team – Redefining Traditional

Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves…

By Shamim Ahmed and Heather Watts, Design Researchers at the Innovation Hub & Redefining Traditional

Screenshot of Shamim Ahmed and Heather Watts in a Microsoft Teams meeting, who are working virtually on Redefining Traditional, both smiling at the camera. — Shamim & Heather working virtually!

As we are jumping back into the Fall semester, we wanted to take a moment to re-introduce ourselves to you all. We are Shamim Ahmed and Heather Watts, the Design Researchers of the Redefining Traditional: Making Higher Education Family Friendly project at the Innovation Hub – University of Toronto. We look forward to bringing our voices and stories to this blog space, as well as be in community with you on our Facebook group [insert link]. If you haven’t joined already, we’d love to have you!

A bit about us and what brings us to this work…

Spring Reflections Part II: Seeking Caring Villages in Urban Settings

Written by: Yusur Al-Salman, Redefining Traditional Project Lead The proverbial phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” has been resonating with me recently whenever I encounter the challenging experiences of parents in higher education. The proverb’s origins trace…

Spring Reflections I – Healthcare Access for International Student-Parents

By Yusur Al-Salman, Redefining Traditional Project Lead Redefining Traditional aims to unsettle the meaning of traditional student experiences to including non-mainstream experiences postsecondary student experience, specifically that of student-caregivers and student-parents. Throughout our journey, the small insights and anecdotes that…

Friendship and (Student-)Parenthood: A Short Guide

By Yusur Al-Salman, Redefining Traditional Project Lead If socializing has become something you equally dread and look forward to, you’re not alone. Many people are having mixed-feelings about return to in-person settings and interacting more frequently with large number of…

In conversation with Kyla Everall: Supporting Student Caregivers at University of Toronto’s Libraries

By Yusur Al-Salman, Redefining Traditional Project Lead Between the rising costs of childcare and the COVID-19 pandemic, entering parenthood as students seems more challenging than ever. And yet, there is growing effort to accommodate the practical needs of student-parents and…

Celebrating Black History Month: Events, Resources, and More!

First celebrated as a week in 1926 by African-American Professor Carter G. Woodson (known as Father of Black History), Black History Month is celebrated annually in the U.S. and Canada from February 1st – March 1st. It grew from a week to become a month-long celebration of the legacy and accomplishments of Black people and communities. In honor of…

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