Jesse Thistle, an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities, has been recognized by CBC for his memoir From the Ashes. To mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, CBC published a list of 24 Canadian books focusing on mental health, with Thistle’s book listed as recommended reading. Thistle’s memoir recounts his difficult childhood and overcoming addiction and homelessness.  

Thistle is a P.E. Trudeau and Vanier doctoral scholar, as well as a Governor General Silver Medalist. He was the Resident Scholar of Indigenous Homelessness at the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness where he drafted the National Definition of Indigenous Homelessness in Canada. His historical research has been published in numerous academic journals, book chapters and featured on CBC Ideas, CBC Campus and Unreserved. Thistle teaches Métis Studies at 91��ɫ. 

See the full list of books on the .

Esther Martinez��
Educator and Founder, Raíces ��
BA ’21, Children, Childhood & Youth��

LA&PS��alumna��Esther Martinez��was named one of 91��ɫ’s 2026 Top 30 Alumni Under 30, recognized among a distinguished group of young leaders making a meaningful impact around the world. In recognition of her achievement, we connected with��Esther��to better understand how her experience as a Children, Childhood & Youth��graduate contributed to where she is today. ��

1. What career did you dream of pursuing in��undergrad, and where did your professional path��actually take��you after graduation? ����
   I always dreamed of becoming a teacher and working with children, yet, during my studies I realized how big the field of education was and I did not have to follow the traditional classroom career. While at 91��ɫ, my combination of work and leadership experiences gave me the opportunity to work with students at the post-secondary level��and from there a new dream was born. With my love for learning, I returned to 91��ɫ to complete my graduate studies and specialized in post-secondary education. After graduating I founded��Raíces, an initiative that supports my Latino community by providing youth with resources and opportunities on career exploration, mentorship and more. I��wouldn't��say my path was linear! ��
2. In what ways have the network and connections you made during your studies helped you in your career?��
   Making connections was��a very important��factor as I was navigating my studies and career pathway. It required me to get outside of my comfort zone and��participate��at events to meet new people and work in areas I never thought I would enjoy. I came to understand the importance of having a community, people you look up to and could��ask��questions about their own journeys. Many of these new connections turned into new job opportunities and exploring new areas in my career. ��
3. What advice do you have for first year LA&PS students?��
   Enjoy your studies and get involved! I encourage you to get involved in clubs��and��student groups that might relate to an interest or where you can contribute your skills, apply to campus jobs and attend networking events. You never know who you will meet by making new connections - a lifelong friend, a mentor, opening doors to a new job or internship opportunity and more. ��

Read the full article to explore all LA&PS Top 30 Under 30 alumni recipients.��

LA&PS professors honoured at this year’s President’s Research Awards��

On Wednesday, May 6, 15 members of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) were recognized for their research excellence and transformative impact across multiple categories at 91��ɫ’s President’s Research Awards. The annual awards program celebrates the creativity and outstanding research contributions of 91��ɫ’s faculty members. 

The LA&PS recipients are: 

Book Awards, Literary and Artistic Achievements 
Desiree de Jesus – Exhibition on Black Girlhood in Canada, Toronto International Film Festival 

Major Grants 
Ann Kim – Project grant, Academy of Korean Studies, Strategic Research Institute Program 

Other Learned Societies, Fellowships and Awards 
Jimmy Huang – Fellowship, The institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 
Christina Sharpe – Killam Prize, National Research Council of Canada 

Outstanding Early Career Awards 
Eric Kennedy – Ontario Early Researcher Award, Government of Ontario 

President’s Research Excellence Award (PREA) 
Jimmy Huang - President’s Research Excellence Award 

Significant Knowledge Mobilization & Impact Awards 
Pat Armstrong - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Peter Constantinou - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Sheila Embleton - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Natasha Henry-Dixon - King Charles III Coronation Medal 
Akolisa Ufodike - King Charles III Coronation Medal 

President’s Research Impact Award (PRIA) 
Kerry Kawakami – President’s Research Impact Award 

YRCs and CRCs and Distinguished Research Professors 
Aimi Hamraie – Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Technology, Society and Disability 
Ian Stedman – Tier 2 91��ɫ Research Chair in Law, Policy and Personalized Healthcare 
Ola Mohammed – Tier 2 Research Chair in Black Sonic Cultures 

Explore the full list of this year’s President’s Research Award recipients from across 91��ɫ. 

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has announced the recipients of the November 2025 SSHRC Connection Grants. Ten 91��ɫ research projects received funding.

Congratulations to the researchers from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) whose innovative projects were selected. These projects span a wide range of disciplines and demonstrate the depth and diversity of research expertise within our Faculty.

The one-year Connection Grant funding will support key knowledge-mobilization activities including events, workshops and outreach initiatives that help strengthen the impact and reach of this important work.

