My name is Felipa Galván Juárez, I live in Ixtlahuaca, State of Mexico, in México. I am 50 years old. I have worked very hard to get a scholarship to Canada. I had two purposes: the first one was to practice English in a real context and live the experience in a university, the second to learn about the culture in Canada.

I was surprised when I saw the invitation from the "Lakehead University" Ontario, Canada, because I could perceive the connection between knowledge and ancestral wisdom. I have lived the best experience in my life because everything was an energetic connection at the perfect and ideal moment. When I arrived at the airport in Thunder Bay, Ontario, I felt special, but when I arrived at the university, I could feel, breathe and touch a new reality. Lakehead is a place that made me feel that I was at peace and I could express myself without fear of being wrong, because in the English Language Centre everybody inspired me to trust. I enjoyed the experience because everybody is on the same learning frequency. When I walked around and into the university I felt the connection with human beings in transformation, their language, culture and the energy of their countries. It is something magical that integrates us and makes us feel part of a whole that surrounds and protects us. I believe it is the power of the lake, the flowing water in the river, the snow and the nature of the place that allows contact with the universe. I loved my English classes and enjoyed all the activities, because I could learn and share knowledge and experiences. I love my university because It has made me feel like one more wolf in the pack of human beings in transformation, working for a world in equity and harmony.

My experience at Lakehead University was more than an internship. In 2019, I participated in the Business Innovative Program with a group of students and professors from the Costa Rican Institute of Technology. The experience was enlightening in three main ways. The first one is related to academic and professional growth, especially because the program was a meaningful learning experience along with the guidance of an excellent teacher and the Lakehead team. The second reason is related to the cultural exchange because we also had the opportunity to perform different volunteering projects in Orillia, which allowed us to interact with society and learning even more about their culture. Finally, as we were in the country for three weeks, we got to visit so many amazing and beautiful places, including lakes, museums, castles, stadiums and the iconic Niagara Falls.  

These kinds of experiences are which make us better professionals, but even more important, better human beings. After studying at Lakehead, the outlook and expectations get wider, showing us that our capabilities and skills are greater than we realize and confirming that there is a whole world waiting for us. 

Last summer of 2019 I spent three weeks in the Lakehead University campus in Orillia, Canada, as part of an English Innovation Program. There, I had the opportunity to take classes about business and entrepreneurship with an amazing teacher, which resulted in very useful for me because I was not very used to those subjects since I'm an engineering student and we don't normally get the chance to learn much about that. As a student, it was truly rewarding, not only for the fact that we did presentations, workshops, and little research about interesting topics but also because taking those classes in English really helped me to improve my English skills such as writing, listening and speaking.

During my stay, I was always treated very kindly by everyone on campus, especially when I accidentally got injured, fortunately, that didn't stop me from doing the planned social and cultural activities, since most of my photos, souvenirs and treasured memories are from the trips we did. I definitely brought a piece of Orillia to my heart after doing volunteer work in the community, where I met the most remarkable places and people of the entire journey. I am very grateful to all the people who made that trip and that program possible. Attached photo of a common summer day in Orillia after school, and another photo of my favourite volunteer of all, the Orillia Museum of Art and History.

Last summer of 2019 I spent three weeks in the Lakehead University campus in Orillia, Canada, as part of an English Innovation Program. There, I had the opportunity to take classes about business and entrepreneurship with an amazing teacher, which resulted in very useful for me because I was not very used to those subjects since I'm an engineering student and we don't normally get the chance to learn much about that. As a student, it was truly rewarding, not only for the fact that we did presentations, workshops, and little research about interesting topics but also because taking those classes in English really helped me to improve my English skills such as writing, listening and speaking.

During my stay, I was always treated very kindly by everyone on campus, especially when I accidentally got injured, fortunately, that didn't stop me from doing the planned social and cultural activities, since most of my photos, souvenirs and treasured memories are from the trips we did. I definitely brought a piece of Orillia to my heart after doing volunteer work in the community, where I met the most remarkable places and people of the entire journey. I am very grateful to all the people who made that trip and that program possible. Attached photo of a common summer day in Orillia after school, and another photo of my favourite volunteer of all, the Orillia Museum of Art and History.

My experience at Lakehead University was more than an internship. In 2019, I participated in the Business Innovative Program with a group of students and professors from the Costa Rican Institute of Technology. The experience was enlightening in three main ways. The first one is related to academic and professional growth, especially because the program was a meaningful learning experience along with the guidance of an excellent teacher and the Lakehead team. The second reason is related to the cultural exchange because we also had the opportunity to perform different volunteering projects in Orillia, which allowed us to interact with society and learning even more about their culture. Finally, as we were in the country for three weeks, we got to visit so many amazing and beautiful places, including lakes, museums, castles, stadiums and the iconic Niagara Falls.  

These kinds of experiences are which make us better professionals, but even more important, better human beings. After studying at Lakehead, the outlook and expectations get wider, showing us that our capabilities and skills are greater than we realize and confirming that there is a whole world waiting for us. 

My name is Felipa Galván Juárez, I live in Ixtlahuaca, State of Mexico, in México. I am 50 years old. I have worked very hard to get a scholarship to Canada. I had two purposes: the first one was to practice English in a real context and live the experience in a university, the second to learn about the culture in Canada.

I was surprised when I saw the invitation from the "Lakehead University" Ontario, Canada, because I could perceive the connection between knowledge and ancestral wisdom. I have lived the best experience in my life because everything was an energetic connection at the perfect and ideal moment. When I arrived at the airport in Thunder Bay, Ontario, I felt special, but when I arrived at the university, I could feel, breathe and touch a new reality. Lakehead is a place that made me feel that I was at peace and I could express myself without fear of being wrong, because in the English Language Centre everybody inspired me to trust. I enjoyed the experience because everybody is on the same learning frequency. When I walked around and into the university I felt the connection with human beings in transformation, their language, culture and the energy of their countries. It is something magical that integrates us and makes us feel part of a whole that surrounds and protects us. I believe it is the power of the lake, the flowing water in the river, the snow and the nature of the place that allows contact with the universe. I loved my English classes and enjoyed all the activities, because I could learn and share knowledge and experiences. I love my university because It has made me feel like one more wolf in the pack of human beings in transformation, working for a world in equity and harmony.

Lakehead's programs are not only about teaching you what you need to learn but about being prepared for life, especially a life far away from home in the case of the international students. Definitely, Lakehead became my home away from home.

Studying at Lakehead was important because there I found a multicultural place with valuable people who helped me to enjoy learning English. They gave me the confidence to develop my English skills and to not being afraid of making mistakes when I was trying to express myself in a language that is new to me. It was an incredible experience!

The activities in my English lessons were fantastic. 5 hours per day studying English seemed to be a lot, but my professor was always doing different activities with us, so we were learning without noticing it. Boredom was not included in our vocabulary.

Lakehead offers so many different activities aside from English classes like dancing lessons, visits to the most prominent places in the city including the Thunder Bay Museum, hiking and the most spectacular landscapes and views I've ever seen. Those activities help you to take a look into Canada's history, help you to interact with Canadians and learn more about them.