Articles tagged with: undergraduate studies

  • Brock student research sheds light on local women-owned businesses

    After spending much of her fourth year examining the experiences of women who own small businesses in downtown St. Catharines, Brock student Daria Do is sharing her findings — and related recommendations — with the community.

    Do presented her undergraduate thesis research, completed under the supervision of Associate Professor Ebru Ustundag in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, to business leaders from the St. Catharines Downtown Association, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and Innovate Niagara on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

    An entrepreneur herself, the fifth-year Concurrent Teacher Education student set out to look at social-spatial relationships and the gender dynamics that shape local female business owners’ experiences, as well as the personal and institutional support systems available to them.

    With support from Ustundag and her second reader, Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies Michael Ripmeester, Do interviewed six out of a possible 16 women business owners in the downtown core at the time of the research, which began in August 2022.

    Several themes emerged during these interviews, from financial barriers encountered when pursuing loans and grants to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “A lot of the participants had to make some challenging decisions to lay off their team and work by themselves, taking on all of the business tasks — from labeling to producing to marketing to maintaining an online shop and making deliveries,” Do says.

    The role of support networks — whether it was family members helping out or official programming — proved to be crucial, particularly in identifying opportunities such government grants like those attached to the Digital Main Streets program.

    According to Do, the participants also showed a strong commitment to an inclusive downtown and diverse urban culture.

    “They don’t just care about their own store. They care about their customers and about their neighbouring business owners and that everyone’s successful, not just themselves,” says Do. “That cohesiveness and ability to be empathetic towards other people, I think, is something super special in downtown St. Catharines, something very unique.”

    During the presentation, Do and Ustundag offered recommendations based on the thesis interviews, including a networking program specific to women small business owners that caters to the needs and schedules of working caregivers and paid mentorship opportunities to help further strengthen local connections.

    “The presentation was a gratifying experience that allowed me to share my passions for the purpose of my research and illuminate the positive stories coming out of downtown St. Catharines,” says Do. “More importantly, it was a unique opportunity to be able to amplify the significance of having a geographical lens when trying to understand the changes in downtown St. Catharines and how female small business owners are active participants of this urban culture.”

    Ustundag says that Do’s work has particular significance because much of the existing research in Canadian urban economic geographies relates to large metropolitan centres.

    “I am continuously impressed by Daria’s dedication, curiosity and enthusiasm about conducting qualitative research as an undergraduate and as a first-generation student,” says Ustundag. “During her presentation, she made an excellent case about how critical geographical analysis is so vital in understanding the complex economic and social relationships in downtown St Catharines.”

    In all, Do says it was an honour to be able to learn from the experiences of her research participants, and that pursuing an undergraduate thesis created some great opportunities overall.

    “There are times that it is difficult, but it’s so rewarding in the end to be able to look at where I was, look at where I came from and what I learned from this experience,” says Do. “I learned about writing, about slowing down and paying close attention to detail, and I gained so many strong connections and relationships with my department and also my community. That’s something I will always appreciate.

    Story reposted from The Brock News.

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  • Brock Model UN takes NYC by storm

    Members of Brock’s Model United Nations recently proved they have what it takes to tackle issues on a global scale.

    The 40-student team made its mark during a visit to New York City March 24 to 28 to participate in the National Model United Nations (UN) conference.

    Held in part at UN headquarters, the annual event brings together more than 5,000 students from hundreds of schools around the world to run a simulation aimed at addressing international problems.

    Each team comes to the table representing a different country and takes a position on global issues from their country’s stance. Teams then work together to negotiate and create successful resolutions. This year, Brock represented the United Kingdom.

    Students began preparing for the conference in the fall, hosting weekly meetings to conduct research, practise speeches and write position papers.

    Their dedication did not go unnoticed.

    For the second consecutive year, the Brock team earned a Distinguished Delegation Award, presented to the top 10 per cent of schools in attendance. In addition to the group honour, fourth-year Political Science students Alex Dow and Anna Demchyshyn were named Best Delegate in Committee for their work on the Peacebuilding Commission.

    Fourth-year Political Science students Anna Demchyshyn and Alex Dow and were named Best Delegate in Committee for their work on the Peacebuilding Commission.

    “All of our hard work paid off,” said Brock Model UN President Kailene Jackson, who expressed pride in her peers for their efforts.

    It was rewarding, she said, to see the commitment and passion Brock students put into Model UN recognized.

    Both the conference and the club are meant to “foster an environment of experiential learning and hands-on skill development, while empowering young people to become involved in international issues,” said Jackson, a fourth-year Political Science and Sociology student. “The competitive aspects are not the most important part, but the awards are always nice.

    “We felt so proud to represent Brock on the international stage at this conference,” Jackson said. “It was awesome to see this group of Brock students grow from just more than 25 students last year to 40 this year, with hopes of taking even more to the conference in 2020.”

    While the team is affiliated with the University’s Political Science Department, students from all disciplines and with varying levels of experience are encouraged to participate. Brock’s Model UN was recently honoured as Club of the Year by the Brock University Students’ Union.

    “Model UN pushes people outside of their comfort zone and gives them the opportunity to develop new skills with the support of their peers and student leaders,” Jackson said. “This is especially true of students not in Political Science who have never been exposed to activities like this.”

    Team members learn a number of transferable skills valued both in the classroom and the workforce, such as public speaking, collaboration, policy writing, communication, research, leadership, critical thinking and adaptability.

    “Outside of these skills, Model UN empowers, encourages and supports students as they strive to create solutions to global problems they care about,” said Jackson, who herself had the chance to speak about gender equality at UN headquarters during the event. “It allows them to see that international diplomacy and the UN are things they actually have the power to partake in and influence in their future.”

    Jackson said the team is grateful to the Brock University Students’ Union and the Political Science Department for “making this experience possible for all of us.”

    STORY REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Department celebrates successes of 2018 with inaugural newsletter

    In January 2019, the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies published its inaugural annual newsletter highlighting departmental successes in 2018. The newsletter is available to download on our Departmental Publications page.

    Newsletter cover page. Brock campus with students

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