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I defended my thesis in August of 2019, and officially graduated two months later. In November of that year, upon returning to my hometown of Saskatoon, I accepted an offer to serve as a Research and Policy Analyst with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. Nearly a year on, I can say confidently that my time in the Political Science MA program at Dal really did prepare me to begin a rather unexpected career in public education policy.

Upon starting with the STF, I was immediately tasked with supporting the collective bargaining committee responsible for representing 13,500 Saskatchewan teachers at the height of what had become rather tense negotiations. Among other objectives, this role would require me to produce numerous written pieces, often with the goal of compelling various political actors involved in the provincial collective bargaining process – a process I was entirely new to, and using data with which I was completely unfamiliar. Despite this lack of experience, my team and I consistently produced strong work from a fresh perspective. In many ways I credit this to my colleagues, peers, and professors at Dal, who often had no choice but to tolerate lengthy commentary on various topics and ideas during a time where I did not yet understand that brevity and concision are often the best way to appear compelling.

Among the many lessons I’ve learned since graduating, one of the most obvious is that global pandemics have a funny way of disrupting the collective bargaining process. Though our bargaining team did not get the full agreement sought by teachers, we nonetheless secured some financial security for our province’s educators during a period of monumental uncertainty. I am extremely proud to have played a role in this process, and could not be more motivated to stand on the side fiercely defending both teachers, as well as public education writ large.

Aside from professional life, I cannot wait to return to Nova Scotia in whatever the post-pandemic world looks like. Halifax will be the first place I travel when the opportunity arises, and this is a testament to the meaningful and impactful experience I had during my short time at Dal.

To my MA friends, old colleagues, department staff and former professors – I wish you all the best.

See you soon!

Davis