GRAD STUDENTS WRITING GROUP
By Andrea Chalifour , Rubina Khanam & Kari Krug
Every Sunday afternoon you can find a group of Education grad students writing together . A few years ago , in 2016 , Rubina Khanam , Martha Madurin- Moe , Titi Olayele , Jennifer Burton , Cindy Nelson , and Valerie Brooks , with the help of Dr . Andrea Sterzuk , started the group as a place for students to study , write , and support one another .
The membership of the group has changed over the years as some members have graduated and moved away while new members have joined .
The writing group is a place that offers friendship and moral support to graduate students who can often feel lonely or isolated . The location of the group has varied , from the Regina Public Library , Archer library , Education grad lounge , faculty lounge , to local coffee shops . Now with COVID-19 pandemic , the members are still meeting online through Zoom and WhatsApp .
Over the years , the group has enjoyed guest speakers including Dr . Andrea Sterzuk , Dr . Michele Sorenson , Dr . Twyla Salm and more recently Kelly Christopherson , a PhD Candidate who offered suggestions based on his experience of proposal writing . The group is anticipating a future presentation by Dr . Jerome Cranston and is always looking for other guest speakers .
Another support offered by the group was a mock thesis defence held for Kari Krug , chaired by Simone Hengen , a PhD student and a member of the writing group .
The writing group has been instrumental in helping members finish their theses and dissertations . In fact , both Krug and Khanam have listed participation in the group and how instrumental it has been as part of their methodology .
A few group members are currently working on a collaborative research project about imposter syndrome among graduate students .
Current Education grad students are always welcome to join , especially as other members have gone on to graduate . Congratulations to the former group members who have completed their degrees !
If you are interested in joining please e-mail Andrea Chalifour at allenaa @ uregina . ca or Titi Olayele at akinnolt @ uregina . ca or Yan Yang at yan . yang2 @ uregina . ca or Rubina Khanam at rubina . khanam @ uregina . ca or Kari Krug at krug202k @ uregina . ca
Our first meeting picture on March 5 , 2016 . Photo credit Dr . Andrea Sterzuk
A recent zoom meeting during quarantine on April 20 , 2020 . Screen shot by Kari Krug
Education News | Page 15