Winner of the Teaching Excellence Award for TAs

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Leila Farzinpur, who has worked for many years as a Teaching Assistant for DLS courses, has won the 2022-2023 UTM June Scott Teaching Excellence Award for Teaching Assistants.

To quote the award nomination letter written by Dr. Ai Taniguchi (TA supervisor, LIN204 and LIN205): "[Leila] is sensitive to the language and cultural barriers that international students may experience in a Canadian classroom, and she creates a learning environment that is welcoming to all. She truly is an advocate for students, and she genuinely wants for her students to learn."

Leila's PhD supervisor Dr. Katherine Rehner wrote in the nomination package, "Leila has a gift for knowing how to explain difficult concepts to young undergraduate students in a way that is not only accessible but also richly detailed. She is unfailingly encouraging to students, and her feedback on their assignments is thoughtful and supportive, showing them ways to improve their papers not only in our course but also in their academic work more generally. Finally, she has great respect for equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, which she demonstrates through her kindness and understanding while maintaining the academic integrity of the course."

The award comes with a $2000 prize that can be used for conference travel and professional development.

Congratulations, Leila! Thank you for everything that you do for our students.