Meet the FCS Gold Medallist

Steven Gibson, Child and Youth Care (MA) ‘22, received the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Gold Medal at the Faculty of Community Services (FCS) convocation ceremony this fall.

The TMU Gold Medal is the university’s highest award, given to students with outstanding academic achievement and involvement with the university, their profession and the community.

So what does it feel like to receive the university’s top honour? We asked Steven to share some of his insights.

What does receiving the Gold Medal mean to you?

It is humbling. To have my efforts recognized this way is really an honour that I am proud of. Perhaps more than anything, it has been an opportunity to reflect and feel gratitude for all the individuals and supports that have allowed me to learn and grow. I believe that knowledge is created through collective processes and this award has allowed me to consider all those who have contributed to my journey.

This award is also an encouragement to continue pushing forward into the next chapter of my life.

What advice would you give to students considering grad school?

First and foremost, be prepared to have an open mind and to employ critical perspectives to knowledge, ideas, and problems that you are already familiar with. Grad school is a place to unsettle that which you have taken for granted. Engage with diverse approaches and find what helps you make sense of the world.

Divest yourself from valuing your work based on the grade that you receive. Instead, focus on the processes of learning that you are engaging in – how has the work impacted you?

Challenge yourself with the work you are doing. In grad school it often feels like you do not really know what you are doing until you have completed it – which can be uncomfortable, but I think this feeling is a sign of real learning.

Contribute to the creation of a community of joy and learning within your program. This will be one of the most influential spaces you participate in.

Always hold truth with an outstretched hand.

Whatever it is that you are studying, consider how your knowledge production can contribute to increasing the experience of love and justice in our world.

Do you have any favourite classes/teachers, and what made them stand out?

The School of Child and Youth Care has a wealth of intelligent, gracious, and experienced faculty members. I was deeply impacted and engaged with each course in my time as a grad student because of this. I must recognize a few who were instrumental to my experience.

My supervisor, Tara Collins, has had a major impact on my academic career. It was her children’s rights course in my undergrad that ultimately inspired the work that I completed in grad school. Her mentorship, kindness, and wisdom immensely contributed to the completion of my Major Research Paper. While I am grateful for the way she has supported me, I am amazed at the way she offers support to every student she engages with.

Julian Hasford, who participated as the second reader of my Major Research Paper, is a wonderful and intelligent person. I was grateful to have him as my instructor for CY8002 Child and Youth Care Research Methods. He is a talented communicator and teacher of research processes that can often be complex. His course also reaffirmed for me the relational nature of research and to always consider issues of justice and equity in concrete ways. CY8002 was such an important time for building the foundation of my research design and orientation.

Julie James and her CY80001 Child and Youth Care Theory course gave me the language and tools for thinking that allowed me to succeed as a grad student.

How did TMU support you during your time here?

TMU really excels at creating a welcoming space for students to pursue their goals. Despite my learning experience being heavily impacted by the public health policies meant to protect our community from COVID-19, the university made a great effort to provide formal and informal supports. Our librarians are so supportive and skilled. Our administrative staff are caring and committed. There are so many individuals who showed up every day to support my work, as well as all the other grad students.

I am also grateful for the work opportunities provided by TMU. I learned as much through my work – mainly research assistant and graduate assistant roles – as I did through my formal education.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?

This Gold Medal is certainly an accomplishment that I am proud of. I am also extremely proud of completing my Major Research Paper (A Transdisciplinary Child and Youth Care Approach to Participation Rights: Insights on Relational Practice) and the work that I was able to produce. Again, I very much recognize the collective nature of these accomplishments. I would not have been able to achieve anything without the support of my faculty, staff, and the care I received from family and friends.

What are your future plans?

As of now, I continue to be involved with the School of Child and Youth Care through research assistant roles. As well, I am co-facilitating a youth-driven children’s rights conference hosted by the School of Child and Youth Care called Shaking the Movers. Beyond that, I am continuing to seek out work opportunities that allow me to put my learning into practice.

I was so relieved when I finished this program, it was an intense 12-month period. However, I started missing school about three days later. Perhaps further graduate school is in my future.