Jill with two of her friends in front of the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa.
Jill Palzkill Woelfer, 2012 recipient of the University of Washington Graduate School Medal and 2011-2012 Fulbright Fellow to Canada attended the 2012 CONNECT seminar from July 23-26 in Ottawa, Ontario. Jill, a PhD candidate in Information Science who works with homeless young people, was one of 16 doctoral candidates and professors from across the US chosen to take part in the seminar.
The CONNECT program is a national initiative which engages new Canadianists for the American higher education community. CONNECT is a joint program of the Center for the Study of Canada, State University of New York College at Plattsburgh and Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT). The seminar was hosted by CONNECT Executive Director and Co-founder, Prof. Christopher Kirkey, and CONNECT Co-founder, Prof. André Senecal.
The seminar was made up of academic lectures, briefings from government officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the U.S. Embassy, and guided visits to the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian War Museum, the Parliament of Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the National Archives. Lectures covered Canadian politics and society and were given by faculty from Carleton University, Queen’s University and the University of Ottawa. Each day culminated with a dinner or reception, hosted one evening by Dr. Michael Hawes and staff at Fulbright Canada.
Jill was happy to have another opportunity to visit Ottawa after a wonderful experience in September 2012 when she took part in the Fulbright Canada orientation. Returning to Ottawa after having spent nine months living in Canada pursuing her dissertation research was galvanizing. “I am fully committed to continuing to increase my knowledge of Canada and to pursuing work with homeless young people in Canada.”
The Canadian Studies Center, through its Graduate Student Professional Development program, works closely with schools and departments across campus to encourage and support graduate student study and research that includes Canada, the Canada-US relationship and Canada’s role in the world contributing to the vibrancy of Canadian studies at the UW. For a list of current graduate affiliates see jsis.washington.edu. (Link not available)