When Japkaran Saroya proposed taking a look at the development of homeless LGBTQ2S+ youth in Edmonton as part of his honours research application, his research supervisor connected him with Dr. Kristopher Wells in MacEwan University’s Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Dr. Wells recognized Saroya's passion for the subject, and asked him to help out with the Edmonton Queer History Project – a collaborative project that involves Dr. Wells, Darrin Hagen, Michael Phair, Kyler Chittick and Dr. Michelle Lavoie.

"I am very interested in research within the Queer community and working with the community in any capacity," says Saroya, a Bachelor of Arts student in honours psychology. "There are countless studies that show the mental health disparities and overall disproportionate rates of negative health effects that members of the LGBTQ2S+ community face."

Saroya is currently working to develop the project's Pride Timeline, a collection of information about all of Edmonton's Pride festivities going back to its first-ever celebration in 1982. Through his work on the Edmonton Queer History Project, Saroya has gained insight into why it's important to learn about Queer history.

"I believe that my generation is quite fortunate to be growing up at this time and to be young in present-day society," he says. "We are able to come out at earlier ages, live as our authentic selves and love freely with a significantly larger amount of societal acceptance. This was rarely the case for older members of the community."

Saroya describes his time at MacEwan as a whirlwind. Along with securing a spot in the honours psychology program, he has participated in the university's Ending Sexual Violence campaign and published poems in two academic journals. He is currently co-president of the Student Psychology Network.

"It's a position that a younger version of myself could have never imagined myself in, but here I am," he says. "I still have two more years, so I'm sure MacEwan will continue to surprise me!"

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