Anna recently received news that she had been chosen to receive the Alumni Gold Medal Award at convocation. This award is given by University of Waterloo Alumni Relations to top students in recognition for outstanding academic achievement. A maximum of six of these awards are given out in a given year, and only one per faculty, which makes the honour all the more meaningful. “I was absolutely shocked,” says Anna about learning she had been chosen to receive the award. “I feel very proud, and I’m really thankful to all of the people who have helped me – I want to give it to my profs and to everyone at Renison because I don’t think I could have done it without [the Renison] environment.” In addition to the Alumni Gold Medal, Anna was also the recipient of the Renison Board of Governor’s Award for Academic Achievement.
Given her academic achievement, it may be a surprise that Anna’s university career has not been without its challenges. Before beginning the SDS program, Anna had been studying nursing. Following an accident, she became physically disabled, and switched her focus to child and youth work. Though it took a number of years to return to school, completing a University degree and grad studies were always the goal; Anna wanted to do research in social science and contribute to the body of scholarship.
And so, Anna found her home at Renison in the SDS program. Initially the appeal was the ability to study online, but it was the support of the professors and the multidisciplinary aspects of the program that made the difference. In fact, though she was drawn to SDS for the ability of online study, she says that one of her favourite memories of Renison was going to her very first in-person class. She was able to see other students and meet her professors and see how passionate everyone was. The culture of Renison, Anna says, is friendly and accepting, and she would not hesitate to recommend the program to anyone.
“For people with diverse identities [Renison is] a great place,” says Anna. “I am disabled and transgender and I’ve never felt anything but acceptance while I was there.”
Anna graduates this week with a degree in SDS, with minors in both Psychology and Sociology. She will continue her studies and begin a Master of Arts degree in Sociology at the University of Guelph this Fall. She’d like to eventually complete a Ph.D. and become a professor and researcher who specializes in mental health, disability, and the effects of education and stigma on people with mental illness. She is confident in her skills and knows that she can achieve the things she is setting out to do – and we couldn’t agree more! Congratulations Anna, we can’t wait to see where life takes you next!