Julie

Edwards

Honours Bachelor of Science in Forestry
Etobicoke, ON

I chose Lakehead, Thunder Bay campus, due to the exclusive program I am in, but also due to its scenic campus, great entrance scholarship opportunities, and the greater distance from my hometown which provided me with the opportunity to create a whole new social life and live on my own.

Living in residence my first year allowed me to truly see what Lakehead had to offer, both socially and academically. I met a lot of new people, was in a new town, attending school with a completely different schedule than high school and had the time of my life. My second year, I became a Resident Assistant, which provided me with the financial backing I desired, social interactions with my peers and I was able to maintain my academic standing. My third year brought me into the world of campus clubs and recreation. I became the president of my Faculty’s club and participated in the campus recreation soccer league.

The best part about Lakehead is its ability to adapt to every student’s individual needs; compromises can be made for appropriate situations; this is one of the reasons I love my program as well. To become a Resident Assistant, compromises had to be made and my professors were able to make those exceptions for my appropriate situation. The influence of my professors is also seen in the involvement I have in our Natural Resources Student Society club as the president. Throughout the year, the club puts on a series of events for the Natural Resources Management students to provide social interactions between the different year levels and their professors as well as educational benefits. With this process, my professors continued to stand by me and aid in the preparations for large events and the direction the club must take to benefit the students the most. With their aid and help from student volunteers, this year was the best the club has seen in a long time and I am looking forward to making next year even better.

Field school in Finland was an experience like no other. The Natural Resources Management faculty is currently looking into many international opportunities for its students and outreach programs to draw more students into the faculty. I had the opportunity to go to Finland in my third year field school for two weeks and I loved it. This was my first trip to Europe and I'm extremely glad I was able to go through school. It made it a more beneficial experience because Finland has a landscape similar to Canada to which I could apply my forestry background, but I also got to tour around Finland, be a part of its culture and have the time of my life through a school event. 

 The opportunity to join student life activities is so readily accessible at Lakehead. Whether it is through a club of interest or relative to your program, or even through campus recreation, there is something for everyone. This year I played campus recreation soccer once a week and due to my busy schedule, it provided me with the opportunity of physical exercise and a social game with some competitive edge. Next year I intend on joining the campus rec. hockey league as well since there is minimal commitment, low cost and a lot of benefits to my lifestyle. Everything I have done at Lakehead has prepared me for the future. School has taught me time management and the ability to react properly in stressful situations. Being a Resident Assistant taught me valuable life lessons and becoming the president of the Natural Resources Student Society has given me the perspective of a project manager, leader and benefactor for the club to help future students. The result of anyone’s four years in University is the product of the hard work you put into it and thus far, it’s everything I intended it to be.