Junaid Ahmed, M.A.

  • Writer and Journalist at MaRS Discovery District
  • Advanced Placement® English Language and Composition Teacher

Junaid (aka Mr. Ahmed) has seven years of experience teaching Advanced Placement® English Language and Composition. His tutoring experience includes helping undergrads with their thesis statements, coaching STEM students in application writing, and helping Master’s and PhD students improve the grammar and persuasive quality of their dissertations. He is also a writer by trade, specializing in helping high-tech businesses explain the science and the impact of their inventions. He is currently wrapping up his first novel, and working as a journalist for MaRS Discovery District, a University of Toronto-affiliated research and innovation centre. He likes playing hockey, practicing karate, and hosting conflict resolution sessions between his cats.

Publications
Education and Scholarships
  • Master of Arts, English Literature (York University)
  • Winner of the York Graduate Scholarship
  • Thesis: Using the Philosophy of Humour to study Italian-American author Don DeLillo, in order to decipher his critique of mass culture in the media age.
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts (University of Toronto)
  • English Literature
  • Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies (Munk School of Global Affairs)
  • Graduated with Distinction
  • Winner of the Samuel J. Stubbs Award

For more information on Junaid’s work, visit his portfolio.

Maybelle Leung, PhD (ABD)

Maybelle Leung, Ph.D. (ABD)
  • Medievalist (specialist in Medieval history and culture)
  • Award winning Teaching Assistant

Maybelle lives the trivium creed through her work in Medieval studies. She has a Ph.D. (ABD) in English from York University. Her achievements include winning the English Department’s Teaching Assistant Award of Excellence, and attaining Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council funding for her work in medieval literature – totaling $105,000. She has more than a decade of experience tutoring high school and university students in writing, literature, and piano. She is currently working on her dissertation, which studies the writings of 14th century nuns through the lenses of Classical philosophy and medieval theology.

Education and Scholarships
  • PhD (ABD), English Literature (York University)
  • Specializations in Medieval Literature, Psychoanalytic and Feminist Theory, and Traditions in Phenomenology
  • Thesis: The reception of the French allegorical poem, Le Roman de la Rose (1278) in late Medieval England
  • Winner of the Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-D), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, $105,000
  • Master of Arts, English Literature (York University)
  • Winner of the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), $15,000
  • Winner of the Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-M), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, $17,500
  • Winner of the York Graduate Scholarship
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts (University of Toronto)
  • English Literature
  • Minors in Art History and Semiotics
  • Graduated with High Distinction
  • Winner of the Samuel J. Stubbs Award
  • TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate

For more information on Maybelle’s work, visit her portfolio.