Dr. Rahat Zaidi (She/Her/Hers) is a Weklund Research Professor and Chair of Language & Literacy at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She has published a number of critical works regarding cultural diversity and language pedagogy. Her research expertise focuses on multilingual literacies that clarify intersectional understandings across sociophobia, diversity, immigration, and pluralism. Through her research, she advances social justice and equity and identity positioning in immigrant and transcultural contexts. Currently, she is conducting research with refugee populations to further understanding on parental engagement in public schools.

Dr. Pramod K. Sah (he/him/his) is a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Calgary’s Werklund School of Education, where he is working with Professor Rahat Zaidi on a project on Multilingual and Multimodal Literacies of racialized youths in Alberta’s high schools. Dr. Sah is also an Honorary Norham Fellow in the Department of Education. Dr. Sah completed his PhD in Language and Literacy Education from the University of British Columbia, where he was also a Killam Laureate and Sessional Lecturer. Before beginning his research career, Dr. Sah taught in elementary and secondary schools in Nepal for about five years. 

Dr. Moura’s (he/him/his) postdoctoral fellowship includes overseeing Dr. Zaidi’s study on Connecting Newcomers’ Resilience to Place and Spaces in Adopted Lands. Prior to joining the team as a postdoc, he was brought into the Werklund School of Education as a Research Associate to collaborate with Dr. Zaidi on another project on Newcomers’ Familial Experiences in Canada. Dr. Moura has a PhD in Education and his dissertation focused on unpacking intersectional Western LGBTQ+ teachers’ identities using English as a medium of instruction. 

Eve Moreau’s (she/her/hers) research focuses on languages and literacies education, cultural studies and critical theory. She has over two decades of teaching and curriculum design experience working with schools, cultural centres, and universities in Canada and South America.  She was provincial chair of Alberta’s Spanish Language Education Consortium, learning specialist for the Calgary Board of Education’s language programs, and a high school administrator. She is the president of the administrative committee for Legados, a heritage language school in Montreal.  Her current doctoral research at the University of Calgary focuses on the cultivation of transcultural literacies through world music.

Janelle Johnson (she/her/hers), a highly motivated and accomplished educator, is committed to maintaining, promoting, and developing high standards for world-class hospitality education and literacy training. She has published numerous articles in International Journals on Inclusive Education. Janelle is a Trained Teacher with a MSc. Degree in Reading and Inclusive Education. Janelle is presently completing doctoral studies in Language and Literacy at The University of Calgary in Calgary, Canada. She is known as The PopUp Teacher and offers an extensive training menu in soft skills, hospitality studies, literacy, and professional development learning opportunities for educators.

Zahra Golneshan (she/her/hers) is an international PhD student at the Werklund School of Education specializing in Languages and Literacy. Zahra is an Iranian Muslim educator with extensive experience in language teaching. She has taught both English as a foreign language and Farsi as a heritage language. Her research attends to raising cultural and linguistic awareness among educators, students, and families so that all students feel welcomed and appreciated for who they are. Her research interests include transcultural awareness, multilingual literacies, language learning and identity, and translanguaging. 

Marigona Morina (she/her/hers) is a Doctorate Student and Research Assistant at Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. Her research interests include multilingualism, immigrant children’s new literacies, teacher education and professional development for culturally and linguistically diverse students, and heritage language instructional approaches.

Michelle Veroba (she/her/hers) is one of the Vice Principals at the Brooks Composite High School. She oversees the ELL program within the school, is part of the University of Calgary research project, coaches softball, and teaches yoga. She possesses a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Special Education. Michelle is passionate about creating an inclusive school environment and is utilizing the information from the research grant to create a welcoming and safe space for all students within the Grasslands School Division. Michelle has been blessed to work with an amazing group of people at the Brooks Composite High School as well as from the University of Calgary.

Joseph Octavious (he/him/his) works as a Wellness Mentor, Counsellor, or a Cultural Liaison for Grasslands Public Schools in the City of Brooks. He has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Post-graduate Certificate in Criminology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master's degree in International Relations and Conflict Resolution. He started with Grasslands Public Schools in 2017 as a Counsellor, and then a Cultural Liaison. He works closely with families of newcomer students in a bid to attain academic excellence for their children, maintain healthy parental or familial relationships and to also inform or educate them by clarifying any misconceptions they may have about Grasslands or the academic system in Canada.

Nina is a filmmaker working in the industry for over 25 years. She is committed to creating dialogue about social issues revolving around the multicultural experience. She has embraced her passion for filmmaking and storytelling as a powerful tool to build bridges between people of different ages and cultures. Nina has developed and created films through the National Screen Institute and the National Film Board of Canada. Her films have travelled the globe, been broadcast internationally, and touched many lives. These works have encouraged conversations between a varied spectrum of people; from children in impoverished villages to graduate students in universities. Nina's films have received national and international accolades and have won several awards.

Fabielle Rocha Cruz has worked as an English language teacher in bilingual and international schools in Curitiba, Brazil, with experience in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and multilingual education. In recent years, she worked as a Pre-service English Teaching undergraduate professor at a private university. Her research interests include bilingual and plurilingual education, educational guidelines for bilingual education and Brazilian curriculum, multiliteracies, digital literacy, and video games in education.