Meet Our Students (2021 Winter)
Read the biographies of our Doctor of Social Sciences students below.
Bali Rai
Doctoral Student
Bali Rai is a doctoral student in Social Sciences at Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada. His dissertation aims to explore the interrelationships between the ancestors (human beings), nature (all Creation), and the spirits (cosmos) through the Indigenous Worldviews of the Bayung (Bahing) Rai people of Nepal.
Walter Alvarez-Baldales
Doctoral Student
Born in Guatemala, Walter Alvarez-Bardales left to escape war and poverty at a young age. Despite the many challenges during his journey to Canada, Walter became a successful civil servant working for the Canadian Federal Government. Walter completed the Master of Business Administration in Community Economic Development program at Cape Breton University.
Celina J. Sqwasulwut Williams
Doctoral Student
Celina co-owns a private consulting company based in British Columbia and Alberta. Her company specializes in working with Indigenous individuals who struggle with trauma and addictions and would like to begin living a life of sobriety and recovery. Watching people willingly change their lives for the better and assisting in that process has been an incredibly rewarding experience for Celina in her work life.
Denise Verreault
Doctoral Student
Denise C. Verreault is a proud band member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux First Nation, Treaty 6, Alberta. For the past 20 years Denise has developed and managed social services, environmental and housing programs with numerous Indigenous communities across Canada, in Alberta, Ontario and most recently British Columbia.
Georganne Oldham
Doctoral Student
Georganne Oldham is an Organization and Leadership Development Professional, founder and principal with LeadershipMind Consulting. She works with leaders across industries and at all levels as a consultant, coach and educator. Georganne is an adjunct faculty member at Adler University and a senior faculty member in the Centre for Leadership at the Justice Institute of BC.
Gina Trad
Doctoral Student
Gina Trad is a Registered Clinical Counsellor who works within the non-profit sector with folks who do not have access to affordable counselling services. Gina has been in private practice for over five years and has 15+ years of experience working with children, youth at risk, and families who have been affected by physical and psychological disabilities, abuse, addiction, and mental health.
Jill Andres
Doctoral Student
Jill Andres is a participatory process designer, facilitator, and coach whose work supports people from diverse backgrounds and sectors to deepen their understanding of complex, societal challenges and co-create and test potential systemic solutions. Andres has facilitated participatory processes with people from around the globe, designed and taught post-secondary courses on social innovation and systems change, and has been sought out to present on these topics internationally.
Tanya Shewfelt
Doctoral Student
Tanya has spent over two decades delivering communication results in the airline, oil and gas, health and safety, and non-profit sectors, devoted to finding ways to connect and engage with audiences by infusing the power of storytelling with the accessibility of digital media. It has been Tanya’s job to translate content into visual forms by combining digital elements within a narrative structure.