Honours Bachelor of Environmental Management
Thunder Bay, ON

I chose Lakehead University specifically for the Environmental Management program because I love the outdoors and I feel that it is the best fit for me. I grew up partly in Thunder Bay and partly on a small, family farm outside of Brandon, Manitoba, where I spent almost every day outside exploring. The natural beauty of northern Ontario is a great environment to study in, and allows me to fulfill my sense of adventure. Every fall, friends and I go hiking and camping out at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park just outside of the city and go snowshoeing in the winter along the same trails. I have always been interested in the environment and have felt a strong sense of responsibility to safeguard it, which lead me to the NRM faculty at Lakehead.

I feel that the program is a great choice for anyone because of the opportunities it provides. As an example, I was picked to go on two international field school trips. First I went to Finland for two weeks to visit Helsinki University and tour the lower half of the country, visiting different areas relating to their forests and forest management practices. The second fieldtrip was this past year to Croatia and the Czech Republic, to visit and learn about the different forests types and ecosystems there. Different generous and welcoming people throughout the trip helped us; and, our class was even mentioned in their government newsletter. We got to visit so many wonderful and spectacular places and meet so many interesting people, which broadened my perspective of the world and what other countries are doing in terms of environmental management.

The great thing about being in my program is that we are a small faculty, so we are all on a first name basis with the professors here, and are not just some number or a random face. They want you to succeed and it shows—we can go to them with any problem that we may have, and they will take time to sit down with the student and help them.

Overall, the hands on experience that we get with our program from professors and technicians with real world experience are great. The Environmental Management program was a perfect fit for me, with like-minded people wanting to make a difference and provided me with so many different experiences and opportunities to explore not just the environment but the world as well. 

Photo credit: Alaina Vandervoot

MA History - Specialization in Women's Studies
Thunder Bay, Ontario

I completed an MA program at Lakehead with the graduate specialization in Women’s Studies, and am glad every day that I did so. Today I am in law school at the University of New Brunswick, and I can see the way that my experience in the Women’s Studies program has shaped the way that I learn and interact with the materials. I know that having an understanding of underlying issues related not just to gender, but also to the way that gender intersects with both class and race, means that I can bring a unique perspective to my studies. My experience in the Women’s Studies program helps me to view my legal studies through a more nuanced lens and to see through the supposed neutrality of the law to understand that its application and its impact are not blind to gender, race, or class.

Specialized Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Thunder Bay, ON

During my final year of high school, I toured Lakehead University and was captivated by the sense of community. I had received positive feedback and heard many success stories from the people who had attended Lakehead. I always knew I wanted to stay in Thunder Bay, but this made my decision a lot easier. During my undergraduate year, I had the pleasure of getting to know the faculty. The professors are inspiring and knowledgeable, which further heightened my passion for Psychology. What I enjoyed most about my time at Lakehead was completing my honours thesis research. It was a stressful time, but with the support of my remarkable supervisor, lab partners, and classmates made it a tremendous success. Furthermore, I enjoyed developing and conducting a comprehensive research design and having the opportunity to build professional skills. This year, I completed my honours bachelor degree in psychology and received The Dean Braun Scholar Award for Health and Behavioral Sciences in Psychology. I also received the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) scholarship and will be returning to Lakehead for the Master’s program in Clinical Psychology this fall. This opportunity will allow me to make meaningful contributions to the field of Psychology and reach my goal of becoming a clinical psychologist.

Honours Bachelor of Arts & Science, Bachelor of Education
Cambridge, ON

Aside from the small school, I chose to attend Lakehead for all of the opportunities of growth, and involvement. It was not the outline of the programs, or the possible scholarships and bursaries that confirmed my decision, but the hospitality and community feeling on the campus.

In regards to academics - I love that the professors take the time to get to know YOU as a student. The usual claim "you're not just a number" certainly speaks true at LU. The simple element of being a name rather than a number is what gave me the confidence to become involved on campus. The professors are constantly seeking new innovative ways to teach us, and in turn I find I am succeeding more than I would at any other institution.

My Lakehead experience has been full of adventure, involvement, and a strong and true feeling of. At LU I have felt at home since day one, and because of this have felt comfortable enough to seek new opportunities on and off campus.

One of the most incredible opportunities I have been given through Lakehead was the opportunity to attend the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership in Kelowna British Columbia as a representative of the university. The opportunity to meet with students from all around the nation was an incredible privilege, and this past year I was able to return to the conference as a presenter with one other Lakehead student and experience the conference in a different way. This is just one example of the opportunities that Lakehead provides students, and it is opportunities such as these that make me feel so much more confident and ready to graduate and pursue my goals and dreams for the future.

Native Access Program Graduate
Social Work
Thunder Bay, ON

"My name is Sarah Alatyppo. I was born and raised in Thunder Bay, but my family roots are from White Fish Bay­- Naotkamegwanning. I decided to attend Lakehead University because I want to show to my two beautiful children and my community that you can do whatever you want as long as you put your mind to it and that nothing will stop you from achieving your goals.

I have graduated from the Native Access Program, and believe this program is very beneficial to Aboriginal students that haven't got their high school diploma yet or have been out of school for some time. The people that work with you in this program are all very helpful and do everything they can to see you succeed.

Lakehead just has this atmosphere that motivates you to continue your studies. And I think it's important for Aboriginal people to continue their education because by getting your degree you can do things to help your family, your community, and our people as a whole."

Honours Bachelor of Science in Geology
Newmarket, ON

My journey to Thunder Bay is somewhat convoluted as I arrived at Lakehead with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Brock University in St Catharines.

