Congratulations to alumna Meaghan Williams, a recipient of the 2022-23 Governor General’s Gold Medal for Academic Excellence, the highest academic honour available to graduate students in Canada.
Awarded annually by the Office of the Governor General to three students determined to have the highest academic standing, candidates are evaluated based on their performance in degree courses, the merit of their thesis and its defense, and the originality and importance of their research.
Of her win and plans for the future Meaghan said: “Being awarded the Governor General’s Gold Medal is an honour beyond my imagining, with both personal and professional meaning. As a doctoral student, I worked to provide a contribution to the study of federalism, Indigenous-settler relations and treaty politics. This award acknowledges the sincerity and significance of that contribution at the highest level. I am grateful for the support of the department as well as my family and friends through the doctoral journey, and I look forward to carrying the legacy of treaty federalism forward in all I do. Since my defense in January and graduating in June, I have been enjoying family life with my partner and two children. My immediate next step is to examine the opportunities for publishing my dissertation as a monograph while considering options for additional work on treaty federalism and Indigenous-settler relations both within and beyond academia.”
To read more about Meaghan’s prestigious win, visit U of T’s School of Graduate Studies website.