Graduate Profiles | Master of Arts

SKYLAR ALLSOPP

BA, Communications and Media Studies, Carleton University

Supervisor: Cait McKinney

Hi! I'm Skylar. I'm from Ottawa, Ontario. I like running, open water swimming, drawing, and coffee shops. I enjoy researching topics related to food, identity, television, and literature.

Jody Bauche 

BSW, University of Victoria 

Supervisor: Karrmen Crey 

Jody has been actively working towards Indigenous sovereignty and child welfare since she graduated from the University of Victoria in 2005. Jody's current research interests include the application of Indigenous research methodologies, research for social change and the impact of media on social movements. Jody is also very passionate about cultural resurgence in the arts, which includes media, theatre, film and music. When Jody isn't studying, you can find her working on her next performance. Jody is Metis with family roots in Saskatchewan.

Bronwen Barnett

BA, Sociology and Communication, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Enda Brophy

Bronwen completed the Sociology and Communication Joint Major Program to earn her Bachelor of Arts at Simon Fraser University in 2017. Having worked in the labour movement since then in a communications role, her research interests include: how trade unions communicate, postmodernism and the cultural turn, communicative action as well as the discourses of capitalism and the production of common sense.

Hannah Block | LinkedIn

BA, Communication, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Gary McCarron

With a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction), majoring in Communication with a double minor in Print and Digital Publishing, and Curriculum and Instruction, Hannah’s research interests include the adoption of communication and information technologies. With agency experience as a PR and Digital Account Coordinator, and as a past member of Canada‘s national rock climbing team, Hannah brings a uniquely informed approach to her Graduate studies.

GENEVIEVE CHENG | Instagram

BA, Communication and Publishing, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Martin Laba

Genevieve (Gen) completed her Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from Simon Fraser and is excited to continue studying at SFU in the new project MA program. Her research interests include media literacy, misinformation, and the role that social media plays in the flow and communication of information. Outside of school you may find her watching movies or trying out various hobbies from boxing to tennis. 

Thomas Dickson

BA, Rhetoric & Communication, University of Winnipeg

Supervisor: Zoë Druick

Thomas Dickson completed his Bachelor of Arts at The University of Winnipeg in June 2020, where he majored in Rhetoric & Communication and minored in Political Science and Theatre & Film. His research interests include cultural policy and governance, film history, political theory, online discourses and public spheres, and issues related to free speech.

NATALIE DUSEK

BA, Environmental Studies/Critical Identity Studies, Beloit College

Supervisor: Milena Droumeva 

Within my graduate studies, I am interested in sound studies, and sound as communication. Outside of school, I love playing music, running, and spending time outside!

Mozhgan Fazli

BA, Public Relation, Allameh Tabatabaee University

MA, Communication, University of Tehran

Supervisor: Daniel Ahadi

I am interested in studying masculinity, gender history, media representation, and cinema. My current research focus on hegemonic masculinity and how it is challenged in media.

JIMENA ABREU FERNANDEZ | Instagram

Bachelor, Communication, Universidad Iberoamericana

Supervisor: Victoria Thomas

I love nature, animals and traveling. I did a Cultural Representative Program in Walt Disney World in 2018 and I'm focusing my thesis research in finding the right pathway for minorities representation in youth TV shows and movies.

KELVIN GAWLEY

BA, Labour Studies/History, SFU  

DIJ, Journalism, Langara College

Supervisor: Enda Brophy

After receiving a journalism diploma from Langara College, Kelvin worked at a series of local news outlets over five years. He then enrolled in SFU's labour studies program, with a minor in history, graduating in 2023. He now intends to continue his research into labour organizing in the platform economy.

OMRI HAIVEN

BA, Sociology and History, Dalhousie University

Supervisor: Enda Brophy

I have been working in the fields of Food Security, Food Sovereignty and community building for over a decade and I'm excited to be pursuing an M.A project concerning the emerging field of Agrivoltaics, where solar panels are integrated into farming systems to create holistic and complex opportunities for ecological and economic healing. I enjoy being in nature and connecting with people who like to make jokes.

