Congratulations to Dr. Jaime Mantesso, one of two recipients of the spring 2023 Faculty of Education Associate Dean’s Graduate Student Thesis Award.
The Faculty of Education Associate Dean’s Graduate Student Thesis Award was established in 2021 to recognize outstanding academic performance of thesis-based graduate students (Masters and PhD) in Education. This $2,000 award is granted to a student in a graduate program in the Faculty of Education who has exemplified academic excellence and research ability, demonstrated leadership ability and/or university/community involvement, and whose thesis/dissertation was deemed meritorious by the Examining Committee.
Mantesso successfully defended her dissertation titled, “Understanding How Saskatchewan Parents Promote Their Children’s Mental Health: A Grounded Theory Study” July 18, 2022. Her supervisor was Dr. Marc Spooner and committee members were Dr. Twyla Salm, Dr. Kristi Wright, and Dr. Val Mulholland.
The external examiner was Dr. Charlotte Waddell. And Dr. Maria Vélez chaired.
Mantesso is a registered nurse and works in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Regina.
Mantesso chose to study children’s mental health, focusing on parents because, she says, the topic “was important to me firstly because I am a parent of two boys.” She also found that, “While lots of information was available about risks factors to avoid and how to identify mental disorder symptoms, I found little scholarship detailing ways in which parents could best promote their children’s mental health. Studying mental health from a salutogenic perspective meant that I could focus on what the precursors to mental health are and how parents can exploit them.”
As she moves forward, Mantesso says, “I would like to continue build on some of the theory and findings from my dissertation. I really enjoyed my doctoral experience and hope others decide to undertake advanced education through the Faculty of Education — it is incredibly rewarding!”
