Griffin W.

Born and raised in Montreal, Griffin recently graduated from the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University. Prior to his two years in Ottawa, he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill University in 2022. During his time at Carleton, he was a teaching assistant, tasked with grading essays and exams, organizing and running discussion groups, and teaching lessons. These experiences, as both successful student and successful teaching assistant provided him with the knowledge of how young students can best succeed from both sides of the teacher-student perspective.

From an early age, Griffin had a passion for history and politics, even attempting to memorize the list of Canadian Prime Ministers in first grade. This passion eventually led him to double major in History and Political Science at McGill. At John Abbott College and McGill, his broad curiosity regarding historical and political events, along with new encounters with political theory and political economy, developed into a particular focus on the Soviet Union, which would come to serve as the foundation of his master’s thesis.

Outside of his academic pursuits, he is an avid hockey player and fan. A lifelong skater and dedicated supporter of the Boston Bruins, his other sporting interests include the NFL’s New England Patriots, the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire, and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes.
When he’s not reading history, attending an Als game, or on the ice, Griffin can often be found at the movie theatre or staying up late into the night watching and analyzing live election coverage, both domestic and international.

ASHLEI S.

Ashlei S. is a graduate of the Master of Teaching program at the University of Toronto, and she specializes in teaching English and visual art. From a young age, she was an avid reader and frequent creative writer. Ashlei discovered her love of teaching when she began volunteering as a summer camp counsellor, and afterwards, decided to work with students as much as possible. While earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts at York University, she earned several awards in essay writing and for her academic standing. She has experience teaching students of a variety of ages: elementary school students in afterschool art programs, high school students in her teaching placements, and university students whom she worked with as a teaching assistant. She enjoys helping students strengthen their communication skills and reading comprehension and hopes to guide them in building confidence and a sense of achievement in their progress.