Jamie Hoholuk

BJ, Journalism & Communications, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Supervisor: Stuart Poyntz

Jamie obtained her Bachelor of Journalism at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in 2019. Prior to joining the program, Jamie has published and presented research focusing on digital ethics and youth voice respectively, and written a course on media and diversity. Her current research focuses on media literacy, youth, and sex education pedagogies. 

Kayli Jamieson | Twitter

BA (Honours), Communication, SFU

Supervisor: Ahmed Al-Rawi

Kayli’s research interests focus upon networked activism, news media analysis, disinformation, & East-Asia studies. Her thesis research will analyze how China is reported upon and framed across the political spectrum in news outlets in Canada and the U.S. Kayli has also been working for the Burnaby Public Library for over six years, and loves to discuss books.

JUDY YAE YOUNG KIM  | Twitter

BA, Communication, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Dal Yong Jin

Judy Yae Young Kim received her BA (with distinction) at Simon Fraser University in Communication with a minor in Sociology. As a member of the Korean diaspora, she has always been fascinated with the globalization of Korean pop culture (Hallyu). She hopes to study how the growth of the international popularity of Korean pop culture has had an impact on the representation of East Asians in western mainstream media and in turn, how Asian media systems shape themselves for a global palette. Her other research interests include critical race studies, feminism studies, and cultural studies. 

MORGAN KRAKOW

BA, Journalism, University of Oregon

Supervisor: Shane Gunster

Following her time as a journalist in Anchorage, Alaska, Krakow is interested in learning more about how local news outlets across Canada and Alaska cover climate change. 

DIANA LIMBAGA

BA, Communication, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Enda Brophy

Diana's academic interests focus on the intersection between communication, labour, and development economics in the Global South. Her honours thesis explored the unionization process in the Philippine call centre industry during the Duterte administration. 

Loh Ann Yie Andrea

BA, International Communication Studies, University of Nottingham, Malaysia

Supervisor: Kirsten McAllister

Andrea's research looks at the Japanese Occupation of Malaya by examining the treatment of war memory in postwar Japanese and Malaysian cinema. In addressing themes of political violence, transnational cinema and social justice, she compares both nations' reconstruction of identities through cinematic narratives and the contexts in which these films were made. 

Firoz Mahmud

MA, English, Jahangirnagar University

Supervisor: Kirsten McAllister

I have close to 30 years of extensive background working in the humanitarian and non-profit sectors. I also served as a faculty member in the Department of English at King Khalid University – one of the largest public universities in the Middle East (2003-2009). Currently, I have been working with the Canadian Red Cross, for the past 11 years as the Provincial Manager, Planned Giving. I am deeply interested in humanitarian communication and my proposed research project revolves around the Rohingya crisis and the representation of the refugees by major humanitarian organizations in their public communication. 

ALONSO MELGAR

BA, Communication Studies, York University, Toronto

Supervisor: Zoë Druick

Alonso’s research focuses on how museums utilize media to conceptualize national culture and how their economic and political motives influence this. Other areas of interest include critical race studies, gender studies, and labor within the music industry. Alonso also has an extensive background in the arts and culture sector, including stints working in cinema and film festival operations, as well as experience as a music journalist in his hometown of Calgary.

Sadia Nasrin | LinkedIn

BSC, Mass Communication & Journalism, University of Dhaka

Supervisor: Ahmed Al- Rawi

Sadia's research interest hovers around human rights, particularly women and social media sphere. Her current thesis topic focuses on- religious fanaticism in social media against women and how it affects women's online space. 

She has worked on various projects about Rohingya communities, gender based violence, water crisis of coastal areas etc. Sadia is also a photographer with projects on 'Child Marriage' and 'Climate Change'.

AMNA SAADAT ALI | Blog

MA, Mass Communication, Kinnaird College for Women, Pakistan  BA, Journalism and Economics, Kinnaird College for Women, Pakistan

Supervisor: Siyuan Yin

I have worked as a journalist, blogger and teacher. My main interests lie in the power of media and politically charged messages as a form of communication.