 Ever since I was a child I had felt a passion for all things scientific.  Despite this long-standing interest, I chose Theatre as my first course of study. I had attended a School for the Arts since grade 6 and had always loved movies and acting.  In high school, science and math teachers didn’t give arts students credit for being able to handle “harder” courses like chemistry and calculus and so my aptitude in these areas was neglected.  As a result my grades in those subject areas were not high enough to go into a science program.  So I focussed on theatre thinking I wouldn’t be successful in sciences.

After I graduated from Brock, I spent two years living with my mum and working a minimum wage retail job. I felt that I was letting myself down and missing my potential so I decided I was going to do what I truly loved and go back to school for science. 

I took some math and science courses online to upgrade my prerequisites and started applying to universities for Geology.  I chose Lakehead because, after emailing and meeting professors from various universities, Lakehead seemed like the university with all the opportunities I desired.  It also was the only university I saw that lived up to my expectations of the education I expected. 

Thunder Bay is a long way from home, but when I was choosing a program I wanted to make sure I got the best education I could find. I was surprised to learn that the requirements for the geology program were less than those of other universities in Ontario, but quickly came to realise that it’s not because of lack of talent, but because it’s difficult to convince students to come this far north and away from family.  And certainly the resources available at Lakehead are some of the best available to geology students. It is a perfect locale for this area of study as the natural environment here is right at your fingertips, not to mention breathtakingly beautiful!  Once you get here, it is so hard to leave!

 The professors in the Geology program are some of the leading researchers in the world in their respective focuses. This level of talent and experience not only benefits the students, but also provides opportunities to learn from some of their colleagues when they are brought in for short courses and seminar series. Dr. Hill’s colleague who is one of the scientists in charge of the Mars Rover project gave one seminar.  A well-respected Geophysicist, Alan King, gave another short course.

Perhaps it was the excitement of my professors in the subjects they teach, or perhaps it was the enthusiasm of the students in my program, but I cannot remember another time or place in my life where I’ve felt more accepted and like I belonged.  The people here are my family away from home.  

In my fourth year I took a course in Ore Petrology with Shannon Zurevinski.  She is a Lakehead graduate and just couldn’t stay away from Thunder Bay!  While she was teaching our class one day, she mentioned something about Geoforensics.  I jumped on this idea and started asking her all sorts of questions about it and what opportunities there were in this field.  Geoforensics is a relatively new area of study, but she gave me a book to read and provided me with every opportunity to study this subject further in another class she taught me.  I have now found the exact path that I want to take in my career as a geologist.

Student life at Lakehead has some similarities to other universities (as I mentioned previously, I attended Brock University), but I find it to be very different overall.  Obviously there’s the students union, the fundraisers, pub parties, and the support systems in place.  But Lakehead also provides opportunities to experience many other parts of life outside university.  For example:  dog sledding, hiking, skiing, even the chance to attend a pow wow on top of Mount McKay, one of the most beautiful places I’ve been.  

In every program, there are student groups to help get people involved in the school, with each other and to keep us up-to-date and involved with the real-world in our respective studies.  I belong to GALU, the Geology Association of Lakehead University, where students in our program get together on social nights, field trips and fundraising.  I also belong to the Lakehead student chapter of the Society of Economic Geologists, and several industry societies that have been brought to our attention by our professors.  These groups bring the students closer together and provide opportunities to gain lifelong friendships and support when so many of us are far from our families.

For anyone pursuing post-secondary studies I cannot recommend Thunder Bay and Lakehead University highly enough.  Here you will enjoy the pristine natural beauty of Lake Superior and its environs, as well as you will become a member of a tightknit and supportive network of students and faculty who make up the Lakehead family.  It is an opportunity not to be overlooked. 

Honours Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (Minor in Women's Studies)
Thunder Bay, ON

I chose Lakehead for my undergraduate degree partially because this is my hometown but also because of Lakehead’s reputation for providing opportunities for undergraduate research. During my time at Lakehead, I became involved with the student union, spending my fourth year as assistant coordinator at Pride Central. Through Pride, I became involved with the other LUSU centers, meeting new people daily and working to make Lakehead a safe space for all people. I highly recommend engaging with the school community and attending events as my only undergraduate regret is waiting until fourth year to get involved.

In completing my Honors, I had the opportunity to engage in some original research and fieldwork. This was in the subfield of urban anthropology, which can be generally defined as the study of groups of people within urban settings. Specifically, my interest is in metal music, fans and musicians. My thesis explored the ritual of moshing at the metal show, concentrating on the experiences of Thunder Bay fans and musicians. I am particularly interested in youth, violence, and neo-tribalism and, of course, ritual itself.

My question in beginning undergraduate fieldwork was how the aggression of the mosh pit contributes to the experience of the live show. I attended several shows, meeting people and interviewing musicians and fans of the genre. My current interest as I enter into my Masters program at McMaster University is the experience of metal musicians specifically- how they “create” the environment for mosh pits and what mosh means to them. In doing so, I hope to somewhat demystify mosh and contribute to existing theories about violence, youth and ritual.

In the future, I plan to complete my Master’s degree and pursue my Doctorate degree. I aim to continue research as a post-doctoral student and teach at the university level. It is my end goal to be able to provide young academics with the kind of experience and support I have been fortunate enough to receive at Lakehead.

I would have to say that being part of a university community that supported and encouraged my academic interest in metal music is what has been most important to me as a student. I particularly thank Dr. Martha Dowsley, Dr. Frederico Oliveira and Dr. Pamela Wakewich in for their support and help that guided me through my undergraduate degree and into my graduate years.