Student Research Spotlight - Samantha Clarizio
Samantha Clarizio (she/her) is a recent alumnus of the MA program in Higher Education from OISE’s Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education (LHAE). After graduating from the University of Toronto amid the COVID-19 outbreak, Samantha began working at Humber College, advising students around plans for their work-integrated learning (WIL) placement opportunities and their post-graduate career trajectories. She found herself seeking a deeper understanding that could translate to the professional work she was doing – particularly in identifying how institutions shape, support, and at times, complicate student access to experiential learning. This curiosity, paired with a desire to deepen her research skills and engage critically with post-secondary practice, led her to pursue graduate studies at OISE. Beginning her degree in Fall 2021, Samantha crafted her studies around her interests, centering on experiential learning, institutional accountability, and student access to WIL.
The MA in Higher Education was the right choice – Samantha shaped her academic and research identity through this program over the next four years. While she came into the program with practical experience advising students on career pathways and placement opportunities, she wanted to dive deeper and understand the institutional mechanisms behind those processes. OISE offered her the space to critically examine the systems that shape administration of WIL in the post-secondary landscape, and further, how those systems either support or hinder equitable access. Through her coursework, coupled with the faculty and peer mentorship she received along the way, Samantha refined her qualitative research skills and navigated complex institutional landscapes to complete her thesis in the Summer of 2025.
Samantha’s research explores how centralized WIL units in Ontario’s public universities provide and prioritize resources to support students in finding and securing WIL opportunities. This securement phase of WIL is highly administrative, yet often undervalued, despite its critical role in student participation. She conducted a multi-site case study that suggested there are no significant gaps in the number of resources available to students. However, through the lens of activity theory, various cultural-historical components influence the allocation and prioritization of resources during the securement phase of WIL, including an overlap of WIL and co-op policies, staffing limitations, and challenges managing faculty expectations. This research contributes to a growing conversation regarding institutional accountability, and more specifically, how universities can better support students during the most vulnerable phases of the WIL process. Samantha was privileged to be supervised by Dr. Eric Lavigne, whose thoughtful guidance and encouragement were instrumental in shaping both the project and her growth as a researcher.
Throughout her Master’s degree, Samantha had the privilege of presenting her research at various conferences across the country, including Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada), Experiential & Work-Integrated Learning Ontario (EWO), and the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE). At OISE, Samantha worked as a research assistant under Professor Daniel Corral on projects involving undergraduate research programs, community college baccalaureates, and student transfer experiences. Beyond her research experiences, Samantha was an active member of the Departmental Students Association over three consecutive years, serving most recently as the Vice-President, Academic. She is also a volunteer Student Ambassador for the Department of LHAE. In 2025, Samantha received the Muriel Fung Award for her extracurricular and volunteer contributions to OISE.
As a part-time student, Samantha learned to balance her academic and professional commitments, often reflecting on concepts from her coursework and applying them directly to her field. She currently works as an Experiential Learning Coordinator at the University of Toronto, where she continues to advocate for inclusive and accessible pathways to WIL opportunities. Her research and practice remain deeply intertwined, and she looks forward to expanding her impact in the higher education sector through continued scholarship, collaboration, and most importantly, a student-centered approach.
