The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) is proud to announce the recipients of this year’s GSPIA Imagination Scholarship: Kerrissa Constant and Ayaka Naganuma. These two exceptional MA students embody the values of academic excellence, public engagement, and innovative leadership that the scholarship seeks to celebrate.
Kerrissa Constant is an MA student in Public and International Affairs with a powerful voice in youth diplomacy. Recently selected as one of only four youth delegates selected from a nation-wide applicant poolto represent Canada at the 2025 World Bank Group–International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., she will serve as Communications Coordinator for the Young Diplomats of Canada delegation. Chosen from over 100 candidates, Kerrissa will be responsible for media strategy and public outreach.
Her research focuses on Chinese foreign investment in Africa and global sustainable development. She has also applied to the Yenching Global Symposium in China to further explore international perspectives on sustainable technology. Kerrissa’s academic success and hands-on engagement with diplomacy mark her as a rising leader.
Ayaka Naganuma, also an MA student in Public and International Affairs, brings a global and interdisciplinary lens to her work. Since January 2025, she has been conducting advanced research on labour mobility and just transition policies at the Broadbent Institute, using quantitative methods to assess barriers in high-emission sectors – and presented her findings at policy forum in early April.
Ayaka also serves as a Visiting Fellow with the Global Infrastructure Fund Research Foundation Japan, where she researches climate adaptation and migration in Small Island Developing States, and this fall she will be an intern at the Nairobi Work Programme Unit, Adaptation Division, UNFCCC Secretariat, in Bonn, Germany. Her additional volunteer work with the UN Volunteers Programme demonstrates her commitment to sustainable development and social equity.
Both Kerrissa and Ayaka are actively applying their academic training in real-world contexts, contributing to public policy both nationally and internationally. Their dedication, innovation, and drive make them fitting recipients of the GSPIA Imagination Scholarship.
Please join us in congratulating these two outstanding graduate students for their accomplishments and ongoing contributions.