Rotary Peace Scholarship

Rizwan completed a Master of Business Administration at COMSATS University Islamabad in Pakistan. He is a 2018-19 recipient of the Rotary MPACS Scholarship.

Rizwan is a Christian peace activist from Pakistan who has experienced targeted violence due to religious intolerance. His mission is to promote respect and diversity by advocating for human and minority rights. Upon completion of the MPACS program, he plans to return to Pakistan and establish a Peace resource centre in his home community.

Violette Khammad holds a B.A. degree from King’s University College at Western University. She completed an Honours Double Major in Political Science and Sociology in June 2018. During her academic career at King’s and as a gold medalist, she was recognized for her highest average in the Political Science program as a fourth-year student, and for her highest average in senior-level Sociology courses.

Bryn McAuley graduated with distinction from Ryerson University in 2018 with an Honours Degree in Arts and Contemporary Studies. While pursuing her degree, Bryn served as Co-Director of the Peer Mentoring Committee for Ryerson’s Lifeline Syria Challenge. In this role, Bryn assisted more than 15 Syrian refugee families during their first year in Canada by managing one-on-one mentoring and facilitating employment and extra-curricular opportunities.

Katelynn Folkerts completed a Bachelor of Arts in Global Development with a minor in Economics from Queen’s University. Throughout her undergraduate degree, she enjoyed connecting her studies to practical experience developing literacy programs with remote Indigenous communities, and working for a drop-in center for marginalized adults in Kingston, Ontario. Katelynn became interested in peacebuilding while working in conflict early warning/early response for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Teams network (EPRT) in Jos, Nigeria. She used her MPACs degree to develop her particular interest in the contributions that youth make to peacebuilding by completing an internship with Mercy Corps in Haiti on a community violence reduction program based on youth-led community-based research, restorative justice and economic development initiatives. Katelynn also initiated a research project to understand the experiences of challenges of youth who are members of gang-like social groups in Haiti, in order to improve the relevance of future programs to youth who are more vulnerable to becoming involved in violence, and build on their unique capacities and understandings of conflict dynamics. After completing her MPACS degree, Katelynn hopes to continue to work on peacebuilding initiatives that affirm the unique capabilities and needs of youth in conflict areas.

As the 2017-2018 recipient of the Rotary Peace Scholarship at the University of Waterloo, I wish to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the experiences this scholarship created for me. From conducting research into ethical artificial intelligence with my supervisor, to completing an internship studying the dual-use nature of artificial intelligence and its military applications, the opportunities to succeed have been countless. The core of my research relates to achieving peace through technology and advancing society together with innovation which promotes peace.

In addition to these opportunities, I have had the pleasure of connecting with many Rotarians in the region. I have been asked to present my research at the 2018 President’s meeting and at a Rotary Waterloo meeting. In June 2018, the connections I formed at the University of Waterloo developed into my first discussion serving as a panelist. I was one of three panelists at a UW Alumni event in San Francisco, speaking about the current governance situation regarding AI, and developing ethical practice-based solutions.

The Rotary Peace Scholarship has given me the opportunity to study at this inspiring institution and conduct research within a cohort of truly passionate students and faculty.

Catherine Garacho completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with Minor in Law and Society from Concordia University. She is the 2017-18 recipient of the Rotary MPACS Scholarship.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Catherine moved to the United States and then to Montreal to pursue further education. Catherine has since moved to the Waterloo Region to pursue a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) degree in hopes of contributing to peace with particular interest in women’s rights and youth education.  
“I come from a continent ridden in conflict,” explained Catherine. “The lexicon of conflict is written in our collective consciousness. I have no doubt that the MPACS program will provide me with the knowledge and skills that I seek in my quest to contribute to resolving conflicts in the continent where I hail from.”
After completing her MPACS degree, Catharine has dreams to continue her education in Law school in hopes of becoming a human rights lawyer.

The Rotary Peace Scholarship was crucial to my success in the Master of Arts in Global Governance. While pursuing the MA, my wife and I welcomed our first child to our family. The Rotary Peace Scholarship provided invaluable financial support for our family in its early stages and allowed me to complete my studies on time. I sincerely appreciate the generosity of the Rotary Club, I believe it was one of the factors that made the difference between success and failure in my studies.

