Hasheem Hakeem is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of French & Faculty of Education at SFU. His dissertation analyzes French Immersion high school students’ perceptions and understandings of sexual and gender diversity in French and Francophone literature, film, and visual media, with the goal of better equipping teachers to critically address these issues in the classroom.

We speak about his experience being a high school teacher determined to foster a more progressive learning environment, his nomination for the diversity and inclusion category of 2018 Premier’s Awards for Excellence in Education, and much more.