Scholarly Silver Finish
Graduate recently received two very exciting messages to cap off his studies at UTM
When checking his email inbox at the end of the 2022-23 academic term, Thinh Nguyen found out he had won both the Outstanding Academic Performance in Program Award from the Department of Biology, as well as the Governor General’s Silver Medal. He was still skeptical about his prize-winning finish but it was officially confirmed at the Graduation Awards Reception ceremony he attended in June, where every UTM department gives out honours to their highest-achieving students.
“I didn’t realize the Governor General’s award was legitimate until Principal Gillespie announced that I was the recipient. It was crazy,” says Nguyen, adding that he didn’t know how prestigious the honour was until he found information about it online.
The Governor General’s award is given to undergraduates who achieve the highest academic standing upon graduation from a bachelor degree program. At U of T, three Silver Medals are awarded each year: one for a student graduating from an arts program, and the other two from engineering and science programs. Students from all three campuses are considered, meaning that Nguyen had the highest average out of all students graduating from science programs under the U of T umbrella.
Nguyen, who graduated with a Specialist in Biology, appreciated the smaller class sizes, the diverse subject matter, and the passion of his professors.
BIO313 was one of his favourite courses as it gave him the opportunity to devise and execute his own experiment.
“I spent a whole semester feeding styrofoam to bugs,” says Nguyen
Instrumental to his success was Professor Wagih Ghobriel in the Department of Physics, who wrote the reference letter Nguyen used when applying to graduate school, and who also recommended that Nguyen apply for a position with the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre’s (RGASC) Facilitated Study Groups (FSG) program.
“I ended up being a Facilitator for two years, which was really fun,” says Nguyen.
“During the first few weeks, the students who attended were really nervous, but by the end of the semester our sessions almost felt like weekly hangouts with friends.”
One of the study groups he facilitated first took place online until UTM transitioned back to in-person classes during the Winter 2022 semester. Nguyen soon found himself back on campus being recognized by the students he was assisting.
“Helping other students succeed was really rewarding,” says Nguyen
He also worked as a Program Assistant in RGASC, a role he fulfilled over the course of the last year.
Strong time management is what Nguyen believes was the main reason behind his success. He used breaks between classes to get his work done so that he could head home as stress-free as possible. If he needed a break, he would attend events run by the UTM Board Game and eSports clubs, “which I know is very unexpected for a guy who won a bunch of academic awards!” he laughs.
He’s also an avid badminton player and Rubik’s Cube solver.
Some top tips he offers to students who want to improve their grades include taking detailed notes during lectures and teaching course content to friends.
“Work-life balance is very important,” he adds. “You have to learn to figure out when to de-stress and when to study.”
Nguyen will embark on his next chapter this fall as a graduate student in the Doctor of Optometry program at the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science - as the only English-speaking School of Optometry in Canada, it’s a highly competitive program.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards since high school,” says Nguyen.
Nguyen’s Specialist in Biology fulfilled the many prerequisites required to apply to Waterloo’s optometry program, but he also adds that “the work-life balance of optometry fits [his] needs, interests, and skillset.”
“I’m looking forward to studying at Waterloo, but I’m definitely going to miss being a UTM student.”
See a write-up of the event and the full list of Graduation Award Recipients.