Chris Aglah
Chris is a second-year PhD student supervised by Dr. Jess Whitley. Chris’s current research interest and thesis is School Absenteeism Among Immigrant and Refugee Students in Canada: Exploring Causes, Impacts, and Solutions. As a teacher, Chris has also seen firsthand how absenteeism affects students' progress. So, Chris would like to explore the effects of absenteeism particularly among immigrant and refugee students in Canada.
Rieley O'Leary
Rieley (she/her) is a second year MA Counselling Psychology student at the University of Ottawa. She is being co-supervised by Dr. Maria Rogers and Dr. Jess Whitley. She received her honours B.Sc in Neuroscience and Mental Health followed by a B.Ed in teaching intermediate/senior biology and mathematics. She is broadly interested in school-based mental health and Indigenous practices in education. Her thesis work is focusing on Indigenous perspectives on school attendance in collaboration with an urban Inuit community in Ottawa. Her research is informed by her experiences as a teacher, therapist-in-training and being from mixed settler and Indigenous (Anishinaabe/Ojibwe) ancestry.
Sarah McAllister
Sarah is a PhD candidate in Education at the University of Ottawa, supervised by Dr. Jess Whitley. She completed an Honours Bachelor in Human Kinetics with a Minor in Psychology in 2020, followed by a Master of Arts in Human Kinetics in 2023. Her Master’s thesis investigated the impact of positive education and yoga on undergraduate students’ mental health. As a doctoral candidate, Sarah strives to further advance our understanding of how to promote mental health and resilience among university students. She is drawn to the intricacies of the human brain and is passionate about student well-being, positive education, and human flourishing.
Mina Ozturk
Mina is a second-year MA student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Ottawa, currently being supervised by Dr. Jess Whitley. She is interested in exploring school inclusion and exclusion by looking into the sense of belonging and acceptance of neurodivergent children. Her thesis focuses on the complex interplay of physical inclusion/exclusion (reduced school days and absenteeism) and the psychosocial inclusion/exclusion (sense of belonging at school) of students with ASD in Canada. Her previous research explored the predictors of learning disabilities and ADHD in university students.
Milan Le
Milan is in her first year of the M.A. in counselling psychology program at the University of Ottawa, and is completing her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Jessica Whitley. Milan's research will be centered on exploring the cultural norms that influence school absenteeism patterns across ethnically diverse communities. She is passionate about understanding culture and religion and is committed to pursuing research with the aim of providing culturally sensitive school environments.
Kiera Young
Kiera is currently in her first year of the Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology program at the University of Ottawa. Under the supervision of Jess Whitley, her thesis will be a scoping review that examines family-based interventions for addressing school absenteeism.
Nicole Stewart
Nicole is a first-year MA student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Ottawa, completing her thesis under the supervision of Dr. Jess Whitley. Her past research projects have included investigating pharmacotherapeutic outcomes in Binge Eating Disorder, as well as examining the cognitive and behavioural transfer effects of school-based musical interventions in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Her research interests focus on how inclusive school programs can promote mental health, learning and school attendance. Nicole aims to explore the linkages between inclusive education, psychosocial adaptation, school absenteeism and educational engagement in neurodivergent students.
