The WGSI is pleased to announce that Collaborative Student Phoebe Chih (they/them) has been selected as the recipient of the Janka Seydegart Scholarship in Feminist Studies. This award is to support an exceptional graduate student showing a demonstrated commitment to advancing feminist approaches to practice, policy, and research in the field of social work.
Phoebe is in their first year of the 2-year MSW Program at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and doing a Graduate Collaborative Specialization in Women and Gender Studies (CWGS) at the Women and Gender Studies Institute (WGSI) at the University of Toronto. They are a queer, trans, non-binary, second generation immigrant from Taiwan. Born and raised on the unceded lands of the Musquem, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish nations, they moved to Tkaronto this year to pursue graduate studies. Outside of academia, they are also a cultural organizer and an interdisciplinary artist. Their work focuses on the mental health and well-being of marginalized communities, notably 2SLGBTQIA+ youth, BIPOC youth, immigrants, and survivors of gender-based violence.
We asked Phoebe what receiving this award means to them: “I’m very grateful to have received the Janka Seydegart Scholarship in Feminist Studies as it provides me with the support to continue my studies while continuing to engage in my community and activist commitments. Working in the social work field through an intersectional feminist lens allows me to deeply interrogate structures of power and work towards tangible change through front-line work within communities or working in policy and advocacy.”
Congratulations Phoebe!