The 2015 conference committee includes:
The LLED Graduate Peer Advisors (Conference Chairs):
Natalia Balyasnikova, Ph.D. Student
Natalia is a second year doctoral student in TESL. She has previous degrees from Herzen Pedagogical University of Russia. Prior to moving to Vancouver to pursue her PhD, Natalia taught English Language, Literature and Culture in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.
Natalia strongly believes in community outreach and public scholarship, and she is actively involved with UBC Learning Exchange where she facilitates ESL classes and gives workshops on intercultural communication in the workplace.
Fun Fact: Away from research and work, Natalia enjoys time with her friends, watching TED talks, and dancing. Those rare non-rainy Vancouver days, Natalia can be seen wandering the streets of Vancouver East Side in search of the best coffee/study space combination.
Kyle Stooshnov, Ph.D. Student
Kyle is from Vancouver and completed his BEd and MEd at UBC, now in his second year of Literacy Education PhD program in LLED. His interests include digital literacy, educational technology, virtual reality and the narrative worlds created by digital tools.
Claire Ahn, Ph.D. Student
Claire is a second year PhD student in literacy. Prior to graduate studies Claire was a high school English teacher in Alberta for ten years. She completed her MEd at UBC on the pedagogical value of teaching film in secondary English classrooms . Her current research focus is on visual rhetoric in environmental documentary films. Other research interests include visual literacy, teacher education and English curriculum.
Fun Fact: Claire firmly believes chocolate should be a food group.
Conference Committee Members:
Ava Becker, Ph.D. Student
Ava is a second year PhD student in the TESL program. She holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and a BA (Hons) in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of Alberta. Her current research interests include: discourse analysis, language socialization, language maintenance, and social practices of remembering and forgetting in diasporic contexts.
Fun fact: Ava once broke through two bricks with her right hand. On purpose. And her hand didn’t break in the process.
Anna Mendoza, M.A. Student
Anna is an MA student researching international graduate students’ investment in Canadian higher education. She argues that it is students’ choice of target community rather than demographic factors alone (e.g. race, country of origin) that lead to experiences of linguistic discrimination. Other interests include: teaching L2 writing, hiking, refreshments, epic poems.
Victoria Surtees, Ph.D. Student
Victoria is in her second year of a PhD in TESL. Her research interests include language socialization in study abroad contexts and participant involvement in data collection and analysis. She is excited to learn more about graduate research within the department and looks forward to an engaging conference!
Fun Fact: To unwind, Victoria grabs her binoculars and goes birdwatching in local marshland parks
We would like to extend our thanks to the student volunteers, Faculty and Staff in LLED who have assisted in a variety of ways in helping with this conference. A special thank you to Dr. Ling Shi, our Graduate Advisor, who has guided us along the way.