Student Award

Shifrah Gadamsetti

Mount Royal University (Alberta, Canada)

I completed my Bachelors of Nursing degree in 2014, and am currently enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Women’s Studies at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

My post-secondary journey has led me to incredible opportunities including practicing as an RN in the operating room and with the Calgary Communities Against Sexual Assault. Additionally, I was elected to the office of President of the Students Association of MRU in 2016 and 2017, and was recently elected as the Chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations.

Throughout the last decade, I had been utilizing open resources before I even knew what they were – finding live surgery websites or watching open license tutorials on surgical procedures taught me more than pouring over any textbook would. Since 2015, my professional practice has led me towards public and community based healthcare, and finding Open resources on topics such as sexual violence prevention and policy development has been incredibly beneficial in informing my work. Open Ed has expanded my tool kit and ability to find reliable resources to inform my practice in both healthcare and student advocacy every single day. Its been an honour and a privilege to represent students’ needs to important stakeholders across Canada, and one that I owe in part to accessible education.   .

From Shifrah’s video submitted with her nomination for a 2018 award

About Student Award

This award honors the outstanding endeavors of a student who has advocated for or benefitted academically from the use of open educational resources (OER). The award is presented to the student whose achievements may inspire others to pursue degree programs that utilize open resources and/or someone who played a prominent role in advocating successfully for the promotion and advancement of OER and open education.