After a summer well spent, I was prepared to dive into another year of studies at the University of Manitoba. There has been a notable change in my experience on campus this year. Everything was new and somewhat foreign during the previous semesters, whereas I felt significantly more at ease as I began my courses in the fall. There was something comforting in the return to routines and late afternoon labs. I really love my classes this semester, I often found myself getting incredibly excited in lecture as we learnt about different biological molecules and pathways. I feel so blessed that I get to spend each day discovering more about the world that surrounds me. My classes have also been more challenging, and I have enjoyed having to work with my peers to figure out various questions.

I have had the opportunity this year to make many new friends through both my classes and campus student groups; this has truly increased my sense of community. One of my highlights for this semester was participating in a ‘murder mystery’ playing the role of a vengeful cousin of the bride for an event hosted on campus. I also returned to the climbing wall this year prepared to undertake new challenges; I joined an intramural team with a few friends. We named ourselves ‘boulder than you’, and we were able to live up to our name as we claimed the title of intramural climbing champions!

One of the biggest blessings of being a Schulich Leader, is the financial freedom it has granted me. It enabled me to work for a youth employment program that targeted some of the at risk youth in Winnipeg’s North End community over the summer. It has been such a joy continuing to mentor some these youth throughout the semester. They are such incredible kids and it is such an honour to walk alongside them through their struggles and triumphs. It has certainly kept me humble and made me incredibly grateful for the life that has been given to me.