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McGill.CA / Educational & Counselling Psychology / Programs & Courses / MEd Concentrations in Educational Psychology

M.Ed. Alumni Profiles

Naz Boke - Doctoral Student in Human Development
General Educational Psychology: Project - 2017

I graduated from the General Educational Psychology - Project concentration in 2017. Since then, I have continued to be involved in research activities within the team that I was a part of during my graduate studies. I have also worked as a project administrator on a national initiative led by McGill's Faculty of Education to enhance pre-service teachers' mental health and well-being through education in teacher preparation programs. This role has been fulfilling as I have been able to apply the skills and knowledge I obtained during the MEd in courses on instructional design and program evaluation. I have also benefitted from the hands-on research experience I have gained by completing a research project on university student well-being. I have since been admitted into the Doctoral Program in Educational Psychology at the Department of Educational & Counselling Studies to further explore factors related to mental health and well-being in university.
Dana Carsley - Associate Director, Resilience and Wellness EnhancementÌýat McGill’s Student Wellness Hub
General Educational Psychology: Project - 2015

I graduated with an MEd in General Educational Psychology in 2015. As part of the first cohort of students in the Research Project Concentration, I was able to develop, design and conduct a unique research project examining the role of mindfulness for students’ anxiety and test anxiety in educational settings. I expanded on the interesting and meaningful findings of this project by completing a PhD in Human Development with a focus on using mindfulness to support students’ mental health and well-being in multiple developmental periods. During my PhD, I also began working as a course lecturer within McGill’s ECP department. I collaborated with students and faculty within a research team on numerous school and resilience-based projects and initiatives. As an elementary school teacher conducting a research project in the MEd program, I was able to apply my learning in a practical way by focusing on developing teacher-led mindfulness, stress management, and wellness and resiliency programs. In addition to my ongoing position as a course lecturer, my commitment to enhancing student and staff well-being has resulted in my new position as the Associate Director, Resilience and Wellness Enhancement at McGill’s Student Wellness Hub.
Natasha Glazer - Consultant
Inclusive Education - 2014

After graduating, my interest in special needs children and behaviorism continued. This led me to work at one of Montreal’s largest Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) centers where I worked in an early behaviour intervention program with a variety of children, most of them on the Autism Spectrum. I continued my studies online and passed my certification to become a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA). I worked with a variety of children, families, daycares, and schools, helping to train and consult on a variety of life, functional, social, and academic skills. I continue consulting privately and am also working at an English School Board in Montreal, where I am continuing to create behaviour intervention plans for students and train staff on implementing the interventions.
Ryan Golt -ÌýManagement Consultant at KPMG
General Educational Psychology: Project - 2018

Since graduating with my MEd in General Educational Psychology, I have been granted opportunities in many different fields. Rather than forcing me along a specific path, this degree allowed me to leverage my education towards the field of my choice. For my final project, I researched mental health stigma programs and interventions in high schools and universities. This experience resulted in my desire to continue working in academia while simultaneously exploring the option to work on such programs at a business and entrepreneurial level. After graduation, I was admitted to the Masters in Public Health at Harvard University, which was the perfect place for me to pursue my business and academic passions. I was able to continue my academic work while also building a network of like-minded entrepreneurs. During my time in Boston, I became a co-founder of Ignite Mental Health: a mental health startup working to achieve the policy, legislation, and budgetary changes needed to end the Campus Mental Health Crisis and advance Mental Health Literacy and Access. After a year of working at Ignite, I began exploring other full-time opportunities back home in Canada. In the next few weeks, I will begin working as a management consultant at KPMG, a job that will hone my business skills while still focusing on healthcare.
Gabriela Kassel Gomez - Director of Counseling Services at Head & Hands/Research Coordinator at the Meraki Health Centre
General Educational Psychology - 2017

After graduation from the MEd General Educational Psychology Program, I became a Pathy Family Foundation fellow and was sponsored to spend a year building a peer support storytelling initiative with transgender and nonbinary adolescents. I currently work as the Director of Counseling Services at Head & Hands, where I provide social counselling to youth between the ages of 12 to 25. I am also the Research Coordinator at the Meraki Health Centre, where I oversee the Trans Youth CAN! study, a national longitudinal cohort study of trans youth accessing gender-affirming healthcare. My stage at Meraki was the most beneficial part of my training in the MEd, as it enabled me to hone my counseling and support skills and gain deep understandings of trans youth health, informing much of the work I do today.
Enoch Leung - Doctoral Student in Human Development
Inclusive Education: Project - 2017