As an MA Candidate, my research explored the complex relationship between military power and the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Syrian Civil War. I subsequently worked at Project Ploughshares as a 'Peace and Human Security Intern' where I supported them in producing publications on contemporary peace and conflict issues. I now work in the Vancouver office of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada where I produce research of relevance to Canada's relationship with countries in the Asia Pacific. I was recently able to travel to Finland, Estonia, Norway, and China where I conducted interviews with senior officials on the strategic implications of China's so-called 'One Belt, One Road' Initiative for Arctic Countries. My wife and daughter were able to join me for the China-leg of the research tour so that we could share our first opportunity to see this fascinating country up close!

Thanks to the Rotary Peace Scholarship, I have been able to complete my studies with the Balsillie School of International Affairs without financial worry and focus my time into furthering my knowledge of Iraqi politics and Middle East Affairs. As such, I am now working with the Institute on Governance on their Iraq Team where I travel to Iraq regularly to work as a Senior Researcher on the Fiscal Federalism and Decentralization project, funded by Global Affairs Canada. This work assists in the broader objectives of peace by helping to build the capacity of the federal and provincial governments to better deliver citizen services, an essential objective in establishing trust and legitimacy of government with the citizens of Iraq. A common refrain heard by those who study conflict and peace is that good governance is essential for peace to endure in post-conflict states; our work hopes to actualize that objective. As I write this, I am also preparing to go to Rome to present for the second time at the Academic Council of the United Nations Annual Meeting on my team's work in Iraq, and then head to Baghdad for interviews to begin a needs assessment and gaps analysis at the provincial level in Diwaniyah and Missan. Thank you for supplying me with the ability to better focus on my studies which has thus allowed me to better do my job!

During my Master of Arts in Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), I was able to use my Rotary Peace Scholarship to support a three-month volunteer internship with CIVICUS in Johannesburg, South Africa. CIVICUS is a global network of civil society organizations that works to facilitate citizen action by strengthening freedom of expression, association and assembly around the world. While Canada and its neighbours certainly face challenges of restricted public space, we come nowhere near the difficulties faced by so many countries. My experiences during this internship made me grateful, but also wary—to create positive, full-spectrum peace, civic space must be strengthened not chipped away.

Now, in my doctoral work, I study how diverse worldviews and belief systems interact with global governance processes and negotiations. Our ability to deal with the vast array of challenges and conflicts we face—from weapons proliferation to food insecurity and climate change—will depend on our understanding of how ideas and beliefs shape political action and decision-making. If we are to work for meaningful positive peace, we need to identify creative pathways for inclusion, compromise, and collective action. I thank the Rotary Club for supporting me and other students in our efforts to imagine and build a more peaceful world, and for your commitment to peace in our community and abroad.

I have long held a desire to dig deeper into issues related to peace and social justice. I’ve always wanted to understand the complexities behind these issues; why do they occur and what role can I play in mitigating them? Receiving the Rotary Peace Scholarship enabled me to dig deeper and ask harder questions. At the Balsillie School, I was surrounded by brilliant peers whose diversity of perspectives and experiences helped to shape my critical understandings. In focusing my research on orphanhood and child protection, I found a new passion for childhood studies and hope to pursue a PhD in this area.

The scholarship also supported my professional growth during my internship with Amnesty International’s Southern Africa Regional Office in Johannesburg, South Africa. Here I was able to work on several research projects and expand my knowledge on human rights issues in Southern Africa. Most meaningful during my time in Johannesburg was developing a greater understanding of the multilayered and ongoing repercussions of colonialism and apartheid. There are many parallels between Canadian and South African colonial history and present, both in terms of systemic violence and acts of resistance, and I returned to Canada reinvigorated to challenge Canadian exceptionalism and engage in anti-racist and anti-colonial work.