Projects involving LA&PS researchers are listed below.

Converging and Conflicting Buddhist Legal Frames: Secular Governances and Buddhist Transgressions, led by Alicia Turner (associate professor, Department of Humanities, LA&PS) with co-applicant Benjamin Berger (professor, Osgoode Hall Law School), received $24,619.

The Relational Turn: Looking Back, Thinking Ahead, led by Ruth Buchanan��(professor, Osgoode Hall Law School) and co-led by��Annie Bunting��(professor, Department of Social Science, LA&PS) and the University of Toronto, received $20,096

Waste-work: race, caste, and labour in the new global politics of disposability, led by Shubhra Gururani (associate professor, Department of Anthropology, LA&PS), received $23,503.

Monstrous Intimacies at 15, led by Tiana Reid (assistant professor, Department of English, LA&PS), received $24,055.

Colère et Espoir autour de la Palestine : Perspectives d'artistes et de chercheur.es en sciences sociales, co-led by Nadia Hasan (assistant professor, School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, LA&PS) with partners from Université Laval and Université du Québec à Montréal, received $24,997.

Respite, Care, and Ethics for Cultural Workers: A Traveling Symposium, led by OCAD University and co-led by��Casey Mecija��(associate professor, Department of Communication & Media Studies), received $49,996.

De l'économie politique postcapitaliste à l'utopie — Rencontre entre recherche en sciences sociales et pratiques artistiques, led by Saint Paul University and co-led by��Audrey Laurin-Lamothe��(associate professor, Department of Social Science, LA&PS) and partners from Lund University, Université Laval, and Université du Québec en Outaouais, received $23,646.

Lusophone Studies Association Meeting, “Voices and Visions: Lusophone Communities in the Global Landscape,” led by the University of British Columbia and co-led by Robert Kenedy (associate professor, Department of Sociology, LA&PS), received $24,375.

��ó: Tewatia'tarò:rok Taetewatia'takéhnha', led by the University of Toronto and co-led by Jeremy Green (assistant professor, Department of Humanities, LA&PS), received $50,000.

Read the full story in YFile.

Ten 91��ɫ professors have received $700,000 in funding from the Academy of Korean Studies, an agency of the South Korean Ministry of Education, with eight recipients based in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS). The funding will support Korea in the World: Connecting Korea and Korean Diasporic Legacies, a new project which will focus on Korea and the Korean diaspora.

Leading the project is Associate Professor��Ann Kim��(Department of Sociology, LA&PS), alongside Associate Professor��Laam Hae��(Department of Politics, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Theresa Hyun��(Department of Humanities, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Mihyon Jeon��(Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Hong Kal��(Department of Visual Art and Art History, ), Associate Professor��Janice Kim��(Department of History, LA&PS), Professor��Thomas Klassen��(School of Public Policy & Administration, LA&PS), Associate Professor��Ahrong Lee��(Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, LA&PS), Professor��Regina Lee��(Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, ) and Professor��Hyun Ok Park��(Department of Sociology, LA&PS).

Read the full article in YFile.

Alison Halsall, associate professor in the Department of Humanities, has received the Honor Book Award in for . The award recognizes outstanding book-length contributions to children's literature scholarship and criticism. Halsall’s widely praised book is a monograph of comics that depict difficult experiences affecting young people, including the complexities of queer graphic memoirs and narratives of belonging, illness, disability and Indigenous experiences.��Pat Lawrence from�� said, “Halsall seeks to enrich comics scholarship by bringing to it a deep understanding of childhood’s many narrative and political entanglements—a task that is timely and compelling. The book provides a wealth of insights and opportunities to continue the conversation, and in this way, it can be the foundation for many fruitful investigations into children’s culture and graphic narrative to come.”

Halsall received her PhD from 91��ɫ. Her research interests include arts and culture, children and youth, social justice narratives, comics and graphic narratives, LGBTQ+ and Taylor Swift.

Learn more about the book on the .

A total of nine researchers at 91��ɫ, including four from the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), received over $223,000 in funding through the Black Research Seed Fund. The fund supports Black scholars focusing on Black experiences and on projects that challenge systemic barriers while redefining knowledge creation.

The four LA&PS recipients are:

Damilola Adebayo,��assistant professor, Department of History
Taming the Niger River: The Kainji Dam and Socioeconomic Development in Twentieth-Century West Africa

Desirée de Jesus, assistant professor, Department of Communication & Media Studies From Archive to Imagination: Building Canada’s Future with Black Histories

Ola Mohammed, assistant professor, Department of Humanities
From the Margins to the Major: The Insurgent Archive of Black Studies at 91��ɫ

Salewa Olawoye, associate professor, Department of Social Science
Money Demystified: An Inclusive Monetary Theory

Congratulations to the recipients on their success.

Read the full story in YFile.