Courtesy
Mélanie Letendre Jauniaux at the SSHRC Storytellers Challenge event, where she was recognized for her work on trauma-informed education
Bishop’s grad student honoured for trauma awareness work
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Mélanie Letendre Jauniaux, a psychology master’s student at Bishop’s University, has received national recognition for her community-based research and powerful communication skills. Jauniaux was awarded the Engagement Prize at this year’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Storytellers Challenge—an honour voted on by her fellow finalists.
“The SSHRC Storytellers Contest is a federally funded competition where you have to tell the story of your research and why it matters—in three minutes—to a multidisciplinary or lay audience,” Jauniaux explained in a June 16 conversation. “It’s a great way to practice scientific communication.”
Jauniaux’s work centres around trauma-informed education. A former youth protection worker, she returned to school shortly before the pandemic, completing a BA in psychology and a certificate in knowledge mobilization before moving on to her current master’s research.
Her passion for the topic is deeply personal. “I’m a trauma survivor,” she shared. “Learning the science of trauma helped me realize I wasn’t alone.”
Trauma, she said, is now broadly defined as an event that overwhelms a person’s capacity to cope and can change the brain and body. But healing is possible. “We can rewire, we can reconnect, and we can heal,” she said.
Her master’s project involves the creation and evaluation of a half-day trauma-awareness training program delivered in partnership with local organizations. “It provides participants with basic knowledge about the science of trauma, how to become more trauma-informed, and how to apply this understanding in real-world contexts,” she explained. “Participants say it’s helped them understand their own experiences and those of people around them, and some have even changed their workplace practices.”
For example, Jauniaux described how a professor might misinterpret a student’s seemingly extreme reaction to a minor incident. “They might think the student is being disrespectful, when in reality, the student could be re-experiencing a traumatic event,” she said. “The science shows that traumatic memories can be encoded in survival mode and re-experienced as though they’re happening in the present.”
She emphasized that trauma is not limited to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). “It exists on a continuum,” she explained, “from adversity and stress to more severe trauma. It can come from childhood experiences, systemic injustice, or long-term exposure to microaggressions.”
So far, her training has been offered free of charge and shaped collaboratively with participants. “I’ve developed versions for Bishop’s and [other organizations]. Each one looks a little different, because we adapt it based on feedback,” she said.
Her ultimate goal is to make trauma education more accessible and impactful. “Research doesn’t make sense unless you’re doing it with community,” she said. “This isn’t just my work—it was built with the people around me.”
As she nears the end of her degree, Jauniaux is looking ahead to the next stage of her academic journey. “I’m finishing my master’s this summer and planning to pursue a PhD in psychology,” she said. “I want to keep building on this work.”
Reflecting on her SSHRC win, Jauniaux said she was honoured to be selected by her peers. “It’s a privilege to be able to share my story—and theirs. I shouldn’t be the only one in the spotlight.”