Racialized Graduate Students Collective – Faculty of Education

The Racialized Graduate Students Collective (RGSC) is a student-led, non-hierarchical initiative grounded in equity, solidarity, and joy as resistance. Our structure is designed to be both collaborative and sustainable, centering the lived experiences and leadership of racialized graduate students.

We are organized into two interdependent groups that shape and sustain our work:

The Vision Group consists of alumni and current students who voluntarily hold space for long-term thinking, collective memory, and future-building. This group annually selects the Chair of RGSC, revisits and revises the Collective’s terms of reference, and provides guidance on the overall direction and values of the Collective.

Name	Email	Membership Type
Alejandra Escobedo	aescobedogon@mun.ca	Alumni
Esther Osei-Nkansah	eoseinkansah@mun.ca	Alumni
Grace Amako	giamako@mun.ca	Alumni
Amara Ehigie	abehigie@mun.ca	Current Student
Faith Kinyua	fnkinyua@mun.ca	Current Student
Priscilla Tsuasam	ptsuasam@mun.ca	On Leave

The Executive Leadership Team is composed of current students who receive Graduate Assistantships (GAs) in recognition of their contributions. This team carries out the day-to-day operations, organizes programming, and animates the vision set forth by the Vision Group.

Name	Email	Program Area
Erum Angbeen	eangbeen@mun.ca	Community Connections
Tolulope Moyo AWOYELU	toluawoyelu@gmail.com	Community Connections
Iroda Meliquzi Qizi Abdunazarova	iabdunazarov@mun.ca	SheWrites

 

The Chair of RGSC, selected annually by the Vision Group, serves as a relational facilitator between both groups. The Chair ensures continuity, nurtures collaboration, and holds the space where vision and action meet. The current chair of the group is Abu Arif. Their email address is aabu@mun.ca

Together, these two bodies embody a decolonial, community-rooted approach to leadership—one that resists hierarchical models and instead centers care, co-creation, and the transformative potential of racialized graduate student solidarity.

Community Connection Series

Every Tuesday starting September 15, 2025,  11 a.m. –1 p.m.
Faculty of Education, Room ED3007C

The Community Connection Series is a weekly gathering space created by and for racialized graduate students and allies in the Faculty of Education. Held every Tuesday at 11 a.m., these sessions are designed to nurture connection, belonging, and shared purpose—because community is not an afterthought, it is the foundation.

Whether you are navigating your first semester or returning with wisdom to share, this series offers a gentle rhythm to the week—a consistent hour to gather, reflect, celebrate small wins, and hold space for one another. From social mixers and peer support circles to resource-sharing and collaborative planning, each week will offer something different, grounded in what our community needs and desires.

Why Join Us?

• Build meaningful relationships with other racialized graduate students
  · Share strategies for navigating academic life with joy and intention
  · Co-create initiatives that reflect our diverse lived experiences
  · Enjoy snacks, solidarity, and a space where you can just be
• Tolulope Moyo Awoyelu: tmawoyelu@mun.ca
  · Erum Angbeen: eangbeen@mun.ca

Led by:

Both Tolulope and Erum are committed to cultivating an inclusive and welcoming environment where no one has to choose between their scholarship and their well-being.

Come as you are, stay as long as you can. This is your space, too. Registration is not required.

Weekly sessions:

September 16	Meet and Greet
September 23	Community Check-In
September 30	Career Check-in – Resume/Cover letter
October 7	Social and Cultural Exchange
October 21	Immigration Advising
October 28	Let’s Talk Race
November 4	Winter Clothing Drive
November 11	Career Pathways – Building Career

 

SheWrites Circle

 

SheWrites Circle is a weekly writing space for graduate students who self-identify as women. It’s not just about productivity. It’s about being in community, showing up as we are, and nurturing joy in our academic journeys. Held online on Saturdays at 4 p.m. (NL Time), SheWrites offers a consistent space to write, share, rest, and reconnect with your voice.

Whether you're working on your thesis, revising an article, or just trying to get back into the rhythm of writing, this is your invitation to write in community, not in isolation.

Why Join SheWrites?

