Statement of Intent
I am applying for the role of either Chair-Elect or Graduate Student Affairs Executive. These positions will provide me with the opportunity to further enhance my leadership skills and assume responsibilities that will facilitate my professional development. Particularly, I am eager to enhance my organization and decision-making abilities by coordinating the CPA Student Mentorship Program, a program that I have currently been involved in for the past two years. Additionally, the opportunity to participate in convention preparation and manage student representatives will allow me to not only demonstrate my time management, task planning, and communication skills, but also further enhance these abilities over the course of the elected term. During my graduate degree thus far, I have acquired various experiences that will support my success in these positions. Specifically, I was the Logistics Coordinator for the Interdisciplinary Graduate Research & Discovery Conference and a Conference Support Team Member for the Rotman Research Institute Virtual Conference. I have also volunteered at various community- facing events. Particularly, I was the Check-in Lead at Baycrest’s Bike for Brain Health, where I supervised a team of volunteers to collect donations and participant data and I have been the Hope Engagement Coordinator for CIBC Run for the Cure in Toronto for three years. I am currently the Graduate Student Representative on the UTSC Psychological Clinical Science Student Leadership Council, wherein I serve as a faculty liaison, represent all graduate students in the department, and co-chair sessional student meetings. I am also the Director of Outreach for the Positive Psychology Student Club at UTSC, which involves planning educational events, building connections within the community, and managing all social platforms. In these roles, I have cultivated important skills in organization, collaboration, and communication with academic and lay communities that I believe will enhance my effectiveness in these roles.
Biography
I am a first year PhD student in the Department of Psychological Clinical Science at the University of Toronto Scarborough. My research interests concern the stigmatization of mental health conditions, and particularly conducting research to better understand the existence of stigma in various settings (community and mental health care), as well as to explore pathways to reduce the experience of internalized stigma. My dissertation project will include three studies that aim to (1) examine the existence of stigma towards borderline personality disorder in allied mental health professionals, trainees, and nurses in the emergency department; (2) determine the impact of public versus private mental health service use on stigma experiences for people living with BPD; and (3) test the effectiveness of a novel anti-stigma intervention in reducing self-stigma in people with BPD. After the completion of my doctoral degree, I hope to obtain a position as a postdoctoral fellow that will facilitate the development of my research program and equip me with the skills to become an associate professor. I am also currently completing a practicum placement at the Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences, wherein I am receiving specialized training in first-line psychological treatments for obsessive-compulsive and related spectrum disorders. This experience has been an invaluable learning opportunity that has allowed me to enhance my skills as a clinician. Outside of my research and clinical work, I spend my timevolunteering for organizations in which I can support and inspire individuals affected by cancer.Engaging in this work is very important and meaningful to me and I am very fortunate to haveopportunities in which I am able to make a lasting impact on the lives of those who have beentouched by cancer. I am also an avid “foodie” and enjoy trying out new restaurants in Toronto.