91Ö±²¥

Polina Kukar, PhD

Dr. Polina Kukar (she/her) has been a high school teacher with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) since 2011, working across a variety of subject areas including English, experiential education, social sciences, special education, and literacy. She has also worked in TDSB leadership roles as a central teacher and department head. Polina holds a PhD from OISE/University of Toronto, where her doctoral work explored teachers' reported experiences with empathy. She teaches graduate courses at the 91Ö±²¥ (OISE) on classroom practice, school program development, and the limits of empathy as an educational ideal.

Meng Xiao, Ed.D

Dr. Meng Xiao’s academic and professional journey centres on issues of race, ethnicity, and colonialism in education. As a scholar and educator committed to social justice and anti-oppressive pedagogy, Meng’s doctoral research examined the experiences of Chinese international graduate students in Canadian universities. Her dissertation explored how cultural identity, racial bias, and colonial legacies shape international student engagement and belonging in higher education.

Building on her academic foundation in Comparative, International, and Development Education, Meng’s work reflects a deep interest in understanding global disparities in education—often rooted in colonial histories and perpetuated by systemic inequalities. Her professional experiences, including roles as a Graduate Research Assistant and Course Instructor in both Canadian and Chinese educational settings, have provided her with firsthand insights into how race, ethnicity, and colonialism operate across diverse educational contexts.

Meng’s commitment to promoting gender equality education in China highlights her recognition of the intersectionality of oppressions, including those arising from colonial and patriarchal structures. Through her academic service, publications, and conference presentations, she actively engages with issues of race, ethnicity, and colonialism—amplifying marginalized voices and challenging dominant narratives within education. By fostering inclusive and equitable learning environments, Meng exemplifies her dedication to dismantling oppressive systems and advancing transformative social change in education and beyond.

Leila Angod, PhD

Dr. Leila Angod (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Childhood and Youth Studies Program at Carleton University's Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies. Her work draws from critical race feminisms, anticolonial theory, and critical youth studies to explore worldmaking practices in schools. She is interested in how hierarchies become institutionalized and lived through feelings, subjectivities, and school programs and policies, and how to create other worlds with young people through research. Her work examines these processes in archival documents and using ethnographic and participatory action research approaches that centre young people’s worldmaking practices. 

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Akila Venkatesh, EdD

Dr. Akila Venkatesh completed her Ed.D at OISE, SJE in 2025. Her research focuses on the intersection of pedagogies of critical hope, empowerment and holistic education within the context of Ontario K-12 climate education. As an Ontario public school teacher, a mother, artist, writer and speaker, Dr. Venkatesh seeks to weave her personal and professional identities into her career journey. Her work envisions greater intergenerational equity through the advancement of Pedagogies of Empowered Hope, across different educational and community contexts.