This is one in a series of testimonials from Political Science and International Relations graduates and how they've put their degrees to work.
Bernadette Ashbey arrived in Canada from Ghana in June 1994. After beginning her studies as an undeclared major at the University of Windsor, Bernadette began gravitating toward courses that explored political and social issues from a historical-critical perspective. By the end of her first year, she had decided on a combined program in Political Science and Communication Studies, and over the next four years, submerged herself in the study of world politics and the impact of mass media on public consciousness. In 2004, Bernadette was elected an undergraduate representative on the Political Science Faculty Council within the department, and also attained Canadian citizenship. The close interaction with faculty and other students in her program “proved warm and supportive, for I had no family in Windsor.”
After completing her BA in 2006, Bernadette entered teachers’ college at Windsor and was hired by the Windsor-Essex Catholic School Board the following year as a Junior Kindergarten teacher. Bernadette says she feels “energized” by her work, and “richly blessed that the University of Windsor offered me admission eight years ago, with the result that I am now responsible for introducing future generations to the wonders of education. I could not be a successful elementary school teacher or a guide to young Canadians of different ethnic and racial backgrounds if it wasn’t for my experiences in Political Science and Communications Studies lectures and seminars. I have to thank the University of Windsor for its inclusiveness and its consistent investment in diversity.”