Arts and Social Sciences

By Lindsay Charlton

Ford Motor Company helped establish Windsor as the automotive capital of Canada, but the people who worked on its assembly line built much more than vehicles.

When Henry Ford established the first international Ford plant in the early 1900s at the corner of Riverside Drive and Drouillard Road, immigrants and workers from various backgrounds came with it, building a community in Ford City.

By Kate Hargreaves 

With shortages of primary care practitioners and long wait times for health care, more Ontarians may be turning to episodic care providers such as walk-in clinics, urgent care centres and pharmacies for their medical needs. 

For women who have experienced gender-based violence (GBV), however, a lack of continuity and brief encounters with providers can create barriers to receiving responsive trauma- and violence-informed care. 

By Victor Romao

Long before Karl Jirgens earned a PhD, founded an international literary journal or stepped into a university classroom, a high school teacher helped him see writing in a different light.

“Writing is just another medium with its own peculiarities,” he says, recalling a lesson from high school teacher Alan Bevan that would help shape a career spanning literature, publishing, visual art and education.

By Victor Romao

Long before stepping into a senior academic leadership role on Canada’s West Coast, Justin Langlois developed the foundations of a multidisciplinary practice at the University of Windsor.

Langlois (MFA ’09, BA Hons. ’07), now associate vice-president, research and dean of graduate studies at Emily Carr University for Art+Design, has built a career that blends art, research and community engagement, an approach rooted in his time as a student in Windsor.

By Kate Hargreaves 

At just 24, Mia Kairouz (BA ’25) jokes that she’s already lived many lives. 

She’s been a lifeguard, a first responder, an endurance athlete, a personal trainer and a cancer survivor.  

In July, she became an entrepreneur, opening VeloFit Performance and Fitness Coaching in Amherstburg, with her partner Simão Santa Barbara. 

“In general, my goal is to help people,” Kairouz says.  

By Kate Hargreaves 

From paint-splattered jeans to shredded denim on its last legs, UWindsor alum Sav Riley (BA, Communications, Media and Film, ’26) is giving donated textiles a second life as wearable art. 

By Sara Elliott

Science students are learning to create original works of art to explain scientific research.

In a new University of Windsor research-creation project, undergraduate students will explore how sculpting, painting and drawing can be used to convey research.

By Kate Hargreaves

The University of Windsor Black Scholars Institute (BSI) will bring scholarship and community together this October during the three-day symposium Futuring Black Thriving. 

By Kate Hargreaves 

On a muggy September morning, Dayna Pidhoresky (BSc ’09, BA ’10) lined up with more than 1,500 runners on Windsor’s Riverside Drive, awaiting the start of the second annual Windsor Waterfront Half-Marathon. 

Just over 71 minutes later, she broke the tape at the finish line, at the same time taking down a personal best (PB) that had stood for 15 years. 

“It did feel very humid warming up, and we were unsure if a PB would be possible on a day like that,” Pidhoresky recalls.  

By Kate Hargreaves 

Being a teacher is about more than getting kids up to speed on their reading, writing and math. 

Teachers also support students as they solve problems, build relationships, set goals and manage emotions. 

These skills are part of social-emotional learning (SEL), which takes place every day in elementary and secondary schools. But PhD researcher Elizabeth Szymanski (BA, ECE, BEd, MEd) says that teacher candidates don’t necessarily feel prepared to take it on.