• Build or rebuild a consistent writing practice
  · Share feedback, tips, and motivation with fellow writers
  · Be in community with other women navigating grad school
  · Reclaim writing as a source of connection, not just stress
  · Skip the theory; get practical help you can use right away

Online sessions:

September 20	SheWrites Circle: Beginning the Journey
October 4	When Writing Feels Heavy: Coping with Emotions and the Struggle
October 11	Basic Peer Feedback on Writing/Thesis
October 18	Storytelling the Research Journey
November 1	SheWrites Circle Guest Speaker Series
November 8	AI and the Struggle for Original Writing
November 15	Navigating Academic Unspoken Rules
November 22	Collaborative Writing Tools for Grad Students
November 29	SheWrites Circle Guest Speaker Series

 

Registration: https://mun.webex.com/webappng/sites/mun/webinar/webinarSeries/register/7f052c915de6472eac173d9a4a2cc4d6

Saturdays, 4:00–6:00 PM (Newfoundland Time) Starting September 20, 2025

For any questions, please contact Iroda Abdunazarova (iabdunazarov@mun.ca)

 

 

Special Events

The Racialized Graduate Students Collective (RGSC) is proud to offer a range of special events tailored to meet the diverse needs and interests of our members. These events, organized upon request, reflect our commitment to personal growth, professional development, community celebration, and academic support and dialogue. By partnering with both on-campus and off-campus service providers, we ensure a rich and comprehensive array of resources and opportunities. Through these special events, the RGSC reaffirms its dedication to support racialized graduate students and enriching their educational and social experiences. We are committed to listening to our members' needs and continually evolving our offerings to better serve our vibrant community. Following are the special events planned for Fall 2025:

October 7	Field Trip
October 24-25	Writer’s Retreat
November 28	Year End Celebration

 

For questions related to special events, email Arif Abu at aabu@mun.ca

Writing in Relation: From PPS&Q to Publication

A Graduate Writing Retreat & Publication Pathway
Hosted by Racialized Graduate Student Collective of the Faculty of Education, Memorial University

 

About the Retreat

This is more than a workshop — it is a collective research journey. Designed for M.Ed (thesis route), PhD students, and final-year undergraduates preparing for graduate studies, this retreat guides participants through the process of developing their Problem, Purpose, Significance & Questions (PPS&Q) while grounding their work in de/colonial and creative praxis.

The end goal: Every participant will develop a journal-ready academic paper that can be submitted for publication in an academic journal.

This retreat is structured in three phases:

1. Phase 1: Online Foundations – learn and draft your PPS&Q
2. Phase 2: The Wilds Retreat – deepen your methodology, workshop your writing, and reframe through de/colonial lenses
3. Phase 3: Winter Wisdom Circle – share your completed paper and receive feedback from peers and a faculty Wisdom Circle

Phase 1 – Online Foundations

Date: October 15 from 7 pm to 8.30 pm (Virtual)
Facilitator: Dr. Cecile Badenhorst

Graduate Assistants:

What You’ll Do

• Understand PPS&Q as the seed of your research paper
• Frame your research through de/colonial and anti-colonial perspectives
• Reflect critically on AI in research design (supports, risks, ethics)
• Begin drafting your PPS&Q with guided prompts

Homework: Complete a draft PPS&Q to bring to The Wilds.

Phase 2 – In-Person Retreat at The Wilds Resort

Dates: Friday, October 24 – Saturday, October 25, 2025
Location: The Wilds Resort (outside St. John’s)

Facilitators: Dr Beth Tuinstra, Dr Cecile Badenhorst, Dr Erica Hurley, Dr Jan Buley and Dr. Paul Adeji  

Graduate Assistants:

This immersive two-day retreat offers time away from campus to write, reflect, and grow your research in community.

Highlights

• Mapping Roots & Routes: tracing what shaped your research
• Decolonizing Research Methodologies: Indigenous, feminist, de/colonial approaches  
• Creative/Decolonial Methodologies: art-based, land-based, and poetic inquiry
• Story Circles & Peer Feedback: sharing, listening, and refining in supportive circles
• Closing Rituals: collective commitments to sustaining community & publication goals

Outcome: You leave with a revised and reframed PPS&Q that anchors your future journal article.

Phase 3 – Winter Wisdom Circle

Date: Winter 2026 (TBC)

Facilitators: Dr Beth Tuinstra, Dr Cecile Badenhorst, Dr Erica Hurley, Dr Jan Buley and Dr. Paul Adeji 

Graduate Assistants:

This final phase is about moving from draft to publication.

• Submit your completed paper/proposal one week before the session
• Present your work (15–20 minutes) to peers and a Wisdom Circle of faculty mentors
• Receive in-depth publication-focused feedback
• Celebrate with a closing reception

Outcome: A journal-ready paper, nurtured through iterative, relational, and de/colonial practice.

Why Join?

• Learn how to write not just for completion, but for publication
• Work with faculty who model de/colonial, feminist, and creative methodologies
• Build solidarity with other graduate students pursuing justice-oriented research
• Receive feedback across multiple stages to ensure rigor, creativity, and accountability
• Create space for joy, reflection, and community care alongside academic writing

Registration

Who can apply:

• Graduate students (MA thesis-route & PhD)
• Final-year undergraduates preparing for research
• Space is limited to ensure deep mentorship
• Graduate students from other faculty are welcome to apply but preference will be given to the Faculty of Education students

 

Apply by October 3, 2025. If you are accepted to the program, then you will receive a confirmation and attendance details on October 6.

