The people who study, work and teach in our community! In this series, we invite you to take an authentic look at the lives of our students, faculty, staff and alumni as we share why #WeAreUNB.
My first year at UNB I was in engineering, I decided that wasn’t for me. It took me a few different faculty changes before I found out what I wanted to do. It took me a while to understand that not everyone has their career all figured out at 18 and that’s normal.
I felt energized to leave the workforce and return to university as a mature learner because of the sensation I felt to my core. Having been successful in the workforce and receiving awards for my accomplishments, I felt something was missing. I had a desire and want for something more meaningful. My passion for supporting and inspiring others to grow and be the best version has always been my calling.
I always dreamt of becoming a lawyer someday, and my current majors align well with that goal. I choose this career path because I want to be able to help people who haven't been given their fair chance in society.
I grew up playing cricket and it was one of my dreams to represent myself on such a big platform playing for the university team. Winning the cricket tournament for UNBCC in 2021 had a great impact on me and taught me that hard work and consistency is the key to achieving your goals.
Read more about Zeeshan Nawaz.
New Brunswick is home. JDI has allowed me to carry on my family tradition of practicing forestry, much the way they have for 139 years by managing N.B.’s forests sustainably for the future. Being able to go to UNB and take forestry, work for one of the most progressive forest products companies in the world and raise my three daughters while doing it, is amazing.
With COVID-19 causing people to experience prolonged loneliness, it is important to stay together as a university and let everyone know it’s okay to talk about it – what they are going through.
Read more about Kaydie Surette.
We often dream great things for ourselves at night. But in the morning, we just forget them. By having a little faith in your potential, a plan, and with a bit of hard work, you can make those dreams a reality.
I knew I wanted to learn and grow with UNB - little did I know how much of an impact that decision would have on my future. I have become a person I had only dreamt of, stepping out of my comfort zone, becoming a leader, supporter and, most importantly, a friend to a lot of people I would've never met if I didn't attend UNB Saint John. I have learned how valuable it is to believe in and challenge yourself to become the person you truly want to be.
I’ve been an academic for over four years now and I’m still excited to get to campus every morning. My excitement is largely tied to the freedom that I have in my job: I have a huge amount of leeway in what I research, how I teach classes, who I work with. Basically, working as an academic hits the trifecta of a dream job: a thing I’m good at, a thing I get paid for, and a thing I enjoy.
My favourite thing about O-Week was meeting so many new people! I came to UNB not knowing really anyone, so meeting everyone in the first couple days was really exciting and an amazing experience.
I am most grateful for resuming the in-person university life experience and I am looking forward to meeting our incoming students. One piece of advice I would like to give to incoming students is to get as involved with clubs and societies as they can. Another is to make the best out of university life. This experience comes as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity where you can make lifelong memories.
I’ve been looking forward to returning to campus since the moment we had to leave! I did not think I would, but I truly miss going up that hill every day. I feel nostalgic for that walk up to my classes from the bottom of the hill with my fellow classmates, saying "Hi" to friends along the way, and taking a look around our gorgeous view of Fredericton right from campus. It’s a walk many of us do not entirely enjoy (guilty as charged), but I will never take it for granted again.
As a mental performance consultant I've been a part of a few championship teams (e.g., Stanley Cup, World Junior, USport). When these successes occur, people see the excitement and the glamour associated with it. People don't see the impact of the losses, the anxiety in the competition, and the grind of balancing multiple careers and a family life. Sacrifice is more of a feature of the work I do than celebration.
Read more about Ryan Hamilton.
Being a student at UNB has allowed me to learn, make close friends, experience the world outside of my home, and give me the insight and skills I need to succeed in life beyond academics. My favourite part of being a student at UNB is the connections I get to make with my professors. I came to UNB assuming I would have to fend for myself and was surprised to be met by a wealth of knowledgeable and supportive instructors, which undoubtably make my university experience that much more enjoyable.
Moving to Canada, I was scared that I would be all by myself. Traveling to a completely different part of the globe, living away from my family and friends, being surrounded by strangers; I was scared. I am definitely grateful for the people I have met at UNB, the warm and welcoming environment, and the priceless experiences I have had working with and for UNB. Moving to Canada was one of the best decisions that I have made.
I was always scared to open up and share my views on difficult topics. It was my first-year proctor at UNB who originally inspired me to do so - she had no fear at all to push forward conversations. It really influenced me to be able to talk about things that people don’t always want to talk about, but that need to be discussed.
One thing that I really enjoyed about being a university student is getting to be in touch with a whole bunch of new people and people that came from all over. Before that, all my friends were from the same city, so you had your opinions and everyone was on board with it. And then suddenly, things were challenged. But that’s a great life experience: to realize not everyone is going to have the same opinions as you.
I really love working with people and I love technology. I want to bridge the gap between humanities and technology; I want to create technology that makes a difference in people’s lives.
My biggest realization while travelling is that our languages, religions and skin colour may be different, but we all want the same things: clean food and water, genuine love and to feel wholly appreciated.
I always wanted to learn Spanish. So I gave it a shot in my first year, loved it, then did it every single year for the rest of my degree and met a bunch of friends from all over Latin America. Language learning was such a path for me in finding myself, because not only did I learn a language, I learned about other parts of the world and other ways of understanding the world. For me, it’s a path to so many future opportunities and connections.
Since I was ten, my dream has always been to become an engineer and to help shape the world into a better place. Thanks to scholarships, UNB and the contributions of benefactors, I’ve been given this chance. The chance to struggle, to persevere, to make lifelong friendships, to challenge myself, to realize my potential, to follow my dream. I think everyone deserves such an opportunity.
