CURRENT (2017 – 2018)
Shaunda-Lynn Jesso is in her first year of the Master of Arts in Family Studies and Gerontology thesis-based program at Mount Saint Vincent University with a focus on Gerontology studies. She completed her BSc at MSVU majoring in psychology and minoring in writing and biology while concurrently volunteering in the community and working in the home-care and community services field. Shaunda-Lynn is now a Graduate Research Assistant for the GACI and she will be working on the project entitled “The Demography of Pain”. Shaunda-Lynn is interested in community standards, policies, nutrition, and resiliency in a healthy aging context. In her spare time she enjoys reading, walking, spending time with family and friends, running, painting, drawing, community involvement, and meeting new people.
Rachel Hilts is in her 3rd year of the Bachelor of Science in Applied Human Nutrition program at Mount Saint Vincent, with a major in Dietetics. She previously completed a Bachelor of Arts at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB with a double major in Geography and Art History. She will be working as a student research assistant on the “Linking Spirituality and Religiosity to Life and Health Expectancy” Project while working specifically on the GACI website. In her time away from campus she volunteers with multiple organizations, most of which are focused on nutrition and community care, and also enjoys swimming, hiking, traveling, taking in local events, and spending time with animals.
Didem Sahin is a gradute student enrolled in the Masters of Applied Human Nutrition program at Mount Saint Vincent University. In her previous studies she completed a Bachelor of Science at Halic University, in Turkey with a double major in Nutrition and Dietetics and Physiotheraphy and Rehabilitation. Didem is a Graduate Research Assistant for the Global Aging and Community Inititative. She has a strong passion for helping to improve life quality of older adults on an international level. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, travelling, and doing yoga.
PAST (2016 – 2017)
Erin Henderson is in her first year of the Masters of Family Studies and Gerontology program at Mount Saint Vincent University. Erin is a Graduate Research Assistant for the Global Aging and Community Initiative. Erin graduated from Mount Allison University with a BSc. in Biology and Psychology. She is in the applied stream of her Masters program and has a strong interest in working in communities to support family development, health and well-being. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, visiting museums and galleries, and engaging in the community.
Sandeep Dhillon is in her first year of the Master’s program of Family Studies and Gerontology at Mount Saint Vincent University. Sandeep is a Graduate Research Assistant for the Global Aging and Community Initiative. She is currently assisting with the Spirituality and Religiosity to Life and Health Expectancy project by researching cross-sectional and longitudinal databases that contain both health and religiosity measures for older persons worldwide. Sandeep’s personal research is heavily tailored to the health and well-being of immigrant women from the South East Asian culture and the effect religiosity has on this specific population. She has a strong passion for women’s and children’s rights. During Sandeep’s spare time she enjoys reading, playing soccer and traveling.
