Floor (Flo) Nusselder (she/her) holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours (BAH) with Distinction (2024) from Queen’s University, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology. Flo’s academic excellence has been recognized through the Dean’s Award of Excellence (2024), a testament to her dedication and outstanding performance throughout her studies. During her time at Queen’s, Flo immersed herself in various research opportunities, working as a research assistant in the Early Experience Lab under Dr. Mark Sabbagh, the Adolescent Dynamics Lab under Dr. Tom Hollenstein, the Autism Spectrum Disorder Studies under Dr. Elizabeth Kelley, and the TEACH Lab under Dr. Meghan Norris. These diverse experiences provided her with a valuable understanding of research methodologies and strengthened her analytical skills.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Flo engaged in several initiatives that showcased the versatility of a psychology degree beyond traditional contexts. As the Student Project Coordinator for the Psychology Commons, Flo leveraged her knowledge of educational technology, cognitive psychology, and instructional design to develop innovative teaching resources and interactive learning materials. In her role as the Lead Student Ambassador for the Queen’s Psychology Career Conference, Flo organized an engaging event that connected students with mentors from diverse career backgrounds, bridging academic learning and professional application. She also served as a Student Project Coordinator for the open-access book, Leading the Way: Envisioning the Future of Higher Education, where she played a key role in the technical design. Flo’s skills and experiences underscore her ability to excel in diverse environments, consistently bringing dedication, innovation, and leadership to all her pursuits.

Beyond academia, Flo is an experienced lifeguard, passionate about aquatic safety and instruction. Her commitment to excellence and safety in this role mirrors her dedication to her academic and professional endeavours.

Hannah Burrows (she/her), an active participant in the academic and professional community, holds a BSc (Honours) in Psychology from Queen’s University. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Psychology with a focus on Cognitive Neuroscience in the Social Cognition Lab under the guidance of Dr. Valerie Kuhlmeier. Her graduate research involves active collaboration with dog trainers and handlers to co-develop research questions that apply principles of cognitive psychology to enhance the welfare and effectiveness of working dogs using state space grid methodology. For the 2024-2025 academic year, Hannah most recently won the merit-based Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST).

Recognized for her contributions, Hannah has received several awards, including the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s Award and the Tri-Agency Recipient Recognition Award for her research at Queen’s. She has been awarded the top undergraduate presentation at the Inquiry @ Queen’s Research Conference with her co-authors and secured the top undergraduate paper in the FCAC Building Better Financial Futures Challenge. This accomplishment led to a publication on Canada.ca and stakeholder presentations with the government agency during National Financial Literacy Month in 2023.

Hannah’s leadership and teamwork skills have been honed through her involvement in various initiatives. Most recently, she was selected for and accepted into the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI), where she is part of a consultant innovation team working with the Queen’s Provost to transform the School of Continuing Education. She also spearheaded an interdisciplinary capstone project with Little Forests Kingston, a local community organization dedicated to transforming Kingston into a nature-positive, equitable City in a Forest by 2030. Hannah’s leadership was further demonstrated when she represented this project at the Queen’s 2023 Annual General Meeting of the University Council.

During her undergraduate years, Hannah conducted thesis research in the Autism Spectrum Disorder Lab under Dr. Elizabeth Kelley, exploring the implications of the general psychopathological factor (p factor) in neurotypical and autistic youth using the Province of Ontario’s Neurodevelopmental Disorders participant pool. She is currently a senior member and appointed Mentorship Coordinator of Add*Ed- Queen’s Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Research Group with Dr. Jordan Shurr. Alongside her academic pursuits, Hannah referees competitive ringette, serves as a Residence Life Assistant at Queen’s, and contributes to the academic community as a Teaching Assistant in various upper-year undergraduate psychology courses, specializing in cognitive neuroscience.

Alyssa Giovannangeli (she/her) has a bachelor’s degree (BAH) from Queen’s University (‘23) with a major in psychology, minor in film and media, and certificate in law. She completed her honours thesis in the Neuroeconomics Lab with Dr. Anita Tusche and volunteered in the Queen’s Sport Psychology Lab. She attended Queen’s University on the 2019-2023 “Alumni National” Chancellor’s Scholarship.

During Alyssa’s time at Queen’s, she published articles with MUSE Magazine, the Queen’s Health Advocates blog, and the Queen’s Journal, on a wide range of topics spanning from political polarization in the media to the rare disease of Scleroderma. She was involved with Queen’s Model Parliament, worked for AMS Walkhome, and was the content editor for the Queen’s Vision Society.

At the time of this publication, Alyssa is pursuing a master’s (MSc ‘25) in Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Bruce Milliken. She is researching memory, attention, and mental performance in various populations, including athletes and performers. With an interest in sport psychology, she is specifically looking at the mechanisms that underlie failure to perform skills under pressure. For her master’s research, Alyssa received a 2023-24 SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s (CGS-M) award and a 2024-25 Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) award.

Alongside academia, Alyssa currently works as a gifted assessor and volunteers as a reading tutor with local school boards, enjoys playing basketball, and acts in various tv and film projects.

Adrianna Armstrong (she/her) graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree (BScH) in Psychology, with a Minor in English (2023). She also attended Queen’s for her Bachelor of Education (BEd) (2024) and is now an Ontario Certified Teacher (OCT). During her training, Adrianna specialized in working with at-risk adolescents and has a concentration in this domain. She has been trained in trauma-informed pedagogy, Cognitive Behavioural Interventions, and how best to support the needs of equity-deserving and at-risk students. She is excited to integrate evidence-based research on human behaviour and brain functions from her psychology undergraduate degree into her practice as an educator.

Adrianna strives to become involved in every community she becomes a part of and works to meaningfully contribute to it. She has a passion for mental health support and advocacy work. During her time in Kingston, ON, she volunteered for Telephone Aid Line Kingston (TALK) which is a befriending, distress, and crisis phone line listening service. Adrianna was significantly involved with TALK for many years, and most notably, was their Quality Assurance Director for two years.

During her time at Queen’s University, Adrianna was a volunteer research assistant in the Queen’s Visual Cognition Lab. In this role, she further developed her data analysis, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Adrianna also volunteered for the Queen’s Peer Support Centre and was part of the equity committee for her student association. In both these roles, she worked to create a safer and more supportive environment for her peers.

In addition to Adrianna’s beginning career as a teacher, she tutors both for a Private School and independently. In her spare time, Adrianna is an avid reader and enjoys several sports including soccer, skiing, swimming, and cycling.

Yanxin Xu (she/her) was part of the student group in the PSYC400: Teaching and Learning in Psychology seminar course (Fall 2022) at Queen’s University, in which this project started. This project has since then evolved, and Yanxin’s contributions to the early stages of this project are recognized through inclusion in the citation for this publication.

Jimmy Hugron (he/him) is pursuing a BSc (Honours) in Psychology from the Royal Military College of Canada. His current research is aimed at analyzing reactions to smiles expressing dominance, submission, and affiliation in various contexts. He analyzes differences in perception according to the gender and ethnicity of the smiling individuals, with a particular focus on comparisons between Caucasian and Black men and women. Having grown up in Quebec, a province distinguished by its unique education system and distinctive programs like CEGEP, Jimmy’s educational background provides him with a diverse perspective on the Canadian educational system. Additionally, Jimmy serves as a Personnel Selection Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces, a role in which he applies behavioural science knowledge and procedures to evaluate factors affecting working relationships.

Jimmy and co-author Hannah translated the Québec chapter in this Guide.