Dr. Daniela Elza's dissertation addressed not only the long standing epistemological split between the philosophic and poetic but attempts to heal that very split.

According to her colleagues, Dr. Elza's writing doesn't just provide information, it provides a formation — she has the capacity to create a beautiful pedagogical space which allows readers to be changed profoundly.

Her senior supervisor, Dr. Heesoon Bai, states that she has never seen anyone with such an unusual combination of talents and capacities who can be so inventive and inspiring with their writing.

Dr. Elza was the recipient of the 2010 Pandora's Collective Citizenship Award, given to an individual who has excelled in their commitment to support writers in the community. In 2012 Dr. Elza launched her debut poetry collection the weight of dew published by Mother Tongue Publishing. Her second book is forthcoming with Leaf Press in the Fall of 2013.

On behalf of SFU, we congratulate Dr. Elza on her outstanding achievements which are being recognized by her being awarded the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal as one of SFU's most outstanding graduate student from the Faculty of Education.

• Daniela Elza's blog
• BC Bookworld: Daniela Elza profile
• Supervisor: Dr. Heesoon Bai
• Convocation Medal Winners 2012

Tags: achievements; education