hometown student, jessie clarke, wins top honour

june 4, 2011

"choosing to attend 阿根廷vs墨西哥竞猜 in orillia when it first opened in 2006 has been, by far, the best decision i have made for my future."

this is what jessie clarke told me about her experience as a charter class member of lakehead - orillia. she and many of her classmates will celebrate their accomplishments at the university's convocation ceremony today.

clarke, born and raised in orillia, has much to celebrate. she is the recipient of the orillia campus dean's medal, which is awarded to the highest-ranking student in the honours bachelor of arts and sciences degree program. clarke finished the five-year program, including a bachelor of education degree, with an average of over 90 per cent. clarke was also very active throughout university as a volunteer and part-time staff member with the student affairs department. in addition to her studies, she was responsible for helping to plan and organize events such as orientation, convocation and campus tours. and outside of school, clarke happens to be an award-winning car enthusiast, who builds, restores and shows vintage automobiles.

how does she do it?

apparently, excelling at university is an extension of her previous success. she received the governor general's award upon graduation from twin lakes secondary school in orillia. this is the most prestigious award that 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 in canadian schools can receive and goes to the student graduating with the highest average.

according to jessie, it all comes down to putting in the time and doing the work. "i pay attention to details and do lots of proofreading and editing. i always go the extra step to make sure my work is correct. among my classmates, i've even been known as a member of the 'citation police'."

her work ethic has been evident among her professors and others at the university. "i have very high standards in my courses," says dr. sreekumari kurissery, assistant professor of biology. "jessie stands out in my mind as someone who perfected my expectations! her love for biology, attention to details, systematic study strategies, and perfect answers to test questions, all contributed to her success. and still, she has a modest presence in class, a true pleasure to teach."

when clarke finished high school, she had aspirations to become a doctor. "i was accepted into programs at mcmaster, queens and western, and was offered excellent scholarships." but in the end, clarke decided upon lakehead in orillia. "i'm a 'homebody," she says, "and i also liked the idea of living at home and saving money." clarke says she was also attracted to the interdisciplinary studies program that combines arts and science.

by second year, clarke says she changed her mind about becoming a doctor. "it just didn't seem to be me and didn't feel right."

she decided to combine her hbasc degree with the concurrent bachelor of education degree, thinking that she may like to be a teacher, but was just as interested in simply learning about how one learns. "the idea of taking what you know and learning how to share it with others appealed to me," she said. "i think what i've learned in this program will help with any kind of job or career i have in the future."

"jessie was one of the first 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 i met in the summer leading up to opening of the orillia campus," says kelli gray, manager of registrarial support services. "after hearing about her high school academic accomplishments, i knew she could have gone to any university she applied to, but she chose to come to a brand new, small university campus. i am not surprised that her academic excellence continued here - she has an amazing work ethic. jessie has been a great ambassador for the university and the community of orillia can be extremely proud of the efforts of this hometown student."

within the community, clarke is known - especially among local car enthusiasts - for excelling as a builder of quality cars and trucks. the hobby is a family pastime and it was clarke's dad who inspired clarke. "i bought my first car when i was 11 or 12." clarke is currently customizing her 1989 gmc stepside pickup truck and working on another project to build a hot rod - a 1929 model a roadster pickup. clarke's goal is to complete the work on her truck in time to drive it to graduation.

in anticipation of graduation, i asked clarke what she enjoyed most about her lakehead experience, clarke said it is the people. "this is a small, tight knit community. everyone wants to see you succeed -- from kelli gray, the first person i met here -- to many others throughout the years. i feel like i belong here and that people care. i'm glad i came here -- it was a good decision," she concludes.

if lakehead was good for clarke, the university certainly gained from her contribution.

"jessie is one of our founding 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 and has helped to create the university culture that so many of our 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 value," said campus dean dr. kim fedderson. "she has not only excelled academically, but through her outstanding example, has helped successive 世界杯2022赛程表淘汰赛 understand what it's like to be a student at lakehead and how to get the most out of the experience."

congratulations jessie! we look forward to celebrating with you at convocation, and hope to see you pulling up in that beautiful truck!