Andrea Kellaway
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree?
I am a person who loves to learn, and surface-level anything is never enough for me, so I knew I would eventually go back to school for graduate work. In my many years as a teacher in BC, every role change I made involved me diving deeper into how best to support students and colleagues. I was always learning, always wanting to make things better or at the very least understanding why things were the way they were! When I finally got to the point in my learning to understand that many of the issues I was frustrated with in the educational system needed to be looked at in a different and deeper way, I found my way here.
Why did you decide to study at UBC?
The joke has been that I collect degrees and diplomas from BC universities. My undergrad and teaching diploma are from the University of Victoria, and my graduate diploma is from Simon Fraser University. UBC was the school I had not yet graduated from with anything, so I thought, why not? All joking aside, though, I knew I wanted to get into research, and I knew UBC was the place to do it, being one of the foremost research institutions in the country. I'm so fortunate to have had a lot of great learning experiences in that respect so far, and I'm very happy with my choice.
What is it specifically, that your program offers, that attracted you?
It was one of my co-supervisors, Dr. Carly Christensen, who changed my trajectory from potentially studying counselling psychology (with the intention to learn to support my students with disabilities from a more holistic perspective — to tend to emotional health as well as academics) to Supporting Inclusive Education in Special Education. Her focus on disability justice and disability studies in education (even critical disability studies in education!) inspired me to think differently about students with diverse needs and our current educational system. It was her interesting and refreshing takes on behaviour, the effects of colonization on educational practices, power differentials, ableism and seeing disability as a valued identity rather than a medical condition that needs to be treated and/or fixed that solidified my desire to continue to explore more! Dr. Schellert adds a lot of expertise in the field of inclusive education and also helps me develop of the researcher part of my new experience!
What was the best surprise about UBC or life in Vancouver?
I grew up in the Lower Mainland, so life in Vancouver was no surprise, though it's always nice to be reminded about how gorgeous the UBC campus is! But the best surprise for me about UBC is truly finding a community that makes me feel at home, with other brains like mine and brains that are respectful of mine. I am a neurodivergent individual (2e: high ability/adhd), and finding folks who not only understand how my brain works but appreciate and support its development and remove the need to mask and hold space for my quirks (ahem, passions) has brought about a contentedness and a true acceptance of self that I hadn't really realized was missing. I feel challenged, seen and validated, and that's a wonderful thing.
What aspects of your life or career before now have best prepared you for your UBC graduate program?
As a neurodiverse, twice-exceptional person, my experiences have shaped how I understand inclusion in education. Navigating challenges in traditional schooling as both a student and teacher and later finding a supportive academic environment fueled my passion for advocating for diverse learners. My work with teacher candidates in the course EPSE 317, combined with my professional experience in education, has prepared me to critically engage with issues of equity and diversity. Right now, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be!
What advice do you have for new graduate students?
G+PS put on some excellent workshops for grad students throughout the year, so make sure you’re on their mailing list and check them out! In particular, I’ve really appreciated the workshops on impostor syndrome and procrastination, as well as the connections to workshops offered to improve academic writing and for academic writing for specific purposes (like a grant proposal). They also connect you to workshops to help develop specific research-based skills. These kinds of things are really important for me because my previous academic work was not research-based and I had a bit of a learning curve in the beginning. Try to find the people in your building/faculty who are also doing research. We have a lot of professional degrees in our faculty (which makes a lot of sense in Education), and so I often don't have classes with other folks doing research. It's a nice change of pace to be able to talk about the conundrums you experience as you learn to navigate the role of researcher, including ethical dilemmas, expectations of graduate students on a research track and relationships with your supervisors!