I work in community centers, elementary, high schools, and CEGEPs, supporting diverse students. Primarily, I work with resource centers to ensure students have equitable opportunities to succeed in their academics. Job opportunities have opened up in the field of accessibility and inclusion inÌýschools. As inclusive education spans outside of academics, I have been able to think more broadly, outside of academics, to include social aspects, to foster a safe space for all students to learn (e.g. marginalized students, LGBTQ youth). Primarily, as my research is further pursued in my PhD, being an MEd graduate allowed employers to view me as an expert to work collaboratively with diverse youth (e.g. students with diverse dis/abilities and identities) through incorporating frameworks, such as Response to Intervention and Universal Design for Learning philosophies.
Charlie Ohayon - Access Services Advisor at Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
Inclusive Education: Project - 2016

I graduated from the Inclusive Education MEd program in 2016 and completed three years of the Human Development Doctoral program. I worked throughout my master’s degree as an Academic Advisor and then joined the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ as an Access Services Advisor in the fourth year of my Ph. D. In my current role, I am responsible for the needs assessment and registration process for students requiring disability-related support services. I also liaise with faculty, academic units, other student services units and external organizations to inform them about the OSD as well as learning resource supports and strategies. My professional pathway and lens stem from my academic research in inclusion and student success and this will continue to guide my professional development.
Isabella Scurfield - Learning Skills Advisor at Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD), Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
Inclusive Education - 2017

I value diversity and inclusion and an MEd in Inclusive Education (June 2017) provided me the certification needed to make a difference in this field. In my current role as Learning Skills Advisor for McGill’s OSD, I support students experiencing barriers by teaching learning skills and strategies. Working to support the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, my degree means that I can back up my experience with education. The knowledge I gained from the MEd program provided a deep understanding of inclusion past, present and future. It also gave me professional language and practical skills needed to be successful in the field. Moving forward, I will endeavor to continue to learn and grow and (hopefully) make a difference in the lives of students.
Lydia Tao - Research AssistantÌýat the Scleroderma Patient-Centered Intervention Network (SPIN)
Inclusive Education: Project - 2018

I graduated in 2018 with an MEd in Educational Psychology: Inclusive Education (Project) Concentration. After graduation, I started working as a full-time research assistant at the Scleroderma Patient-Centered Intervention Network (SPIN) in the Lady Davis Institute of the Jewish General Hospital. The MEd program has equipped me with both psychoeducational research experience and internship opportunities to work with vulnerable populations and individuals with special needs. These helped me tremendously in securing my current job in the domains of psychosocial and patient-centred research. Courses related to learning and instructional theories, inclusion, and social-emotional well-being also equipped me with the essential knowledge to coordinate the day-to-day tasks of an online educational program trial for rare disease support group leaders.
Soledad Valencia - Recent Graduate
Inclusive Education: Project - 2020

One of the many lessons that I learned during my Master's in Educational Psychology at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ is that building an education system that considers all bodies and brains requires community involvement. Inclusive education programs should be created and implemented by people with and without disabilities, from different age groups, gender identities, and ethnicities. Once I graduate, I intend to transmit this knowledge by working as a college professor in my country, Ecuador. I believe it is essential to teach an authentic approach to inclusion and provide evidence-based tools and strategies for future generations of Ecuadorian teachers. As a college professor, I aspire to help other teachers create enjoyable and productive learning experiences for all children in my country.
Sonja Washer - Project Administrator in the Faculty of Education, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ
Inclusive Education - 2019

I graduated in 2019 from the Inclusive Education concentration. Completing my Masters while working full-time as a Head Teacher in a school for students with intellectual disabilities meant that I could directly apply my learning to my professional role. Earning a Master’s degree allowed me to become a curriculum specialist at my school. I wanted to expand my work experience and was pleased to see that the MEd degree is well recognized, increasing my qualification for job opportunities, such as Pedagogical Consultant. A highlight of the MEd program was the great networking, which led to my current role as Project Administrator in the Faculty of Education at McGill. I love the work, as I get to make further connections in education through the University, Montreal school boards and the Ministry of Education.

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