Leadership Rooted in Culture: Sandeep Kaur Glover Receives Kris Magnusson Emerging Leaders Award

Sandeep Kaur Glover, a PhD candidate in Arts Education at Simon Fraser University (SFU), has been awarded the Kris Magnusson Emerging Leaders Graduate Award. This award recognizes leadership and a commitment to transformative education.

Dr. Celeste Snowber, Sandeep’s academic supervisor, praised her fearless leadership and innovative research: “Sandeep's leadership is particularly innovative in her approaches to benefit the Punjabi community through the integration of arts-based modalities and Punjabi-Sikh perspectives. She brings a unique lens from her lived experience.”

For Sandeep, this award holds profound significance. “As the first in my Punjabi-Sikh lineage to pursue a PhD, this leadership award carries sacred significance,” she shared. “I carry forth the seeds of my ancestors’ imaginings of equity and justice in my research and community-based engagements. It is an incredible honour to be recognized for leadership deeply rooted in my cultural heritage." 

Sandeep's research is innovative in integrating arts-based methodologies, focusing on social justice activism and healing and the integration of Punjabi multigenerational lived experiences and Sikh knowledges. Her work explores wholistic formations of identity and researcher positionality, sensorial approaches to relational and critical consciousness, embodied reflexivity and imagining through the arts, all framed by her Punjabi-Sikh identity. This unique blend of cultural roots and academic inquiry has enabled Sandeep to create new research pathways for healing and activism. 

Sandeep's influence has extended beyond SFU. Her work has been presented at national and international conferences, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE). “Through these engagements, I have formed exciting connections with scholars across universities,” Sandeep said, reflecting on the collaborative impact of her work. 

Another aspect of her leadership is her commitment to creative knowledge mobilization. Sandeep has published in Tier 1 journals like Qualitative Inquiry, bringing arts-based inquiry into broader academic discussions. “Publishing her work at this stage of her doctoral studies is impressive,” expresses Dr. Snowber. “Her leadership is shaping how we understand the intersections of identity, art, and social justice."  

Sandeep's leadership journey has been challenging. She acknowledged the discomfort of advocating for change: "One of the primary challenges I've encountered is the inevitable discomfort accompanying activism. Yet, discomfort is the doorway to change and can be a powerful force for activism and healing through embodied practices such as dancing, chanting, and autobiographical writing.” 

Sandeep offers this insight when advising fellow graduate students: “I encourage my peers to conceive leadership as an embodied way of being. It’s important to develop nourishing relationships with colleagues and community members who hold shared visions of the world.” She emphasizes that leadership is most potent when it transcends individual achievement and focuses on collective transformation.  

As Sandeep Kaur Glover continues her academic journey, her leadership exemplifies the qualities that the Kris Magnusson Emerging Leaders Graduate Award celebrates.