It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Engineering and mathematics student Krish Khokhani is passionate about learning, problem-solving, and sharing knowledge. Hailing from Mumbai, India, this 2025 Lakehead Leader Award winner quickly became an indispensable Thunder Bay campus member. Krish has been president of the Lakehead University Indian Students Association (LUISA), chair of the Engineering Equipment and Endowment Fund (EEEF), a Superior Science educator, and a tutor with The Academic Support Zone. He's also excelled academically—he is graduating with first-class standing, and he is a winner of the Rita Nicholas Undergraduate Research Conference poster competition. It's a poignant moment for Krish, who says, "My father's dream was to study computer engineering, but he was unable to due to financial challenges and early family responsibilities. His dream stayed with me."

Environmental Studies student Keira was committed to fighting climate change by the time she was twelve. "I wanted to live in good relations with the land, animal kin, and plant kin aligned with the Anishinaabe Teachings I grew up with." Keira is well along the path to achieving her aspirations. She's been a wild rice project research assistant, a Rita Nicholas Undergraduate Student Conference poster competition winner, and the recipient of the Blake Schweitzer Memorial Award for her honours thesis. She's also served as a Lakehead Association of Geography Students member, a Lakehead University Sustainability and Stewardship Council student representative, and a Climate Justice Lakehead executive member. She is graduating with first-class standing and has just launched her career as a curriculum coordinator with Indigenous Clean Energy.

Education student Riley Fredrickson (who also has an HBA from Lakehead) believes in the power of student leadership to bring positive change. She's spent the past six years advocating on behalf of her peers and is deeply engaged in campus life, including as a LUSU Board of Directors member. This year, Riley was co-president of the Education Student Teacher Association (ESTA), working collaboratively with the Faculty of Education to improve the student experience. In addition to her advocacy work, Riley has maintained excellent grades and is graduating with first-class standing. Her hard work and focus have allowed her to achieve her aspiration of becoming a teacher, a career she says she was compelled to pursue "because I love working with kids and I want to help build a brighter future!"

English student Elizabeth Adams, the winner of the 2023 Mr. and Mrs. James MacAllan Munro Poetry Prize, has always been drawn to stories: "There's magic in experiencing different lives and locations through the pages of a book." She's been a vital part of English department activities—two of her short stories are published in The Artery 2025 and she is a student organizer with the Orillia Lit Happens club. Elizabeth has also been a dedicated Lakehead Orillia Residence Life staff member and residence tour guide, as well as an organizer of LUSU pantry food drives, student craft sales, and cooking lessons on a budget. In 2023, Elizabeth received a Lakehead Leader Community Engagement Award and was nominated as a Staff WellU Mental Health Champion for her work making Lakehead 'a good place' for everyone.