Felicia is a Ph.D. candidate in the Global Governance program at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. Her doctoral research examines how trust and mistrust effects refugees’ journeys and integration into their host communities. She hopes her work will provide essential insights into where refugees’ experiences of trust/mistrust stem from, how it influences their decision-making in times of crisis, their interactions with resettlement workers and host community members, and how to improve resettlement policy and practices. Her work focuses specifically on the experiences of Syrian refugees resettled in advanced economies through the UNHCR.
In 2020, Felicia completed her MA in Global Governance at Balsillie. Her current doctoral work stems from her major research paper. Felicia conducted primary research among privately sponsored Syrian refugees in Kitchener-Waterloo and their experiences with generalized and institutional trust. Her initial work highlighted the importance of including refugees’ stories at the forefront of analysis.
During her Master’s, Felicia interned remotely for four months at the European Training and Research Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC) based at the University of Graz in Austria. The Centre works to promote human rights education and combat racism and discrimination to improve human security. She conducted extensive research to find participants to invite to their annual Winter Academy for her main project. That year the Academy focused on human rights-based approaches towards policy-making.
In 2014, Felicia graduated with High Distinction from Wilfrid Laurier University in Honours Anthropology and Global Studies. At Laurier, she was able to critically engage with global issues and showed a keen interest in the areas surrounding conflict and security, migration, humanitarianism, and human rights. Her primary research focused on a comparative analysis of the universal and the particular regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
During her undergraduate degree, Felicia was able to intern in Ghana for the Human Rights Advocacy Centre. Her main project focused on access to healthcare for marginalized communities. She also did a presentation to youth about gender-based violence, attended a seminar about the impacts of corporal punishment, and observed and reported on the conditions on women and children in the Gambaga Witch Camps.
Outside of academia Felicia is an avid reader, foodie, and loves hiking!