Jaimi

Penney

Jaimi Penney loves Lakehead.

Originally from Cambridge, the MA history student came to the university for her undergraduate education and never looked back.

"I've been a tour guide for three years, I love selling this school. It's really become my home away from home."

Penney's particularly zealous about her studies, a blend of history and politics, which revolve around the history of Canadian socialism. More specifically, she's currently researching a former NDP politician from her hometown and how he influenced local and national politics, having been, as Penney describes, "quite a shenanigan maker". This work earned the graduate a SSHRC grant, to help fund her highly original stream of study.

Penney also had the opportunity to work on one of her supervisor's books, written for one of the leading migration centres in Europe and one of the first to look at transnational politics between Finland, Canada, and the US. Additionally, after Penney went the extra mile in her efforts, she was asked to be a co-editor of the volume.

She believes her Lakehead education has definitely given her a competitive edge in the field. "I have things I can bring to the table that other students can't because of my experiences and how I've been taught to approach things, work with the community, and make comparisons."

Penney's also learned quite a bit about the surrounding region: its pivotal importance to social and intellectual movements throughout the nation as well as the disparities in terms of economics and representation between Ontario's north and south. She says these experiences have markedly shaped her grasp on history and politics.

"Had I gone to another university, I would never have been exposed to that, and that exposure is what's changed the way I think about my studies, my profession, and really everything I've done." She adds, "I wouldn't trade that experience for the world."