What is your current field of research?
My research is situated in the sub-field of critical mathematics education and seeks to serve Black (including Sub-Saharan Africans) youth in educational contexts. I do this within mathematics education where I explore ways to ensure that Black youth thrive in their mathematics learning. In other words, I question the role of space, place, power, identity, and other sociocultural and sociopolitical factors that might impede learning for Black youth. I also consider how mathematics can be harnessed as a space to discuss issues of (in)justice and African Indigenous Knowledges in mathematics. Guiding my work are decolonial theories, Black studies, Black geography alongside critical and participatory methodologies to ensure an ethic of care and reciprocity in my work.

More recently, I have been thinking about the role visual media (tv shows and movies) plays on (mis)representing Black youth’s capabilities in mathematics. Contrast this to the 80s sitcom, A Different World, which showed the ordinariness of a young Black man (Dwayne) who loved mathematics – a type of Black livingness as Katherine McKittrick would name it. I am grateful for the chance to pursue this line of questioning currently through the York Black Seed Grant I was awarded in 2022.

What inspired you to specialize in this line of research?
I have loved and enjoyed mathematics for a very long time. I moved to the United States in 2002 to pursue my undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics and began noticing the low numbers of Black students in my courses. The numbers continued to be subside through my Masters and PhD programs and the subtle or overtly racist comments I experienced. If my memory serves me right, I was the second Black woman to graduate from my masters program in Applied Mathematics (2009) and the first Black woman to graduate from my PhD program in mathematics education (2020). I do not believe I have exceptional abilities in mathematics, but I grew up in a country that was racially homogenous thus, my race was not a factor in determining who belonged in mathematics (though my gender identification definitely mattered in Nigeria). I deeply love Black youth and want to support them through my research and other avenues by reminding them that they matter and that they belong in mathematics (and any other space of their choosing).

What impact do you want your work to have on society?
I dream of a world where Black (and other racialized) youth are given opportunities to learn rich and meaningful mathematics instead of being counted out. I hope my work normalizes the ordinariness of Black youth doing mathematics and hope to be able to cultivate spaces that allows them to be their whole selves in mathematics.

What do you consider to be your biggest research accomplishment so far?
I am really thrilled that I have managed to publish pieces that draw on fictional novels (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, Nnedi Binti, Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing), movies (Zootopia), and most recently, song (Burna Boy’s Monsters You Made). I have somehow found ways to merge my love for the arts in and out of mathematics education which fills me with great pride. As an aside, I co-wrote the Zootopia piece in 2017 as a graduate student and it has remained on the “most read” list since its publication which blows my mind.

What advice would you give to your 21-year old self?
Enjoy the zigzag of your life. The multitude of experiences you are amassing living in different cities and countries will shape your thinking and make your research agenda more purposeful and robust.

What would students be surprised to know about you?
I am an avid reader of books unrelated to my research or teaching. Since 2020 (aka since I stopped being a student), I have read an average of 30 books (I read 66 in 2021!). I also enjoy taking long walks, watching all types of TV shows (including Top Chef, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Abbott Elementary), and am quite obsessed with award season (I save the major tv and movie award dates on my calendar yearly).

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Alumni Spotlight was originally published on the Alumni & Friends blog on July 29, 2021.

Mikhaela Gray-Beerman (BA '14, MEd '18), one of York’s Top 30 Changemakers Under 30, is an anti-trafficking advocate, researcher, and educator, as well as a non-profit consultant. The work she does is informed by the many inspiring women and girls who have entrusted their stories with her.

Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the world, and there is no community that is immune from this injustice.

"When my mom was in elementary school, her best friend went missing,” says Mikhaela. “About eight years ago, they were reconnected, and my mom began to learn her story. At the age of 14, my mom’s friend was trafficked for sex in Canada.” When she heard the story, Mikhaela was shocked and heartbroken. She began asking questions and doing research to better understand the realities of human trafficking. The more she learned, the more she was compelled to fight this injustice and to find ways to prevent other people from being trafficked locally and globally.

In 2013, Mikhaela joined United Freedom, an anti-human trafficking committee, to raise awareness and funds for a local and a global anti-trafficking organization. Through their events, she learned about an organization called  in India. The work they were doing to support individuals post-trafficking was unparalleled. “I hoped to learn from their efforts and share their practices in Canada in order to strengthen our approaches to reintegration and rehabilitation,” she explains.

While completing her Master of Education at �첥��Ƶ, Mikhaela travelled to India to visit Mahima Homes and listened to the stories of women and girls who had been trafficked as part of her thesis research. “They shared their stories of resilience and their dreams for the future. The freedom fighters - the women and girls who shared their stories with me - inspired me through their courage, their desire to support others, and their outlook on life.”

Upon returning to Canada, Mikhaela was invited to share with the Federal Government learnings from her research on human trafficking in India with the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. “It was a privilege and honour to be invited to advocate on behalf of the women and girls who had entrusted me with their stories,” she confesses.

