Mohamed Yusuf

My name is Mohamed Yusuf, I am a current First Year Ph.D. student at the Queen’s Faculty of Education. I am First-Generation, Muslim, Somali scholar, born in Toronto, Canada, and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. I have a background in humanities, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Trent University, and following up with three subsequent degrees in Education at Queen’s University. Starting with my Bachelor of Education in 2019, I graduated under the Primary/Junior teaching cohort, and was able to join two schoolboards (KPRDSB & LDSB) working as an Occasional Elementary Teacher since 2020. In 2021, I continued my graduate education journey, returning to the Queen’s Faculty of Education as a master’s student. During this time, alongside my undergraduate degrees, I took part in varsity athletics, as both an athlete with the varsity men’s rugby teams at Trent and Queen’s, and as a coach with the Queen’s Women’s varsity rugby teams. I recently was successful in defending my master’s thesis which was titled: “Investigating Supports and Barriers Affecting Black Students’ Enrolment and Experiences within Graduate Studies”. My future research interest will continue to look at access to education for Black students, along with the importance of mentorship in Black students’ self-esteem and retention.