Aislinn Gallivan participated in W2B as an outside student in 2018, as a teaching assistant in 2019-2020, and is an active member of the W2B Ottawa Collective. In 2021, Aislinn completed her master’s degree in criminology at the University of Ottawa where she drew on her experience as the daughter of a former prisoner to explore how children’s picturebooks represent themes of parental incarceration and substance use.
Jennifer M. Kilty, University of Ottawa
Jennifer M. Kilty is Full Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa and trained as a Walls to Bridges facilitator in 2015. A critical prison studies scholar, her research examines criminalization, punishment, and incarceration – often at the nexus of health and mental health. She has published works on conditions of confinement, carceral segregation practices, the criminalization of HIV nondisclosure, prison education and pedagogy, and the mental health experiences of criminalized people.
Sandra Lehalle, University of Ottawa
Sandra Lehalle (Sandy for most) is Associate Professor at the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. When she is not facilitating W2B classes, teaching at the university or parenting her two boys, she does research: her last project focusing on the experiences of the relatives of incarcerated folks. She created a webpage for and with relatives of imprisoned people (prisonricochet.ca).
Rachel Fayter, University of Ottawa
Rachel Fayter is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa where she holds a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in community psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. While incarcerated at Grand Valley Institution for Women, Rachel engaged in the Walls to Bridges (W2B) prison education program and has been active in the alumni collective since 2014. Since her return to the community, Rachel has been advocating for prisoner rights and social justice-oriented policy changes through publications, panel discussions, public education, and media interviews. Her work has been published in the Journal of Prisoners on Prisons, Canadian Journal of Sociology, Citizenship Studies, and Canadian Psychology, along with various book chapters. Rachel’s doctoral research focuses on the strengths and resiliency of criminalized women despite histories of trauma and imprisonment, and documenting how prison policies and practices actively inhibit solidarity and asset-based coping among women.
Ikram Handulle, University of Toronto
Ikram Handulle completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa, where she studied conflict studies and human rights. During the fall semester of 2018, Ikram participated in the Walls to Bridges course, which was a transformational experience that reinforced her commitment to social justice and ultimately led her to pursue a legal education. Ikram is currently a third-year JD Candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. As a student caseworker at Downtown Legal Services, Ikram is directly responsible for handling the case files of low-income clients in Toronto. Ikram wholly intends to use her legal education to address systemic barriers in the access to justice.
Alexis Truong, University of Ottawa
Alexis Truong is an Associate Professor and W2B facilitator in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on mental health, related services, and the care trajectories of youth and young adults.
Michael Tshimanga, McGill University
Michael Tshimanga participated in the Walls to Bridges program in the winter 2020 semester. His participation as an outside student has prompted him to remain involved with the program and to share his positive experience with others. He is currently pursuing a JD/LLB degree at McGill University.
Abigail White, University of Ottawa
Abigail White participated in a Walls to Bridges course during the fall 2019 semester as an undergraduate student and is currently completing her master’s in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests include corporate crime, ecocide, and green criminology. When she is not in the library, she can be found on stage acting in local theatre productions.
