Inclusive Futures Initiative

Dr. Rosslynn Zulla (she/her/elle)

I am an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Work, and a member of the Institutes for Transdisciplinary Scholarship at the University of Calgary. In my 10+ years of doing community-based research, I continue to work alongside diverse communities (e.g., migrant communities, 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities, individuals with different abilities/disabilities) in using research and community development to address their needs, participate, grow and attain the quality of life they wish for. I believe in creating sustainability via infrastructures that help develop the next generation of community leaders, researchers and activists.

Lucero Vargas (she/her/elle/ella)

I am a registered Speech-Language Pathologist and Program Coordinator at MultilinguAbilities, with extensive experience supporting neurodivergent children and culturally and linguistically diverse families. My work centres on family-centred, interdisciplinary, and intercultural practice. I am also a poet and textile artist whose work explores identity, migration, memory, and social justice.

Dr. Andrea MacLeod (she/her/elle)

I am a professor at University of Alberta, located on Treaty 6 Territory. Growing up in eastern Ontario – I have always been curious about bilingual language development and language maintenance in minoritized contexts. My research has focused on the speech and language abilities of bilingual children and adults. I have developed an expertise in the study of speech and language development among bilingual children from Official Language Minority Communities in Canada and among children from minoritized language communities, including immigrant and refugee children. My work with bilingual children led me to co-found a non-profit organization to support bilingual language development in young refugee children. This work has led to continued community-based research within a social-justice framework to understand how to best support language maintenance and transmission.

Roxanne Felix Mah (she/her/elle)

Melissa Uwera (she/her/elle)

I am Rwandan-born and was raised in Canada as a 1.5 generation immigrant. I speak Kinyarwanda and French, and I am currently a Research Coordinator with Inclusive Futures.

My lived experiences have shaped my interest in identity, belonging, and intergenerational trauma and resilience. My research interests center around community-based approaches, particularly projects that co-create knowledge with immigrant and racialized children and youth.

I am a graduate student in the Counselling Psychology program at the University of Alberta, where I also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree  in Psychology, with a minor in Philosophy. In my spare time, I love reading, watching suspenseful TV series, travelling, and delighting in sweet treats.

Miriam Ogechi Ike (she/her)

I am an Undergraduate Research Assistant with the Inclusive Futures Initiative and a Bachelor of Social Work student at the University of Calgary. I hold a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting and Management, with a specialization in Financial Management, from Obafemi Awolowo University, and a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Nigeria. My areas of interest include community development, newcomer and immigrant families, children and families, disability inclusion, mental health, and culturally responsive and anti-oppressive social work practice. I am particularly interested in how communities, services, policies, and systems can work together to reduce barriers and strengthen inclusion, accessibility, belonging, and meaningful participation.

As part of the Inclusive Futures Initiative, I contribute to community-engaged research, participant recruitment and outreach, knowledge mobilization, communications and social media, and the development of accessible community resources. I value research that moves beyond academic spaces and is shared in meaningful and practical ways that communities can understand and use. I am passionate about learning alongside communities and recognizing lived experience and community knowledge as important sources of expertise. Through developing social work practice and research experience, I hope to contribute to work that strengthens communities, amplifies diverse voices, and supports more inclusive and equitable systems.