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Back for it's third year, we are pleased to announce our 2024 APHD Recognition Award winners. The APHD Recognition Awards is an initiative and was implemented within the department of applied psychology and human development to recognize our amazing students, their hard work and dedication to their programs and peers.

The APHD Recognition Awards have four categories, including a compassionate award, a volunteer award, a leader award and star award.

We sat down with each of our recipients to learn more about what this award means to them and what's next.

APHD Compassionate Award
The APHD Compassionate Award is awarded to a masters or doctoral APHD student who may be going through financial difficulty for various reasons.

Award recipient: Milan Lazic, DPE PhD, Year 4
Expected year of graduation: 2026

What does this award mean to you?
Winning the APHD Compassionate Award comes as a surprise. At the same time, it means that I have, to some extent, helped at least one person enjoy their time at OISE a little bit more. I suppose in the ways that I think are most important. When I think about why I may have been nominated, it is probably for small, consistent acts, not big ones. I think winning the award helps me reflect on the continued importance of these acts.

What next?
I'm not entirely sure what is next for me, but I’m open to what will feel right at the time. I do know that I would like to teach at a university. Teaching at UofT would be very nice. I like sharing things that I’ve learned with people, especially things I find interesting and have helped me in my life the most. I’ve also met some very important people to me at UofT, so it’s a special place. I might end up starting my own business with what I’ve learned, and I can also see myself taking my research skills into related but different subject areas.  

APHD Leader Award
The APHD Leader Award is awarded to a masters or doctoral APHD student who has started or led an initiative with deliverable results. 

Award recipient: Si Jia Wu, DPE PhD
Expected year of graduation: 2025

I started my program researching stress among university students using a novel technology that measures psychophysiology with only a video of the face. Within this work, I collaborated with many passionate individuals who inspired me to think deeply about the questions that I'm most curious to answer. This led me to my current research, where I use the same technology to examine teenagers' emotional responses when reading Japanese comics (i.e., manga). Much of this growth I owe to the profound support in my program. 

What does this award mean to you?
I felt a mixture of emotions upon receiving this award: lucky, appreciated, grateful. It mirrors my experience of APHD and OISE more broadly. I am extremely lucky to be able to learn with faculty and students who possess a rare combination of brilliance, empathy, and wisdom. A great deal of this luck is created by faculty and staff who work tirelessly to build a community that prioritizes students. Following their leadership, I wanted to create some of that luck for my peers. To me, this award means recognition of the small parts I have played in forming opportunities for students to learn, connect, and thrive. I am deeply thankful for this recognition. It motivates me to create more such luck!

What next? 
I'm looking forward to continuing my research on the psychological influences of reading manga. Having only scratched the surface of this area, I'm excited to learn more. I hope to contribute to our current understanding of how youths engage with narrative media and what that does for their development. This can help inform parents, teachers, and policymakers on ways of navigating a progressively diverse array of stories for youths. 

APHD Star Award
The APHD Star Award is awarded to a masters or doctoral APHD student who has made a positive impact on their peers and the APHD/OISE community.

Award recipient: Kunio Hessel, current doctoral student in the School and Clinical Child Psychology program
Expected year of graduation: 2027

My current research focuses on developing and testing a writing intervention for adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The intervention uses a writing framework and Artificial Intelligence tools to support executive functioning challenges (planning, organization, etc.) during the writing process. As part of my clinical training, I also work in private practice providing therapy and assessment services to children and adolescents. I hope to have my dissertation complete in summer 2026 and begin my residency year in September 2026.  

What does this award mean to you?
It is an honour to receive this award and to know that I have made a positive impact on the program and the department. I hope that my efforts, and the efforts of countless others who deserve recognition as well, continue to create positive change within the department. There is still work to be done, and I am appreciative of my SCCP peers and the faculty who support ongoing efforts to make APHD an increasingly diverse, welcoming, and inclusive place of learning.

What next?
After graduation in fall 2027 (fingers crossed!), I hope to work in clinical practice or a school board and continue to provide services to children and youth with learning, developmental, and mental health differences. I also hope to support the next generation of school and clinical psychologists through teaching and clinical supervision; I have been fortunate to have fantastic mentors throughout my academic journey, and I hope to one day pass on those positive experiences to others.

APHD Volunteer Award
The APHD Volunteer Award is awarded to a masters or doctoral student who has volunteered within the OISE community and beyond in the last two years.

There were no nominees for the APHD Volunteer Award this year.