Interview with 2023 USRA recipient: Rana Guler

Can you start off by sharing the title of your 2023 Undergraduate Student Research Award (USRA) project?
Rana Guler: A New ‘Mission’ Statement: Analyzing the Role of Grounded Normativity in Generating Anti-Colonial Relationships to Knowledge and Research in the University

Can you tell us about your research project?
Rana Guler: My project analyzed the prevalence of colonial language within university mission statements, highlighting alternatives from Indigenous research institutes to evaluate how place-based relationships generate unique understandings of knowledge and research. These contentions are related to broader discussions about how institutions like the university commercialize the language of diversity and allowed me to critique the sincerity of diversity statements alongside more prioritized mission/strategic plans.

Looking back now, can you share a bit about your experience working on this project?
Rana Guler: I had an incredible experience during my USRA! I found it was a wonderful time to focus on a unique, more specific area of study than generally allowed in my typical course of studies, and it allowed me to connect with faculty who I may not have otherwise gotten a chance to work alongside. Also, I’ve been interested in pedagogical relations and capitalism at the university for quite some time, so it was really cool to specialize my interest over an intensive period rather than incorporate it into academic work more focused on a different central idea.

How did the USRA complement or build on your studies in the Arts & Science Program?
Rana Guler: I was fortunate enough to work with faculty in my Combined Honours program already, so this research really felt like a natural, more specialized extension of my academic studies. Likewise, I was recommended to my supervisor, Dr. Ki’en Debicki, by a graduate TA who noticed my interest in exploring anti/colonial relationships at the university from an essay I had written during the term!

Do you have any advice for students interested in applying for an Arts & Science USRA in future?
Rana Guler: I definitely recommend that any interested students apply for a USRA, even if they’re nervous they might not get it. I felt the same way during my application, and think it’s a natural part of being in academia! I’d also recommend meeting with your supervisor early to ensure you’re on the same page about your interests and overall research goal. These pre-application meetings really helped me distill my broader interest into a specific, deliverable research project. Lastly, I recommend students apply, if nothing else, for the introduction to formal proposal writing. I had never written a research proposal like this before, and it taught me a lot about proposal specificity, scope, and language use. These were incredibly useful skills to have practiced as I went on to apply for graduate programs and international scholarships! So, I’d definitely recommend it!

Click here to read interviews with the other 2023 USRA recipients.