Application can be found here: https://mun.yul1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Nyyjcg6tIx3wq2

Cost: 
Transportation, meals, and accommodation at The Wilds will be covered by the Faculty of Education.

Contact:

If you have any questions about the program then email Abu Arif, PhD Fellow of Faculty of Education and Chair of the Racialized Graduate Student Collective at aabu@mun.ca

About our Facilitators

Beth Tuinstra (she/they) is Assistant Professor of Music Education in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. Their teaching and research interests include decolonizing and Indigenizing education, anti-oppressive education, the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people with/in education, social justice, curriculum studies, teacher education practices, and reflective/reflexive teaching practices. Through their lived experiences, including teaching in K–12 schools and at the post-secondary level, Beth has gained a unique perspective of the intersection of culture, education, and identity, which has shaped their understanding of and commitment to making education more equitable for all students.

Cecile Badenhorst is a Professor in the Adult Education/Post-Secondary program, Faculty of Education. She has conducted research and published in the areas of doctoral education, doctoral writing, graduate writing, thesis/publication writing pedagogies, academic literacies and faculty writing.  She engages in qualitative, arts-based and post-structural research methodologies.  She has written three books in the area of graduate student writing:  Research Writing (2007), Dissertation Writing (2008) and Productive Writing (2010).  She is a co-editor of Research literacies and writing pedagogies for Masters and Doctoral writers (Brill, 2016) and Re-imagining Doctoral Writing (WAC, 2021).

Erica (Samms) Hurley is a Mi’kmaw Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus, cross-appointed to Arts & Social Sciences and Interdisciplinary Humanities. A nurse educator, her research centers on the meaning of “heart” to Mi’kmaw women—grounded in community, relationality, and Storyworks. Drawing from her ancestors’ traditional healing knowledge, Erica champions decolonizing approaches within health education and Indigenous-led, community-rooted research.

Jan Buley, addicted to teaching and learning, shares her love for literacies, visual arts and drama education with teacher candidates in MUN’s Faculty of Education. Jan’s Ph.D. from the Steinhardt School, New York University, examined the assumptions, beliefs and contradictions of family engagement in schools. She believes that curiosity and finding beauty are necessary for survival. She is passionate about celebrating the voices of those who are marginalized and is very involved with creative initiatives inside prison settings.  She is devoted to Nelllie, a borderless dog and to David, a musician, cook and partner. Jan is an avid gardener and creative writer and she has never made a pie or PowerPoint that anyone raved about. 

Paul Banahene Adjei is Interim Associate Vice-President (Indigenous Research) and Professor of Social Work at Memorial University. A scholar, educator, and public speaker, his work focuses on social justice, anti-Black racism, critical race and whiteness studies, and anti-colonial theory. His research draws on African Indigeneity to reimagine education and has been supported by multiple SSHRC grants. Beyond academia, he actively serves on university and community committees advancing equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

About our Graduate Assistants

Iroda Abdunazarova is a researcher and graduate student at the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). She is a member of the Racialized Graduate Student Collective. She facilitates SheWrites Circle, a space that supports people who self-identify as women in developing both creative and academic writing.

Tolulope Lawal is a Ph.D. student in the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She holds first-class degrees from Osun State University (Nigeria) and Liverpool Hope University (UK), and completed a thesis-based M.Ed. at Memorial on antiracist children’s literature. Her doctoral research explores antiracist literature and the role of educators in racial and ethnic socialization. With K–12 teaching experience in Nigeria, England, and Newfoundland, Tolu has delivered talks and seminars on race, identity, and equity. She is also engaged in community-based research on restorative justice.

Bahareh Razavian is a Master’s student in Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Her research focuses on refugee parental engagement in schools, particularly among Afghan families in Atlantic Canada, using culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. Drawing on social capital theory and interdisciplinary perspectives, her work highlights the resilience of refugee families and informs more inclusive educational practices.

Abu Arif (Arif) is a Ph.D. candidate in the Faculty of Education and an International Student Advisor (Immigration and Inclusion) at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His research, informed by de/colonial, justice-oriented, and queer migrant perspectives, explores the experiences of South Asian queer international students in Canada and reimagines the internationalization of higher education through equity-driven approaches. With over two decades of experience in student affairs and international education across six Canadian universities, Arif is also a published scholar, educator, and community builder, committed to fostering inclusive spaces where joy and resistance coexist.