Your name: Joanna Matthews
Program: Psychology Major, Biology and Sociology Double Minor
Country & city of origin: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Post-graduation plans: Starting my first year of medical school in the fall!
Your most memorable time at UTM: I think my most memorable time would be welcoming new students onto the UTM campus and residence during Orientation Week when I was in second-year. It was so exciting to pass on stories and pieces of advice after having gone through an arduous first year myself!
What is the most important thing you learned at UTM: Lectures and readings are important, but it is the relationships you build outside of the classroom and activities you join that make undergrad so valuable. I will never forget the student communities I was able to be part of while working in residence, as well as friendships made through clubs and research. Most of my personal growth and learning happened during these experiences!
Inspirational message: Each of our journeys to this point look very different whether it is in the number of years, the program choice, or how far we had to travel to come to UTM! However, we are united in that each of us have worked incredibly hard and overcome many challenges to get to this point. We finished off our time at UTM during a global pandemic, and I think that will only cultivate more resilience and gratitude as we move forwards in our lives!