Honours Bachelor of Education (Aboriginal Education)
Thunder Bay, ON

My first year of the program has been an incredible experience and has far exceeded my expectations in every way.

 The Aboriginal Education program is unique:  with small classes I am able to build long lasting relationships with my peers and benefit from one on one teaching from my professors. As a class, we have informed and dynamic discussions about any and all Aboriginal issues. In this program we get to research the current education curriculum while finding ways to improve it to meet the needs of Aboriginal youth. Aboriginal Education is truly enriching.

For me personally, I would not be able to be such a successful student without the incredible support of Lakehead University with the infant day care program and the student support office in the Department of Aboriginal Education.

I am excited about the next four years and making my own contribution to the Aboriginal community in Thunder Bay and area upon graduation.

Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts
Kakabeka Falls, ON

I chose Lakehead University because it was close to home and cost effective for me. After starting my program I was happy I chose Lakehead for the small class sizes and personal relationships I developed with professors and fellow students. As an art student, I find my inspiration from the natural landscape around me. Lakehead’s location in Thunder Bay keeps me close to my inspiration, which helps me to generate ideas.

  My professors have been superb in helping me grow and develop as an artist and person. They have pushed me to do and learn things I never would have thought of, such as welding or making glazes. They have provided me with opportunities that I would not have found on my own, such as a ceramics course I recently took in Italy or local exhibitions I have had the opportunity to participate in. Being in local exhibitions is a great way to build up my artistic career and meet other local artists. Getting involved in the local artistic community is extremely important as an emerging artist. 

My experience as a visual arts student at Lakehead University has been very productive towards my future. I plan on going on to complete my masters and maybe one day becoming a professor myself. 

Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Thunder Bay, ON

I chose to complete my undergraduate degree in my hometown at Lakehead University. I chose to attend Lakehead as this enabled me to stay at home while completing school, and allowed me to stay close to my family and friends. Lakehead provided me with the comfort of a smaller school, and closer relationships with my professors and colleagues. Being from Thunder Bay I enjoy hunting, fishing and the outdoors, and Lakehead’s unique location enables you to participate in these activities practically in your backyard. My nursing degree prepared me for life in the workforce as well as prepared me to pursue further education. I’m currently entering my 3^rd year of medical school here at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (Lakehead campus), with hopes to pursue a career as a physician in my hometown. My undergraduate degree at Lakehead played a big part in my path towards medical school as it provided me with the work ethics, knowledge, and determination to achieve my goals and aspirations.  

Honours Bachelor of Commerce
Thunder Bay, ON

I chose Lakehead because it is my home town and I felt that it was too soon to move away from my family- mostly because I'd miss my moms cooking. I was also given the opportunity to play basketball on the Women's Basketball team. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do in University however I thought business would be a great fit for me and I quickly fell in love with the program. Professors take the time to give everyone individual attention. There are smaller class sizes, and Professors hold office hours so student can ask questions if they need help. Being at Lakehead I am inspired by my professors to pursue business as a worthwhile program and I am looking forward to my upcoming years at Lakehead. I’ve met so many brilliant people in the program, both in faculty and students who have made my year very rewarding.

HBSc Geology
Thunder Bay, ON

"Lakehead University is the right university for me because it is a world class institution right in my hometown. It has a very comfortable and friendly atmosphere. You are not just another number, at Lakehead your profs know who you are. Here you get both a practical and theoretical look at the topics, and the fact that the program is fairly small you really get to know your peers and profs both in a professional and non-professional environment. Geology is not just about mineral extraction, with geology you can do almost anything, and Lakehead's geology program will open the world for you.

Outside of class, I like hiking and biking the various trails throughout the city, and in the winter I like to go cross country skiing. The Lakehead Thunder Bay campus is pretty cool since we have a river and a lake that cuts through the campus, with trails and forest right in the middle of the city."

Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies
Shedden, ON

Growing up I had always enjoyed the outdoors and decided I would choose an environmental program for my post-secondary education. After researching several programs and schools I decided on Lakehead University’s Honours Bachelor of Environmental Studies (HBES) with a major in forest conservation and a minor in geography. I felt this program was in line with where I wanted my future career to take me. I was able to choose elective courses suited to my goals allowing me to tailor my degree to include several wildlife classes. I found the small class sizes to be a big positive as it allows for a unique degree of accessibility to professors helping to enrich the learning environment. In addition, it allowed for strong relationships between students to develop. I still have personal and professional relationships with some of the people I met at Lakehead today. I graduated Lakehead University in 2009 and moved to Alberta were I quickly found work as a wildlife ecologist. With my education and work experience I obtained my Professional Biologist Designation with the Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (ASPB). When the opportunity arose in 2014 I partnered with two colleagues to form our own environmental consulting company, Omnia Ecological Services (www.omniaeco.ca). Today I work completing wildlife/vegetation inventories, impact assessments, monitoring programs and telemetry research/sales. Lakehead University helped lay the foundation for my future success.   

Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Thunder Bay, ON

In my downtime I enjoy shooting, hunting, fishing, snow machining, swimming and anything that puts me in the outdoors. Lakehead was the perfect choice for me to stay close to home and go to school and remain close to all my best friends and family.

So far my experience at Lakehead has been a positive one. My favourite aspect of being a university student is the company of my fellow classmates. I have had the opportunity of meeting fellow students who are just as ambitious as I am and share similar interests. The faculty in the Psychology department is a really fun bunch as well and my experiences in their classes have helped reaffirm my desire to be a member of the psychology field. One experience that was quite impacting on my experience at a student was being in Professor Mike Moland’s introductory psychology class where I was anxiously waiting to see if I had made the right program choice. I’ve always had problems remembering the different functions of all the different parts of the brain and Prof. Moland told the class a really funny story relating to the functioning of certain brain areas. It was important for me to see that psychology topics could be filled with laughter, which is something that has continued in classes such as Susan Sajna-Hebert’s Abnormal Psychology, or Dr. Mazmanian’s Psychometrics.

Another pivotal moment occurred this past year when Dr. Ron Davis accepted me as a research assistant in his laboratory. I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the experimental process and met students who are working on their own thesis and who could give me helpful advice from their own experiences. Learning the details surrounding EEG and ECG technology opened my eyes to how fascinating the research experience can be. The research experience was looking at our responses to images of us, positive and neutral images, as well as social comparison to images of other people. Social comparison, body image, and eating behaviour are my main areas of interest for research and future career paths so being involved in this research lab was an incredibly important experience for me. It also helped me make the important decision to request the supervision of Dr. Davis for my own honours thesis.

Being a student at Lakehead has helped me become more independent and self-reliant. The expectations of post-secondary school require you to build a strong work ethic and become responsible for your own due dates, schedules, textbooks and the like. These expectations have helped me mature into a self-reliant young adult. Lakehead has also helped me learn to face challenges. The transition through university, into an honours thesis, graduate school applications, and preparing for a future career, which is no longer a distant destination, has understandably brought me many obstacles. As I work through each obstacle I become increasingly aware of the accomplishments I have made, how far I have come, and I feel a sense of pride. It will be extremely exciting and a proud moment for me when I get to receive my own degree in June of 2015, knowing I overcame all challenges and met my own goals. 

Honours Bachelor of Arts in English, Bachelor of Education
Kemptville, ON

I chose to complete my BEd at Lakehead University for several reasons. I already knew that Lakehead was a great school, having completed my HBA in English several years before. The Education program had a great reputation for delivering high-quality education and also had a high employment rate for graduates...and I wanted to remain in my (adopted) hometown of Thunder Bay! Lakehead was the perfect choice.

One of the things I value most about my education at Lakehead is the opportunity to work within a tight-knit community of learners. The daily interactions with my classmates, who came from very diverse backgrounds and experiences, definitely enriched my time at Lakehead. The small class sizes allowed students and instructors to have open and engaging discussions that for me, always promoted reflection and personal growth. I found that my professors created safe and collaborative environments that promoted critical thinking, which is something that I strive to do in my career as a teacher and administrator with Lakehead Public Schools.