Jillian Hawkins

What education have you taken?

I graduated from Hamiota Collegiate in 2012. I am currently in my third year at Brandon University pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Chemistry and minors in both Mathematics and Psychology.

What accomplishments are you proud of?

Throughout my high school career I was very invested in volunteering within my school and community. As the student council Junior Vice President in 2011 and the President in 2012 I took part in organizing and implementing many events and fundraisers such as Relay for Life, Walk for ALS, Puck Toss for Charity, magazine campaign, and Fowl supper to name a few. Helping so many great causes made receiving the Park West School Division Citizenship award in 2012 extremely rewarding.

While attending Brandon University, I am very proud to have been placed on the Brandon University’s Honour list twice and have been inducted into the President’s Honour Society.

Tell me about yourself/background/history.

I grew up on a farm in the small town of Hamiota, MB. I busied myself with drama and many sports including hockey, volleyball, baseball, soccer, and badminton. I spent my summers working outdoors at our community pool, first as a cashier and eventually as a lifeguard.

After I completed high school I moved to Brandon to pursue a Science degree while travelling back to Hamiota during the winter to teach Learn to Skate.

How did you become interested in your field of study?

Growing up I spent much of my childhood free time playing “school” with my sisters. I enjoyed creating and correcting assignments and always knew I wanted to pursue a career in Education. My interest in science developed in high school as I started taking Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses. My transition into University was made quite simple as I already knew what subject areas were of interest to me.

What is your Philosophy in life?

I truly believe that hard work pays off and that any obtainable goal can be accomplished if you set your mind to it. Although the workload and stress can seem overwhelming at the time, there is nothing comparable to the feeling of pride, relief, and achievement once that goal is reached.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

After completing my Bachelor of Science degree, I plan to apply to the Faculty of Education program at Brandon University. Ultimately, I would like to teach high school Science and Math.

Nominator’s comments:

Jillian is exceptional in my view due to her outstanding demonstration of physical, chemical, mathematical and computational literacy. Moreover her ability to combine these languages in solving a variety of problems is notably impressive.