“During the following months, I was deeply troubled in my workplace and volunteer settings; I felt disconnected from my purpose. I believe the most important thing in life is relationships, and after the tragic passing of , I was moved by the immeasurable impact that she made in her 20 years of life. I wondered, “How can I use my time, skills and knowledge to fight for justice and to love other people authentically?” Shortly afterward, I left my career in the post-secondary sector to work in an environment where I could raise awareness on human trafficking and journey alongside survivors full-time.”

Today, Mikhaela is an anti-trafficking advocate, educator and researcher. She helps raise awareness as a preventive measure and conducts research to disseminate new knowledge on human trafficking. She connects with individuals who have been impacted by trafficking and supports organizations that are dedicated to ending exploitation in various ways.

 In January 2020, she launched a  and more recently a  called Freedom Fighters: Code Gray which aims to inform the public on human trafficking and empower them to take action to prevent human trafficking in their communities.

“I believe that it is incredibly important to support survivor-led initiatives and to use our time and resources to partner meaningfully with individuals who have lived experience.”

Mikhaela is now the chair of Untied Freedom, serves as an advisory team member at , and as a board member at , a survivor-led organization committed to ending sexual exploitation in Canada. She is currently working as a consultant for  and . Mikhaela has been published in the Journal for Teaching & Learning, and she authored a chapter in the book Global Citizenship Education: Challenges and Successes recently published by the University of Toronto Press. Whether it’s interacting with individuals impacted by sex trafficking and sexual exploitation through care outreach, doing research, advising anti-trafficking organizations or doing advocacy work, she is always looking for ways to make herself useful in the fight to end human trafficking. “My work is rooted in the belief that every human being has value and worth,” Mikhaela explains.

“If you look at the sheer statistics of human trafficking in the world, it can be overwhelming. I want to highlight that each number represents a different person with a unique story and dream for the future. We need to continue to find ways to work together to shed light on this injustice and support individuals who have been impacted by exploitation in Canada and in the world."

To learn more about human trafficking and resources available in Canada visit:�������Ի���. If there is immediate danger or if you suspect a child under 18 is being trafficked, call 911 or your local police service. For information and support, call Canada’s confidential Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-833-900-1010 or visit��.

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Cristina Delgado Vintimilla is an assistant professor in early childhood education at �첥��Ƶ. But you could just as easily call her a teaching radical. As the University’s first pedagogista – an Italian word denoting an educational leader with a pronounced pedagogical vision – Vintimilla dismantles the human-centric approach to education that has served as the golden standard since the 19th century, if not longer. “It’s the kind of neoliberal, hyper-individualized education you might find in an assembly line,” she says in accented English, making piquant her disdain, “taking information in, regurgitating it out. A system designed only to supply the workforce of tomorrow. We need to continue to unsettle this idea.” And Vintimilla is.

Instead of using education as a tool for socialization, she joins forces with other education theorists to advance a pedagogy that promotes a sense of interdependence with “more than human worlds.” The goal is to focus education less on personal achievement and more on developing a greater sense of awareness of the complexity and interconnectedness of humans living on the planet.

Read the full article in the .

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Thousands of Canadians are receiving crucial vaccine information thanks to an online group of volunteers.

Jonathan Clodman, 26, is one of four official members behind a grassroots Twitter page called Vaccine Hunters Canada.

Between his full-time job and volunteer work, he says he spends a lot of his day online. 

“Answering DMs and emails from people across the country who are saying ‘hey I’d like a vaccine, here’s my information, how can you help me?'” he said.

Clodman said he's lost count of how many hours he’s put into the project.

Read the full article on the .

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Now as an activist scholar and former elementary school teacher, I believe strongly in sharing knowledge and strengthening relationships between the academy, practitioners and communities. In my teaching, I practice embracing complexity, holding multiple and contradictory truths and realities, centering different ways of knowing and being, and exploring knowledge systems that have been traditionally silenced.

Educators play a crucial role in disrupting anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. In this time of racial reckoning and solidarity with Black life, teachers need to be consistent, unapologetic and critical in their commitment to address settler colonialism and white supremacy in schooling and society.

These inequities can be addressed in relationships with students, families and communities; in the interruption of inequitable structures such educational streaming, suspensions and expulsions; and in pedagogical approaches that disrupt the erasure of the histories, realities and aspirations of Black and Indigenous people, a form of curricular violence.

My role as an educator is to support students in developing their critical consciousness, which is the ability to question and critique the world around them and respond to socio-political, environmental, economic and historical injustices."

Vidya Shah
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education

�첥��Ƶ's  campaign is a collection of the latest stories from YU featuring interviews with Faculty, Staff and Students.

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For Sabeti education was always something he felt a passion for, “There was always something for me about school environments that spurred creativity, innovation, and a sense of community that is in many ways unique,” explains Sabeti. He sees his career in education as an opportunity to contribute to something meaningful and valuable.

