Our 2022 Stephen Daniel Pope Graduate Award and Doctoral-Level Outstanding Presentation recipient is Liz Saville!
In memory of Dr. Stephen Daniel Pope, this award is presented to an Okanagan School of Education graduate student who shows great promise in the field of education. Dr. Stephen Daniel Pope is remembered for his passion for education and his significant contributions to the public education system of British Columbia in the 1800s.
QUESTION AND ANSWER WITH SESSION WITH LIZ
What does receiving these awards mean to you?
I am very grateful and honored to receive both of these awards.
Receiving the Doctoral Studies Outstanding Conference Presentation encourages me in my efforts this year at both CSSE and AERA to help promote both my PhD research and other research activities I have been engaged with and inspire others in the field to consider thinking about what it means to build and support cultures of belonging in STEM classrooms.
It is especially humbling to be acknowledged with the Dr. Stephen Daniel Pope award. This award encourages me in the value of my graduate work this past year in thinking about equity in STEM education and in the plans for my upcoming PhD research activities. I am so thankful to be a part of the learning community here at the OSE.
What has been a highlight for you during your graduate student experience?
My highlight of this past year was attending and presenting at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference. The time spent at this conference was one of sharing, networking, learning, and just being with other people in-person who care about education – a true highlight for a graduate student who started her studies in the middle of a global pandemic!
Who inspires you, and why?
Though my graduate student experience I have been fortunate to work with many of the professors in the OSE who have introduced to me new ways of thinking, new people, new research, and new opportunities. I am very grateful for the ways in which these professors have each supported and inspired my continued growth as an educator and researcher in different ways.
What advice do you have for future graduate students?
Come into your graduate programs at the OSE with a receptivity to growth, challenge and opportunity and you will be rewarded. Take advantage of all that the OSE has to offer you. If you do – you will find yourself growing in your ways of thinking, being and doing with every course you take, in your interactions with OSE faculty and staff and through the research and learning opportunities that are available to you as a graduate student.