Cinzia Di Placido, President
Co-president (August 2022-February 2023)
I am a 1st year PhD student in Educational Studies in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE). My work is focused on the strategies that STEM teachers use to develop an inclusive learning environment for students with disabilities, particularly learning disabilities. I am interested in framing my study using critical disability studies in education. I have previously served as submissions co-coordinator and volunteer coordinator for the EGSS Annual Conference. Through these experiences, I have collaborated with and learned from many of my fellow EGSS members. As co-president for the 2022-2023 academic year, along with the extraordinary council members, I aim to foster an inclusive, supportive and exciting educational environment for all EGSS members to thrive in during their time at McGill University. Please do not hesitate to contact me at president.egss@mcgill.ca. I look forward to connecting with all of you!
Indu Garg, VP Finance
I am a first year M.Ed. student in Educational Psychology, Learning Sciences concentration. In my previous life (i.e. before coming to McGill :)), I was an MBA with 16 years of experience working in the research & consulting space, out of which most recent 5 years were focused on corporate L&D. I have an extensive experience in developing organisational L&D strategy, introduction of technology for higher impact learning, and creating learning programs based on user needs. Unlike a lot of people pursuing this degree, I do not have the relevant experience to clear point out what I am going to do, but I do know that I want to create learner-entered programs, especially for students with learning disabilities, and identifying ways to integrate them in mainstream education system.
I look forward to interacting with you and absorbing as much as I can from your extensive experiences in these two years, before I define my path ahead.
Midhat Noor Kiyani, VP Academic
I am a second-year doctoral student in Educational Studies program (Concentration: Science & Mathematics Education) at the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE). My research interests include sustainability education, interdisciplinary project-based learning, and STE(A)M education. For my doctoral research, I am interested in designing an informal learning space that uses STEM education model to promote awareness and understanding of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since I have an engineering background and an interest and experience in interdisciplinary education, I am currently working on two research projects at McGill in both the engineering and education faculties. What else? I love to go out and watch Netflix!
I envision my contribution to the current EGSS council as a facilitator to help build an inclusive community of graduate students that support each other, learn from each others’ knowledge and experiences and collectively navigate through their academic journeys. I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas, questions, comments or concerns related to your academic journey in the education grad school. Stay HAPPY (Hardworking, Authentic, Persistent, Passionate, and Youthful)!
Daniel Gomez, VP Communication
I am a second year master student in Educational Psychology, Learning Sciences concentration. I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Education in secondary social studies from Indiana University. I have taught social studies and English as a second language in Taiwan, and also in the US for an alternative education program. Early on in my career I transitioned to work in immigration law as a paralegal. As a team member of the firm’s U.S. Citizens and Immigration Services team, I assisted clients with U-Visa petitions, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Violence Against Women self-petitions, and family-adjustments. I wrote affidavits and filed petitions for our clients explaining to the USCIS their complex immigration trajectories. Later, I moved on to work for Indiana’s Migrant Education Program. I had the privilege to help hundreds of migrant farm workers and their children through US ESEA Title 1 Part C, the largest federal aid program for public schools. Our team helped them receive educational and social support services, along with technology and internet access with the aim of educational integration. I also had the opportunity to be remotely contracted for Hujiang Education Technologies, of Shanghai, China. I held the position as an online ESL course editor for their WeChat Mini-Program for adult and young learners. At McGill, I want to continue to learn how to bridge educational and technological divides by providing students with meaningful learning experiences.
Interests: Game-Based Learning; Educational Video Games; Educational Technology; Cognition and Learning Sciences
Yeon Hee (Jenny) Kang, VP Student Life
I am a 1st year MEd student in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology (ECP). Before coming to McGill, I worked in the Office of Student Life and pursued undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Spanish Philology in Madrid, Spain before going on to work in Educational Research and Development in Seoul, South Korea. My current work focuses on designing interventions that are practical and feasible to implement and improving research quality to better inform existing and future interventions, particularly with regards to the social-emotional learning domain. Through this work, I aim to bridge the gap between research and practice in the field of school psychology and foster healthy development and learning for all students.
