Our Graduates Shape Canada and the World

Laura Hynes (BA '07, MA '09)

Laura Hynes graduated with a BA in history (honours) in 2007 and continued on at Dalhousie for a Master's in History focusing on demographic and social history in seventeenth century Italy. Her Master's thesis on the occurence of infanticide in norther Italy won the Governor General's Gold Medal for Social Sciences and Humanities in 2009. After graduation, Laura spent a year travelling overseas before being hired as a researcher for the NDP Caucus Office in Nova Scotia.  

Meghan Cowan (BA '07)

Meghan graduated from the University of Ottawa in 2012 with a Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) combined with a Master of Arts degree from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Prior to law school, she received her Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in History and International Development Studies from Dalhousie University and the University of King's College. Meghan focused on India for both her B.A. and M.A. theses. Due to this interest, she spent a summer travelling in India and volunteered at a legal NGO in Bangalore.

During her legal studies, Meghan worked as the Director of Student Internships for Canadian Lawyers Abroad. While in Ottawa, Meghan also interned at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Occupational Health and Safety Tribunal. She was recently called to the bar in Ontario and will be beginning her legal practice at a Toronto law firm. 

Matthew Sugrue (BA '07, MA '09)

Matt is originally from Connecticut, and completed his M.A. and B.A. degrees in History at Dalhousie University. Interested in Middle East and Islamic Studies, Matt wrote his M.A. thesis on the Chishtiyya Sufi Order in medieval and early modern India.  He is currently working as the Amman and Zarqa project manager for CARE International’s Syrian Emergency Response Jordan. As the project manager he runs CARE Jordan’s refugee centers in the cities of Amman and Zarqa, which provide case management, emergency cash assistance, and psycho-social support to  Syrian refugees living in Jordan’s urban communities. Previous to working for CARE, Matt worked as a consultant in Amman for ISANS, Mercy Corps, and International Medical Corps. He came to Amman from Washington, DC where he worked for the Organizational Advancement for NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Previous to NAFSA, Matt conducted research and analysis for the Arms Control Association, on issues including: the Iranian nuclear program, the international small and light weapons trade, and U.S. missile defense. He also supported the National Iranian American Council as an advocacy and public policy intern.

Brandon Stevens (BA '07, MA '09)

Brandon Stevens graduated with a BA in History (honours) in 2007 and stayed at Dalhousie for a Master's in History with a focus on education and nationalism in modern Iran. After his graduation in 2009 he was hired by the New Democratic Party of Canada as an organizer for the 2011 election. In the summer of 2011, he moved to Ottawa to work on Parliament Hill for Robert Chisholm, MP for Dartmouth - Cole Harbour. Currently, Brandon works for the NDP as a national organizer and is working on preparing our activists for the next federal election.

Chris Matthews (BA '06, MA '10)

Chris Matthews attended Dalhousie for both his BA and MA in History.  After his time at Dal he moved into the heritage sector and became the Executive Director of a small museum in Crowsnest Pass, AB. The Crowsnest Museum and Archives is a great museum which boasts rather large artifact and photo collections.

Dr. Andrew P.W. Bennett (BA '95)

Dr. Bennett is a public servant and academic with an extensive educational background in history, political science, and religious studies. He received a Bachelor of Arts in History (1st Class Honours) from Dalhousie University in 1995, a Master of Arts in History from McGill University in 1997, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Edinburgh in 2002. In addition, he is in the process of completing a part-time degree in theology in Eastern Christian Studies at the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at Saint Paul University in Ottawa.

Andrew has worked for the Privy Council Office, Export Development Canada and Natural Resources Canada in a wide variety of analytical, research and corporate roles. He has also held roles as Professor and Dean at Augustine College in Ottawa, as a Scholar Expert on the Americas Desk with Oxford Analytica and as a Researcher with the University of Edinburgh’s Institute on Governance where he focused on the process of devolution in Scotland.

Andrew is a leader in his community, actively involved with the Shepherds of Good Hope mission in Ottawa and the Government of Canada’s Recruitment for Policy Leaders program. He is also a religious leader in his capacity as Subdeacon and Cantor with both the Holy Cross Eastern Catholic Chaplaincy and St. John the Baptist Ukrainian-Catholic Shrine, both in Ottawa. He previously served as Vice-President and Chairman of the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute Foundation.