Sabeti was a math teacher at his alma mater after completing the consecutive bachelor of education program at York’s Faculty of Education. “I had many formative experiences as a student there,” he says. “It was exciting to go back as a teacher and contribute to a community that gave me so much, and also to partner with some of my former teachers who had supported me as a student there.” After one year of teaching he decided to return to �첥��Ƶ to pursue a Master’s of Education (MEd) degree on a part-time basis.

He took part in the Program during his studies where he was given the opportunity to work on a research project alongside a professor. “I was incredibly fortunate to learn with instructors that were genuinely invested in my growth as an educator, leader, and individual,” Sabeti says reflecting on his time at York.

Sabeti’s advice to students at York’s Faculty of Education is to take advantage of the resources and opportunities available to them during their studies and to build strong relationships with students and faculty members. “Your classmate are going to be your extended support group as you go out into the world of education,” he said. Sabeti explains that one of the Faculty of Education's greatest strengths is that its programs are taken by a diverse group of people. “My second piece of advice is to look for ways to make the program suit your needs, interests and goals.” He explains that not everyone who gets a degree in education ends up teaching in classrooms, “There are lots of people who are working in areas that are still connected to education but may be on the periphery.”

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New Orleans, U.S.A.

During the past few weeks, I’ve been reflecting about my journey as an immigrant to Canada in 2010 and my transition into the Higher Education sector at McGill University in Montreal and, now, at �첥��Ƶ in Toronto. I realized that living through Katrina provides apt lessons to foster the strength and resilience of our community at the �첥��Ƶ English Language Institute. These unprecedented times push all our boundaries. Today, more than ever, the world needs stories of resilience, courage, recovery, and love. When humanity is tested with adversity and grief, as it currently is, some find comfort in tales of individuals who have been at the bottom and who have resurfaced, stronger and kinder. It restores our collective faith towards one another. Many of us are struggling with anxieties, fears, concerns for loved ones, and perhaps handling immuno compromised systems. Staying connected offers opportunities for dialogue, ways to think about caring for each other, spaces to ask new questions and pose old ones.

An estimated 100,000 students were displaced by Katrina after the levees failed. According to UNESCO, over 160 countries have implemented nationwide closures due to coronavirus, impacting over 87% of world’s student population. While most Canadian Universities switched to online instruction with only three weeks remaining in the semester, our Institute is instead in the middle of its term. Our plan was not to simply wrap up the semester as efficiently as possible. Our goal was to deliver to our students what we promised with a great deal of consideration to do our utmost to protect the health and safety of our community. So, for the first time in our 35-year history, we transferred all our regular courses, extracurricular programming, and student services to digital platforms within days. We collectively gathered our thoughts, ideas, and capitalized on our diverse skills to make this transition. Managers, instructors, and staff made innovative use of online technologies and other ingenious strategies to carry on with teaching and learning activities without compromising quality.

Our team have been in constant communication with students to update and figure out arrangements for those who might have difficulty accessing online platforms.��Across our sector, the transformations we have achieved in the last few days is nothing short of remarkable. Learning should always emphasize community care, and these are just some of the ways we are putting it into practice.

We are carrying out ‘learning as usual’ — in very unusual times. We don't know what will happen next or how long it will take to get through the pandemic. Living through Katrina, I learned that returning to normalcy is not going to happen quickly, and, for most of us, what is considered normal likely will be redefined forever. We should embrace this state of uncertainty as an opportunity. Instead of succumbing to panic and fear, let us instead ask how we can continue to help each other in this time of need and how we can maintain a strong community that supports each other.

Our community will continue to make the best decisions we can, even in circumstances that are changing at a speed that would have been unimaginable a short time ago.��The coming days and weeks will no doubt bring further challenges. But through cooperation, compassion, perseverance, and determination— I am confident that this will undoubtedly build our resilience as a caring community.

Isaac Garcia-Sitton

Isaac Garcia-Sitton is a second year PhD student in the Graduate Program in Language, Culture & Teaching in �첥��Ƶ's Faculty of Education and is the current Director of International Education & English Language Institute (YUELI) at �첥��Ƶ’s School of Continuing Studies. His research interest is the role of cities in attracting international students and the differences and intersections that post-secondary institutions’ internalization strategies play in supporting these efforts. Born in Barcelona, raised in Panama, and trained and educated in the United States, Garcia-Sitton served as a diplomat for Panama, working at the Consulates in New Orleans in 2005 and in Montreal in 2007.

��

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"When my mom was in elementary school, her best friend went missing. About six years ago, they were reconnected and my mom began to learn her story. At the age of 14, my mom’s friend was trafficked for sex in Ontario, Canada. When I heard her story, I was shocked and heartbroken. I began asking questions and started doing research to better understand the realities of human trafficking. I was compelled to fight this injustice and to find ways to prevent other people from being trafficked.

Mikhaela Gray, Alumni (M.Ed. '18, BA '14)
Faculty of Education and Glendon Campus, �첥��Ƶ
Education and Research Coordinator, 

�첥��Ƶ's  campaign is a collection of the latest stories from YU featuring interviews with Faculty, Staff and Students.

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