Testimonials

In their own words

Ginette Gautreau

Graduated 2014, MA in Globalization and Development (Co-op option)

Like most students, when I was about to wrap up my MA degree, I started getting worried about my job prospects with every passing month (or maybe that’s just me, I am an obsessive planner!). I decided as I began writing my thesis in third year that I would start keeping an eye on job postings and apply here and there for those that appealed to me. I had completed all my coursework, and two co-op placements with DFATD and I wanted to set myself up for a smooth transition into my career. The door opened for me in the form of an office manager position with the Humanitarian Coalition.

Anca H. Paducel

Graduated 2011, Honours BA in Development and Globalization (Co-op option)

In 2011, I graduated from the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Development and Globalization (CO-OP). That same year, just shortly after my graduation, I moved to Geneva (Switzerland) to pursue a Masters in International Relations and Political Science at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, where I continued on with a Ph.D. in the same discipline. In September 2017, I successfully defended my Ph.D. thesis, which evaluates, using a randomized field experiment, whether and how intergroup encounters may affect competitive victimhood beliefs that are a source of ongoing armed conflict and an impediment to intergroup reconciliation. The research was carried out as part of a conflict prevention project entitled, “Bumbatira Amahoro – Keeping the Peace: Engaging Youth Leaders to Prevent Conflict in Burundi”, that was implemented around the 2015 elections in Burundi.[1] Just as I was completing the Ph.D., I was presented with the rare opportunity to join the monitoring and evaluation team of the Office of the Inspector General at the International Organization for Migration in Geneva as an Associate Evaluation Officer, where I continue to work today.

Sepideh Soltaninia

Graduated 2013, Honours BA in Development and Globalization (Co-op option)

March 2011 was a telling month in Syria. The events of that month - and those of the months and years that have followed - have defined a generation, not only in the Middle East, but across communities around the world. In March 2011, I had only reached the halfway point of my education at the University of Ottawa. Much of that time had been spent outside of campus, doing field research in South Africa, at co-op terms in Public Safety Canada and CIDA, in the bustling classrooms of Bangladesh’s BRAC University and, that spring, in Paris.

Shantelle Binette

Graduated 2014, Honours BA in Development and Globalization

I am currently working with the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) as a Network Capacity Builder for partner organizations in Rwanda. In that capacity, I’m helping to strengthen the planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation capacities of five organizations in Rwanda who are collaborating on a major food security/sustainable agriculture project funded by MCC and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. That work includes gathering input from stakeholders (participants, farmers, extension workers) to incorporate into the planning for the next phase of the project, and helping to design a monitoring system to capture and reflect all that is happening.

Sarah D'Aoust

Graduated 2012, MA in Globalization and Development; 2009 Honours BA in Development and Globalization (Co-op option)

When I decided to pursue my studies in International Development at the University of Ottawa I wasn’t sure where I would end up! I hoped that eventually I would land a job that was related to my field of study, where I could have a tangible, positive impact. After undergrad, the job prospects weren’t very promising, so I thought it would be a perfect time to do my MA. I was looking forward to learning more about development, and doing some original research of my own.

Nicole Johnston

Graduated 2020, Honors BA in International Development and Global Studies

Nicole Johnston is an alumnus of the University of Ottawa with international development and Globalization. She is also the former President and Vice President of Academic Affairs of the AEDSA (Association des Etudiants.tes en Développement/ Development Students Association) during her time as an undergraduate student. Nicole states that one of the most rewarding experiences during her undergrad is being involved with the Development Student Association. In her position as the VP of Academic Affairs, she coordinated academic events, helping students and academics, working alongside the faculty and etc. In her final year of studies, she had overtaken the position of President of AEDSA. During her time in the AEDSA, she was also a coordinator for International Development Week (IDW), one of the biggest student-led development conferences in Canada. She was able to organize IDW2019 alongside her team, faculty, and student volunteers.

Today, she currently works at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), as an International Development Officer in Gender Equality since 2018. Nicole is also currently completing her two-year MA program at the University of British Columbia (UBC) for Public Policy and Global Affairs.