During the 2022-2023 academic year, I will work with my fellow EGSS members to serve the graduate students in the Faculty of Education and promote an environment in which all students can feel comfortable and welcome to flourish in their scholarly, professional, and personal lives.
Welly Minyangadou, VP Equity & Diversity
I am a graduate student starting my Doctorate in Educational Studies. I have a background in teaching English as a second language, having recently graduated from the MATL-TESL program within the DISE department. My research projects surround the topic of culturally responsive pedagogy in Western education systems. In them, I inquire about how to best prepare -and support!- pre-service teachers and current educators on their journey to teach in multicultural classrooms in a safe, meaningful, and representative manner. Being a student-teacher of Color myself, I understand the urgency with which our student body needs support and access to resources on teaching and learning in the rich environments they are sent in.
I intend to pursue further projects within the same realm all throughout my Doctorate. In the meantime, the council and I work together to upkeep the safe space that has been offered for students here at McGill University. As a team, we work on contributing to the efforts currently undertaken to see to it that all constituents of our Faculty are seen, heard, and supported in each aspect of their professional and academic journey.
Jie Gao, Conference Co-Chair
I am a PhD student pursuing the Learning Sciences Program in the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University. My research focuses on educational technology (data science & artificial intelligence), e-learning, and adaptive learning. I have been an educational data specialist for 5 years, supporting many education companies & organizations (McGraw Hill, Read to Lead, Moonshot Academy, LingoAce, etc.) in the U.S. and China. Beyond that, I founded Data Science and Education Association in Teachers College, Columbia University. I also founded an EdTech community named TizEdTech (a member of AWS EdStart) to support 1500+ educators and 5000+ followers.
Olivia Roch, Conference Co-Chair
I am a first year master’s student pursuing a degree in Education and Society within the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. I graduated with honours from the University of Winnipeg in 2020 with a Bachelor of Education, in addition to a Bachelor of Arts Honours in French Studies and Biology. During my undergraduate studies, I worked with the University of Winnipeg Education Students’ Society to plan a professional development conference for university students from institutions across Manitoba. I have been teaching for three years with experience in both middle schools and high schools in my hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba and here, in Montreal, Quebec. I am interested in the implementation of Community-Based Education and Project-Based Learning within schools and non-formal settings, and was inspired to continue my studies and contribute to large-scale, top-down advancements within education. I am looking forward to working with EGSS to plan some amazing events this year!
EGSS Program Representatives
Sarah Al Ani, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology (ECP) Representative
I am a second year master student in the Faculty of Counselling and Psychology Education Specializing in Inclusive Education. I have recently graduated from McGill where I completed my M.ED in Kindergarten and Elementary and found myself wanting to learn more about how to improve the education system when it comes to students with behavioural problems and learning impairments. Due to this, I have been volunteering my time at the General Jewish Hospital where I work with students who have ASD or ADHD and work with the professional team to help students learn how to regulate and apply techniques to help them cope with their struggles such as by partaking in therapy session which include music, art and drama therapy. As a muslim and Arab, I am passionate in learning about ways to help refugees, one area of research I continue to dive into is how Music Therapy can be used as a intervention to help reduce PTSD experienced from the various traumatic events refugees might have gone through. I am excited to help voice the concerns and advice of my fellow program and hope to be able to bring exciting and enriching events with the help of my fellow EGSS members! 🙂
Christine Cheng, Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE) Representative
I am a 1st year PhD student in Educational Studies in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE). Prior to my PhD, I received my Master’s degree from University of St Andrews and my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Hong Kong. Building on my teaching experiences in both higher and secondary education, my research primarily focuses on how sites for pedagogies evoke historical consciousness, and how non-conventional approaches to social sciences education help students become critical thinkers and informed citizens. I look forward to answering fellow graduate students’ concerns and providing students’ perspectives on different issues that we may face during our time here at McGill. I am very keen to place more importance on students’ well-being and skill-building during my term.
Education Graduate Students' Society 