Jennifer Williamson, an MA in psychology at the University of Calgary, was recently named a top five finalist in the 2023 SSHRC Storytelling Competition.
The annual competition is open to all post-secondary students working on a project funded by the SSHRC (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). Entrants are encouraged to submit work in a creative format using video, audio, text or infographics. Creativity is key and entries should be linked using language familiar to a wide audience. The competition doesn’t determine a single winner, so making it to the top five really means being one of five winners.
Sharing a passion for research
For Williamson, BSc’20, the competition was a perfect opportunity to show how much their research means to them personally. Williamson’s work focuses on students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their experiences with mental health during their post-secondary education. As someone with ASD, Williamson knows firsthand how challenging it can be for this group of students to deal with things like anxiety and depression as part of the post-secondary experience.
Williamson hopes their research will shed light on the educational experiences of people with ASD and contribute to improving outcomes for these students.
“One of the main things that I think came out in my Storytellers presentation is how raw and personal this is for me,” says Williamson, whose research is featured in a poem. Where academic writing is often very detached and neutral, the Storytellers competition enables a more personal and emotional context of research to emerge.
“Research shows that three out of four autistic people will experience one or more mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression in their lifetime,” says Williamson. “I have that live and it helps me connect with the audience and engage them. It’s one thing to report the statistic that three out of four autistic people experience one or more mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety; It’s another thing to report that statistic and then highlight that it scares me, angers me, saddens me – and through that highlighting share my passion and desire for change.”
Working with Dr. Carly McMorris, BA’06, PhD, Williamson conducted a mixed-methods study that included both statistical and interview methods. Starting with surveys, Williamson will use standard instruments such as the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales or the Internalized Mental Illness Stigma Scale to understand the range and extent of mental health problems experienced by participants. Williamson will then interview some of the participants to contextualize the responses.
“Doing interviews this way centers the participants,” says Williamson. “The world of autism research lacks voices from autistic people themselves. Qualitative interviews can help address this.’
Celebrating the Storyteller Competition.
Like many others with ASD, imposter syndrome is something the Williamsons themselves have experienced. The Storyteller competition gave them a boost of confidence.
“I struggle with perfectionism and imposter syndrome,” Williamson admits. “Because it was such a personal subject and because it takes a lot of bravery to take your creative writing and show it to someone else, it was a struggle.” As such, Williamson entered the competition very close to the deadline without much expectations. But Williamson says it was a thrill to reach the top 25, never mind the top five.
“Being in the top 25 was already an amazing experience,” says Williamson. “I had the chance to present at the Congress, a major social sciences and humanities conference held in Toronto at York University. Hearing congratulations from people, I realized that maybe I am competent at this job! It’s a very strong feeling.”
With Williamson, right, are fellow Calgary storytellers Abdul Al-Shawa, left, Noel Gauthier and Nick Boettcher.
Penny M. Pecksman
UCalgary makes a strong showing
Williamson is one of four UCalgary students to make the top 25 along with Abdul Al-Shawwa, BSc’22 (Kinesiology), Nick Boettcher, BA’15 (Community Health Sciences) and Noelle Gauthier (Psychology).
UCalgary finalists were supported with a workshop and one-on-one feedback sessions offered by the University’s Knowledge Engagement team Office of Research Services, the My GradSkills team in the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies and Libraries and Cultural Resources.
“The one-on-one session was especially helpful,” says Williamson. “It gave me a big confidence boost going into the final to get positive feedback and hear how much they enjoyed the presentation!”
SSHRC Storytellers is a fantastic opportunity for students to hone their communication and knowledge translation skills, which are key to academic success when applying their research to the community, says Dr. William Galley, Vice President (Research). “We are extremely proud of these students’ dedication to tackling real-world challenges through their research and the difference they will make in their communities,” says Galli.
Research participants are sought
Williamson is recruiting participants for his research project. If you are a student with ASD and would like to participate in the study, you can contact enhancelab@ucalgary.ca. Learn more about the study here.