A University of Guelph biomedical sciences student is one of 10 recipients of this year’s 3M National Student Fellowship Awards.
Third-year student Nia King was selected for the award, given to promising Canadian undergraduate leaders.
The award is presented each year by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE).
“Winning this fellowship is an incredible feeling,” King said.
“I am extremely proud to have been named a fellow and hope that I can effectively represent Guelph. Winning this will give me a chance to foster positive learning experiences.”
King will receive $5,000, registration at this year’s STLHE conference and an invitation to take part in a collaborative project related to post-secondary education.
“We are very proud of Nia and delighted about her achievements,” said Charlotte Yates, provost and vice-president (academic).
Calling King an exceptional student dedicated to inclusive leadership on campus, Yates said, “Nia has proven herself to be an innovative and passionate individual eager to find ways to allow others to pursue their passions, both in Guelph and around the world. This is outstanding recognition for her and for U of G.”
King has served as an in-school mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, volunteered with the One2One program supporting children in recreation and organized the annual TEDxGuelphU conference.
In Kenya, she helped start a reusable menstrual napkin program to reduce school absenteeism and dropout rates while researching the impact of a feeding program on primary school outcomes.
She credits her time at Guelph with helping her succeed.
“I was encouraged by my professors to go to Kenya and I’ve also travelled to a small Inuit community to research the costs of acute gastrointestinal illness,” she said.
“None of these opportunities would have been possible without the support of U of G.”
King, who competes in ringette, rowing and long distance running, hopes to continue working with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program while she begins a career in medicine or public health.