The EDGES Research Collaborative is very pleased to welcome a new member, Ann Lei, who is working on her Master’s of Arts degree under the supervision of Prof. Leila Harris at UBC’s Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice! More about Ann below:
Ann Lei (she/her) is a second-generation, Asian-Canadian, immigrant-settler to Misi-zaagiing, colloquially known as Mississauga, Ontario. She is a MA student at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice (GRSJ) supervised by Dr. Leonora Angeles and Dr. Leila Harris. Ann’s research focuses on the interaction between Canadian international aid charities and the women they aim to support in the Global South. Her work critically examines the motivation and effectiveness of gender empowerment initiatives designed to address gender-based violence.
Ann holds a BA Honours Double Major in Economics and Arts & Humanities from Western University. Throughout her undergraduate degree, Ann conducted research in anti-sexual and gender-based violence policy in the post-secondary context—including the events of Western University’s Orientation Week 2021. She was actively involved with several student advocacy groups, having co-authored two policy papers on post-secondary teaching standards and access to education for rural and northern students, published by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance.
In her spare time, you can find Ann training for her next marathon, drinking coffee, or playing video games.