Jacqueline Pizzuti-Ashby
Vancouver Cohort, 2006
California Dreamin' realized at Simon Fraser University! Born and raised in the United States and now living in Canada, Jacqueline appreciated being a student in the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program. She says the program has immersed her in the Canadian narrative and as such provided her with greater awareness and historical understanding of the post-secondary system. Enrolled in the Vancouver Post Secondary cohort, Jacqueline is currently working as a Graduate Research Assistant at SFU.
Since starting the program in 2006, she has pursued an interest in campus design - which first developed at a university-college, where she conducted a study on how students interpret their academic surroundings. She also interns with SFU's Campus Planning and Development engaging in the theory and now the practice of designing campus space. Over the past decade, Jacqueline has worked for several universities within the United States and Canada. Her most recent position is as an Institutional Research Analyst at University of the Fraser Valley, BC.
In addition to her ongoing academic and professional success at SFU, Jacqueline has been introduced to other SFU programs: in 2007, she completed the Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning and is currently enrolled in the Urban Design and Planning Certificate. This supplemental curriculum has been quite instrumental and supportive in teaching her to create environments that encourage learning, research, collaboration, and innovative pedagogy. Another welcomed opportunity has been serving as a student member on the Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education editorial team. Her academic pursuits and involvement were recently awarded in 2008 when she became a recipient of the Faculty of Education EdD Graduate Fellowship.
What has she enjoyed most being in the EdD program? The opportunity to meet with an array of international and national scholars conducting research has been something that Jacqueline has found very enriching. Also she points out that, "Relationships with fellow students, faculty, and staff have been key to my personal and professional development." Jacqueline credits the strength of the EdD program to this diverse cohort and its multifaceted talents - she recommends this program very highly to anyone with similar ambitions and aspirations.