups from the Public Health Agency of Canada to the Canadian Treatment Access Coalition regarding HIV and the incarcerated. I was a key working group member with the Canadian Treatment Action Council to produce a field manual to assist AIDS Service Organizations to better serve the needs of those incarcerated with HIV or at risk of contracting HIV while in prison. I have served over six years on the Board of Directors for the AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area in a number of capacities. I have also begun building a Community Based HIV/AIDS Organization serving Northern Ontario entitled Blue Sky HIV/AIDS Research & Consulting. You can check it out at bharc.ca. If you are looking for more than just a degree, and perhaps a life changing experience that will encompass your entire being and forever enrich your life, then look no further than Gender Equality and Social Justice. Check out the GESJ program if you believe a better world is still possible and you want to be the change you want to see.

Scott de Blois, BA

Having graduated from the Gender Equality and Social Justice (GESJ) program at Nipissing University, I cannot emphasize enough the quality of the program and its ability to prepare its graduates for working in a community setting or further studies.

I graduated with a 4 year Honours Bachelor of Arts in 2006. Very shortly after graduating, I was hired as a researcher for the North Bay Newcomer Network to study the experience of immigrants in the North Bay area and conduct a subsequent needs analysis. Although this may not immediately seem relevant to my area of study, there are many parallels.

What is even more important is that my educational background gave me the theoretical framework in which to think about the issue of immigration from not only a gender standpoint, but also a social justice perspective. Being able to situate my research within this framework enabled me to push the limited scope of the initial research proposal to one that called into context the multifaceted and complex nature of immigration and the immigrant experience.

The value of pushing those boundaries were, and continue to be significant. From influencing municipal planning strategies to think beyond economics to creating socially conscious committees on the topic of immigration, my studies at Nipissing in the GESJ program prepared me to think critically and act with awareness.

I am currently working as the Program Coordinator for the North Bay & District Multicultural Centre, which is an immigrant settlement agency in North Bay. Without the theoretical and historical perspectives taught in the GESJ program, I would not have been prepared to create programs and work with clients in a way that values and takes into account their varied experiences and the forces that condition their lives. This, in itself, is so crucial in community work and is an element that is lacking in many other programs.

The GESJ program gives its students the ability to analyze and understand the world in a different way, “out of the box” thinking that is necessary for all those who wish to make a difference in the lives of others. You will learn to question, to critique, to probe issues; you will learn to think.

Ann Welsh, BA '06

I chose Nipissing University because of the amazing community feel that was obvious when I walked onto campus for the very first time. Now a graduate of the Gender Equality and Social Justice program, I can say, without hesitation, that this community is hard to compete with.

I originally started in the Criminal Justice program but my passion for human rights and law reform drew me to the GESJ program in my second year of studies. The courses were interesting and kept me thinking outside of “the box.” I have learned so much from the faculty’s varying backgrounds in topics such as queer media studies, religious studies, critical race theory, and transitional justice. I never used to call myself a “feminist” because frankly, I didn’t even know what being a feminist meant. I envisioned a woman burning her bra in the street and that wasn’t something I understood. Now, having critically evaluated the social, political, and economic climate locally, nationally, and globally, I can see very well why calling oneself a feminist and an activist is something to be extremely proud of. Advocating for the rights of marginalized populations is something we should have a collective responsibility to. This program has not only changed the way I see the world. It has also changed the way I see myself. There is nothing more empowering than knowing the social structures that fabricate our reality. This gives us the power to question reality and question what is “normal.”

My experiences outside of the classroom helped make my university experience especially memorable. I worked as a Residence Don for two years. I also spent one semester at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa through the study abroad program. In my final year at Nipissing University, I balanced writing my honours thesis on sexual consent, working as a residence don and sexual violence prevention and education outreach student, and applying for full time jobs. Less than two months after my graduation ceremony I started a position at the AIDS Committee of North Bay & Area. I am currently working there as a Women & HIV/AIDS Community Development Coordinator. I am excited to continue to learn in this organization. In the next couple of years I hope to pursue Graduate Studies in Social Justice, International Relations, or Law.

Mary White, BA