Aqsa is a graduate student in the Counselling and Clinical Psychology program (Field: Clinical Psychology) at the University of Toronto Scarborough. She completed her undergraduate degree at the same university where she specialized in Mental Health Studies.

Aqsa is primarily interested in studying stigma among and towards individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. She hopes to include the examination of various forms of stigma in her research (e.g., internalized, public, provider/professional, and institutional stigma). She plans to apply an intersectional approach to her research to understand how social identities such as race and gender (in addition to one’s diagnostic label or symptom presentations) may ultimately result in unique experiences of stigma, discrimination, and barriers among diagnosed persons. Secondarily, Aqsa has a growing interest in exploring religious and cultural understandings of schizophrenia and other mental disorders.

Apart from her studies, Aqsa really enjoys painting, exercising, cooking, and spending time with her cat. An ideal weekend for her would include all of these activities with the addition of unlimited coffee!