Writing Toward Justice: A Dissertation Rooted in Story
By Stephanie Samboo, PhD
On June 12, 2025, I walked across the stage to receive my PhD in English from the University of Waterloo, a moment that felt both surreal and deeply meaningful as it fell on my late parents’ wedding anniversary. This journey tested every ounce of perseverance and resilience I had, and there were times I wondered if I would make it through. My research grew out of years of reflection, critical inquiry and lived experience, and completing it was as much a personal transformation as an academic one. I am deeply grateful to all who supported me along the way. Wearing the University of Waterloo’s PhD colours reminded me of its motto, Concordia cum veritate (in harmony with truth), a guiding principle I will carry into everything I do.
In my dissertation, Changing Education One Story at a Time, I wanted to explore how writing education can move beyond the dominance of whiteness and create spaces where all students feel they belong. At the heart of this work is counterstory, a method that uses personal narratives to challenge dominant perspectives and amplify voices that are too often silenced. Drawing on my own experiences and the scholarship of Richard Delgado, Tara Yosso, Aja Martinez and others, I foreground social justice as central to writing instruction. Through decolonial, feminist and critical pedagogies, I ask: What if writing instruction centred abundance, belonging and the diverse knowledge students already carry? Inspired by thinkers such as Paulo Freire, bell hooks, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Suresh Canagarajah, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I argue that storytelling is not only a valid research method but a powerful tool for transformation. My dissertation outlines six goals, including decolonising the self and designing courses that centre abundance and belonging. Ultimately, this work is about imagining education differently, where equity and the power of story shape how we teach and learn.
