King's alumna awarded SSHRC scholarship to pursue master's degree

Congratulations to King’s alumna, Sarah Menzies, ‘19, Honors BA in English Language & Literature, for being awarded $17,500 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Canada Graduate Scholarship. Menzies will continue her studies at Western University in the 2019-20 academic year, pursuing a Master’s Degree in English.

Menzies highlights the support she received from the English faculty during her undergraduate career at King’s. “I was constantly surprised by the level of encouragement and enthusiasm I received from all members of the English faculty during my four years at King’s, but especially during the process of applying for my master’s,” she says.

Several professors at King’s guided Menzies throughout her undergraduate education. Dr. Krista Lysack’s first-year English class provided her with a foundation that would continue to guide her learning throughout the course of her degree. Dr. Coby Dowdell’s second-year Major British Authors class introduced Menzies to the challenges of academic research and writing, which taught her the need to seek out guidance from her professors. In Dr. Brian Patton’s third-year 20th Century British Literature course, she discovered a literary site that would become the basis for her master’s research.

Menzies says her graduate research will examine literary representations of migration and settlement during the mid-to-late twentieth century in Britain, and specifically, how migrant communities were able to maintain a strong sense of cultural identity in the face of post-colonial oppression.

“I am exceedingly grateful for this award and for the opportunity to further my education at the master’s level. However, I must also acknowledge that this would have been a very unlikely reality if not for the continued support of my family, friends, and professors,” says Menzies.

Menzies has expressed interest in applying for a PhD program in the future as a next goal. King’s wishes her all the best for her future endeavours.

King’s celebrates our alumni’s continued success post-graduation. For a list of award-winning King’s English alumni, please visit: http://www.kings.uwo.ca/academics/english/award-winning-english-students/