I’m very honoured to receive this award [...] I’m grateful for the support I received from my supervisors, professors, associates, and also GEM [groupe d’entraide mutuelle] with whom I conducted my survey.
Sara Painter (PhD Urban studies, 2019) | Under the supervision of Raymonde Séchet and Anne-Marie Séguin | Best doctoral dissertation award, 2020
Sara’s research centred on a group that is often overlooked and excluded: aging people with mental health issues. She hopes her work will shine a spotlight on the exclusion processes this group faces and improve our understanding of how government-funded programs such as GEM can help improve their living conditions.
She is currently evaluating an experimental professional integration program aimed at helping people with autism find jobs in France. Going forward, Sara hopes to continue working with partner institutions and associations to conduct socially relevant studies.
This prize caps off an experience that was truly rewarding both on a personal and academic level. I worked on my thesis while navigating life as a mom. It was an intense period that ended on a positive note. I learned first-hand that it is possible to juggle motherhood and higher education. This award has also rekindled my passion for research.
Marie-Hélène Roch (M.Sc. Urban studies, 2019) | Under the supervision of Marie-Soleil Cloutier and Christian Poirier | Best master’s theses award, 2020
Marie-Hélène looked at northern urban environments using the lived, perceived, and imagined experiences of Montreal winter cyclists. She took a creative approach to get to know members of this group that is relatively unknown (but often stereotyped in the media) to document their experiences and better grasp the importance of urban development and quality of life in wintry cities.
Building on her research into these issues, she works with Park People, an organization studying urban park usage during the current pandemic. She’s considering a book or show featuring the photos she took during her master’s work and is thinking about combining research, invention, and action in a future PhD project.
The award is first and foremost a mark of recognition that feels good when you have just completed a large-scale study project in which you have invested so much personally.
Gabrielle Perras St-Jean (M.Sc. Urban studies, 2015) | Best master’s theses award, 2015
“Winning the best dissertation award had a big impact on the start of my career. I relied on the award to establish my credibility and distinguish myself with employers when I did not yet have a lot of work experience to bring forward. I am also convinced that the prize contributed to my obtaining a doctoral scholarship.
Beyond the professional benefits, the award is first and foremost a mark of recognition that feels good when you have just completed a large-scale study project in which you have invested so much personally.”
Receiving the best master’s thesis award allowed me to put an end to my imposter syndrome while also turbocharging my career.
Cynthia Benoit (M.Sc. Urban Studies, 2015) | Best master’s theses award, 2015
“The prize for the best master’s thesis is, in my opinion, a prestigious seal of credibility validating my academic and professional skills. My master’s studies were fraught with pitfalls and I had a lot of difficulty getting through, mostly due to impostor syndrome.
Receiving this award allowed me to put an end to this syndrome while also boosting my flourishing career. This award is one of the things that gave me the audacity to go into business by founding Linguistics Services CB (SLCB), a sign language accessibility consulting firm, in 2016. My master’s thesis, which deals with accessibility to sign language services, was the trigger that led to the launch of this business. Since this award bolstered my reputation and credibility, it gave me a significant head start in the early days of SLCB. Not only has this award contributed to my academic and professional success, but also to the influence of the deaf community.”