JULIA SALOMON

BA, Political Science and Philosophy, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg

Supervisor: Shane Gunster

I have a background in environmental activism and a passion for political communication. I've worked for Greenpeace as trainer for volunteers in communication and social media. My interests span political communication, framing strategies, and the role of social media in shaping movements and politics. Beyond academics, I love dancing salsa, practicing dance lifts and acro yoga, and I find inspiration in theatre, arts, and poetry. 

Paola Sawaya

BA, Sociology & Anthropology, American University of Beirut

Supervisor: Daniel Ahadi

Paola received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Anthropology (with distinction) from the American University of Beirut with two minors in Film and Visual Culture and Gender Studies. Her research interest lies at the intersection between the digital mundane and the construction of national and political identities among the Lebanese diaspora. She’s also interested in popular culture, nostalgia, alternative media, and invisible and informal media labor.

ALISON TEDFORD SEAWEED  | LinkedIn

Supervisor: Karrmen Crey

After over a decade of working with the federal government, Alison became an independent consultant and author. Her interests are in Indigenous communications, cultural revitalization and repatriation. She's a Kwakiutl First Nation member, lacrosse mom and beginner beader.

Maria Sommers

BA, Communication, SFU

Co-Supervisors: Aleena Chia & Milena Droumeva

My thesis research is focused on the implications of immersive advertising and the extraction of affective and aspirational labour in free-to-play fashion styling and interior design mobile phone games. My current research interests include critical game studies, digital labour, and feminist political economy.

Nuzhat Tariq

BA, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, Institute of Business Administration

Supervisor: Cait McKinney

I am interested in examining the representation of friendships between women in crime film and television, which is historically a male-dominated genre that has usually given female characters a misogynistic treatment. My research is interdisciplinary and finds roots in feminist studies, media studies, and criminology. Other interests include: fandom studies and the themes of grief and loss in horror films.

DENISE TOOR

BA, International Studies, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Sun-ha Hong

Denise completed her Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction) in International Studies at SFU alongside a minor in Business Administration. Her research interests include studying the shortcomings of AI in the information environment, how this disproportionately affects BIPOC/vulnerable communities, and the role of growing online skepticisms as a tool to counter perceived "authenticity."

AN-BINH TRAN

BA, Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam

Supervisor: Katherine Reilly

I’m interested indigenous/ ethnic minority’s media and the application of communications for development (C4D) models in non-profit and non-governmental organizations. I will be pursuing a research project with the aim of examining communication activities’s ethnic minorities in Vietnam across various platforms. The outcome of this research is expected to not only enhance the implementation of participatory development communication in practice but also highlight alternative media as a means of shifting the power dynamic and allowing ethnic minority insiders to shape the social discourse surrounding their communities.

Melanie Vidakis

BA, Communication and Cultural Studies, Concordia University

Supervisor: Katherine Reilly

Melanie's research investigates the concept of digital citizenship, specifically examining the role of Wi-Fi hotspots, their Terms of Service conditions, and the implications of increased data collection. Her work looks at how datafication and the materiality of technology are imbedded into everyday experiences with a particular focus on the issues of technological inclusion and exclusion.

Mia Chi Vu

BA, Communication, Simon Fraser University

Supervisor: Victoria Thomas

Mia completed her Bachelor of Arts (Honours with Distinction) in Communication at SFU alongside a double minor in Print and Digital Publishing and Business Administration. Mia is interested in feminist media studies, Asian feminism, Asian queer media studies, and media representation. In her Honours thesis, she explored intersectional discrimination and the ideologies embedded in news media in reporting violence cases against Asian cisgender and transgender women.

Mindy Wong

BA (Honours), Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Supervisor: Sarah Ganter

Mindy completed her Bachelor of Chinese and Bilingual Studies at Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2021. Her research interests include social movements, freedom of speech, journalism, self-censorship, and social media. In particular, her future research will be concentrated on the role of social media in social movements. Experienced and witnessed the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement in Hong Kong, she would like to construct an academic study related to that. It seems that the Movement has ended recently but it has brought significant changes to all Hong Kong people’s lives.

MONICA YOUSOFI

BA, Communication, Simon Fraser University.

Supervisor: Siyuan Yin

Research interests include feminist activism, social movements, political economy, and migration.