Hello, I’m Brittany. I’m currently 4th year UofL student, taking my General Science and Education degree (last semester, I completed my first practicum). Previously, I was wanting to complete my Neuroscience degree but I have, obviously, switched since. This semester, I started my position as Director of Tutoring Services with the EUS and have learned valuable information about council structures and the functions and goals of representatives of the students within the Education faculty. I’ve been loving my position so far and I wish to provide more support for my fellow Education peers and get the chance to advocate for them. I also have a passion for Liberal Education and a had the pleasure of seeing many academic sides of the university and student experiences through the 7 LBED courses I have taken so far. Prior to me starting my degree, I was from a small town in Saskatchewan where everyone was very close to each other and were always helping one another. I was raised with that worldview and I want to share that with the community here at the university. For me, competing and playing sports was what I put my time into. By the end of my grade 12 year, I was captain of my volleyball, basketball, and softball teams and played other sports. I am used to being in a leadership position and I work well in teams. Currently, I really love reading contemporary and classical books, taking care of my plants and the garden that my roommate and I have made, and spending time with my friends. And similar to my position at the EUS, I do as much tutoring as I can for students in the Lethbridge and surrounding area.

As I have gone through my first practicum and talked to people with my cohort and other cohorts, I found that there are problems and concerns at seemed to be continuous and consistent. I want to bring these issues forward to the correct personnel. I want to focus particularly on two things if I take on this role: 1) Advocate for the students within the Ed faculty that are in need of differentiation and accommodation and 2) Create action within the Ed faculty and the university as a whole towards the meaning work needed for reconciliation to occur for our Indigenous community on and off campus. For my first point, I wish to speak directly to students within the Ed faculty who are needing accommodations or have concerns about accommodations and give them the support needed in order to vocalize their needs and get the help required for them. This will help me create and strengthen relationships with the people that I will be representing and will benefit the community as a whole. Everyone benefits from differentiation options even if they do not use them. If there is anything needed to be addressed, I want to bring this to the Ed Faculty Council and the Ed Executive Council. For my second point, I have had many conversations with students in the Ed faculty that are also Indigenous about the needs of being an Indigenous student at the U of L and, while I am not Indigenous, I want to give my peers the platform to speak for their stresses and concerns both within the Faculty and the University. Their well-being has been at risk lately which is unacceptable and action needs to happen in order for accountability to occur.

Even before my education degree even started, my philosophy in learning and education was that students are the first, second, and third priority. It is valuable that we build a learning environment where students are shown that they are cared for and listened to. If I am elected for VPA, I want to focus particularly on two things if I take on this role: 1) Advocate for the students within the university that are in need of differentiation and accommodation and 2) Build and create opportunities for students to increase their experience in their field so that they can be as successful as possible in their future careers. For my first goal, I wish to speak directly to students throughout the university who are needing accommodations or have concerns about accommodations and give them the support needed in order to vocalize their needs and get the help required for them. This will help me create and strengthen relationships with the people that I will be representing and will benefit the community as a whole. Everyone benefits from differentiation options even if they do not use them. If there is anything needed to be addressed, I want to bring this to the appropriate places and advocate for students. For my second goal, I wish to work with the services and facilities that we have currently on campus (Destination Exploration, the Agility Centre, the Community Bridge Lab, and more) to see if there are chances for students to gain practical work experience. I also wish to help create and facilitate options for students to gain experience through workshops, seminars, and series that can be held by experts in their field.