I now work for Kennedy House Youth Services and Centennial College’s Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Inclusion. In my position as Grant Writer at Kennedy House, I secure funds for our emergency youth shelter and after school program. Not only has this position deepened my understanding of economic inequality and its rippling impacts in Toronto, it has provided me with the opportunity to support young people as they transition from homelessness to improved wellbeing and stable, healthy futures. At Centennial College, I engage in a variety of research projects on global citizenship, equity and inclusion and work with my colleagues to embed social justice principles across the College. I also engage in anti-racist community organizing with Showing Up For Racial Justice Toronto, specifically helping to lead a Childminding Collective which makes activism more accessible for parents and caregivers.

Jessie Castello interned with CIVICUS in Johannesburg, South Africa, a global leader in civil action and protection of civil society. Prior to this experience Jessie has engaged in a wide variety of social justice community projects, including delivery of anti-bullying curriculum to elementary school students and summer camp leadership facilitation and mentoring.  Jessie is enrolled in the Conflict Management and Mediation Certificate Program, offered by Conrad Grebel University College, and is completing a Master of Peace and Conflict Studies degree, also at Grebel.

Jaclynn Chiodini received her B.A. in Anthropology and Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a minor focus on African Studies. During her studies, she initiated an independent research project on the development of education in nomadic communities in East Africa, culminating in approximately two years of fieldwork with the Maasai pastoralist community in Northern Tanzania. While in Tanzania, she was introduced to the devastating effects large-scale acquisitions of traditional land holdings for national and corporate development interests have had on vulnerable populations in the area, particularly for indigenous groups and smallholder farmers.

As a CIGI (Centre for International Governance Innovation) Graduate Fellow and Rotary Peace Scholarship recipient, she is working with a team of researchers on internationalizing indigenous rights policy frameworks in Canada, particularly as it relates to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and resource extraction projects. Additionally, her research focus explores the local consequences of commodifying nature through the emergence of the global green marketplace and its impact on indigenous land rights and access. In September 2015, she will be interning with the Applied Research Institute — Jerusalem, a research centre dedicated to sustainable development and resource conservation in the Occupied Territories.

Yelena Gyulkhandanyan is a graduate of the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Waterloo. Yelena, who spent her childhood in Armenia, has a strong passion for civil society engagement and activism and is pursuing skills in mediation and dispute resolution through her enrollment in the Certificate in Conflict Management and Mediation. She has been engaged in the work of organizations such as Amnesty International, World University Service of Canada, Frontier College, and Justice for Children and Youth. During her studies, internship opportunities engaged her in the work of Search for Common Ground, Washington, DC, Policy Forum Armenia, Washington, DC, and Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India. Currently Yelena is working for United Nations (International Organization for Migration in Yemen).

I am thankful for the chance to reflect on this scholarship and grateful for the opportunities I received to advance my thinking on complex issues in national and international peace and conflict. This scholarship allowed me to focus on my studies while at the Balsillie School where I researched the rapidly evolving cyber arms race and developments in national approaches to cyber security strategies. Within a year of completing my Master’s degree, I was working in the federal government on the very same issues. Working at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as an analyst in cyber security means that I am regularly engaging in the current trends, affairs and challenges in cyber security for the federal government.

Not only did this scholarship provide me the opportunity to focus my attention on academic and professional development, but it gave me the confidence to pursue a challenging field where all the issues are new and answers are sparse. As I have said before, this scholarship is validation that the KW Cluster of Rotary Clubs wholeheartedly supports the development of thought leaders and the pursuit of peace.

David Alton is a recent graduate of The University of Guelph, with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Governance and Philosophy.  David was drawn to the certificate program because he sees conflict as a central force of human existence. However, his interest in conflict is less about seeking justice or resolving harm and more towards creating resolution and common ground for action. David seeks to use the skills gained through the Certificate in Conflict Management, to assist his pursuit of work and ongoing academic training in the management of environmental disputes and community decision making.  David is applying to a Masters Program in Community and Regional Planning in the Fall of 2016. In the meantime he is working locally with various community organizations such as Ray of Hope, Sustainable Waterloo Region and The Working Centre, while taking workshops in the Conflict Management Certificate Program.