Diego Moura Panario is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto’s Munk School, where he is pursuing a double major in Public Policy and International Relations with a minor in Statistics. He is committed to advancing SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) through his academic and professional work. He has gained both international and professional experience through an exchange at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and through his work at the United Nations Development Programme in Istanbul and Addis Ababa. He has also held roles with Statistics Canada and the University of Toronto Students’ Union Board of Directors. Through his work, he has contributed to projects that strengthen data for evidence-based decision-making, promote inclusive governance, and support community representation. His interests include public opinion research, social policy, public transit, and international development.
Ashiya Dewan is pursuing a double major in Peace, Conflict & Justice and Ethics, Society & Law, with an ongoing commitment to advancing SDG 4: Quality Education.
As a Laidlaw Scholar, Ashiya’s research focuses on the advancement of Indigenous education through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. She previously worked with a group at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy to track progress on SDG 4 in Canada by interviewing an NGO and reviewing progress indicators. As a G20 Research Group Compliance Analyst, she evaluates national implementation of global commitments on various sustainability issues related to the 2030 Agenda. She has also advocated for educational equity as a member of the Pan-Canadian Youth Network with People for Education and as a leading student senator in her school board.
She is interested in exploring how legal frameworks can advance or hinder sustainable development and how international agreements translate into progress for marginalized communities.
With a general focus on social inequality and the multiple determinants of health and well-being, Professor Spence is currently working on a variety of research topics, including the relationship between psychosocial exposures, stress, and health; health services and clinical research on obesity; political trust, national pride, and sense of belonging; and Indigenous health and well-being.
Rie Kijima is an Assistant Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto.
She is also the Director of Initiative for Education Policy and Innovation; Peace, Conflict and Justice; and Munk One.
Her research addresses topics such as the politics of international assessments, global trends and impact of education reforms, and STEAM education. Her recent articles have appeared in journals such as The Review of International Organization, Sociology of Education, and International Journal of STEM Education.
She was previously a Lecturer and Interim Director of the International Comparative Education and International Education Policy Analysis programs at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She received her Ph.D. and M.A. from Stanford University, and her B.A. from ICU, a liberal arts college in Tokyo, Japan.
She has worked at aid agencies such as the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency. At the World Bank, she was an education consultant specializing in monitoring and evaluation. She helped advance equity-focused education projects in Morocco, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Laos.
She has been affiliated with the Stanford Program in International and Cross-Cultural Education, Keio Graduate School of Media Design, Silicon Valley Japan Platform, and the United States Japan Council. She is the Scott M. Johnson Fellow and a member of the Fellows Advisory Committee at the US-Japan Foundation.
In 2016, she co-founded SKY Labo, an education non-profit organization that aims to cultivate the next generation of STEAM learners. The organization offers education programs that are grounded in constructivist theory, using human-centred pedagogical approaches. These educational interventions have positively influenced learners’ perceptions toward STEM, elevated their creative self-efficacy, and increased their global and critical consciousness.