Jillian Boyd

The Trudeau Scholarship represents three things for me: inspiration, opportunity, and community.  These elements do not stand apart but are deeply intertwined.  The opportunity to be part of a community of deeply engaged, active and committed members of Canadian society has been inspirational.  Tangibly, my membership in this rich and diverse community has opened doors to relationships and opportunities which would otherwise be unimaginable at this stage of my career.  The exposure to new ideas and different fields of knowledge at the many Foundation events has enriched my own work.  The inspiration, community and opportunities I have gained as a Trudeau Scholar has been in addition to the sustained and generous financial support provided by the Foundation.  This funding has allowed me to dedicate myself fully to my research and writing, to attend and present at conferences both domestically and internationally, and to pursue my social activist work.  Being a Trudeau Doctoral Scholar has made my doctoral experience so much more than the pursuit of a degree, it has transformed it into an unparalleled and incredibly rewarding personal, professional, and intellectual experience.

Biography

Jillian Boyd is finishing her S.J.D. in law at the University of Toronto, where she is studying the theory of disadvantage in Canadian equality law. After receiving her law degree from Queen's University, she served as a law clerk to Madam Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada.  She went on to pursue graduate work at Columbia University as a Fulbright Scholar, where she obtained her Master of Laws in comparative constitutional law.  Ms. Boyd then returned to Canada where she became a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and practised social justice litigation at a small firm in Toronto for several years.  Ms. Boyd has taught as a sessional instructor in the law departments at both Queen's and Carleton Universities.  In additional to her academic and professional engagement with the law, she has been active in promoting the rights of marginalized groups through volunteer work in several legal advocacy and community organizations.