My CBU Story: Valedictorian Rebecca Bennett
Born and raised in Sydney Mines, Rebecca Bennett knew she wanted to stay close to her hometown after graduating from high school. Attending Cape Breton University allowed her to pursue a Bachelor of Science only minutes from home. This weekend, after four years of determination and hard work, Rebecca will not only graduate with an Honours Degree, but will represent her class as the 2020 Spring Valedictorian.
Although she won鈥檛 get the chance to give her speech in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rebecca has recorded her speech and is eager to share it with the class this weekend. 鈥淚鈥檓 sad that I don鈥檛 have the chance to have that final goodbye with my friends and professors while walking across the stage,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut despite everything we are facing right now, the graduates of CBU have such happy moments to reflect on.鈥澛�
Looking back on her own time at CBU, Rebecca says the strong support she received from professors and fellow students helped her achieve her goals. 鈥淭he Psychology department at CBU is one of a kind,鈥� says Rebecca. 鈥淭he professors care about their students and will do everything in their power to ensure that students feel supported both academically and personally.鈥�
Believe it or not, Rebecca says some of her favourite memories of CBU are tied to exam season because of the time spent with classmates and friends. 鈥淲e would all gather in the boardrooms of the Psychology department and spend hours on end studying and spending time with each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淛ust getting to be with people while learning was always my favourite thing, along with the many jokes we shared.鈥� The small campus 福利免费在线看 at CBU is what Rebecca will miss most, saying her professors and classmates provided the care and enthusiasm that pushed her to be a better student.聽
As her journey at CBU reaches its end, Rebecca is confident that she is prepared for the future. 鈥淐BU has given me research experience that I would not have been able to receive at another undergraduate institution,鈥� she says. 鈥淏eing able to create my own thesis project, accompanied by the support from the department has given me the confidence and skills to conduct quality research.鈥澛犅�
In the fall, Rebecca will begin her Master of Science program at Memorial University and says she couldn鈥檛 have done it without the foundation she built at CBU. 鈥淚 am so appreciative of all of the professors and friends I鈥檝e met along the way here at CBU,鈥� says Rebecca. 鈥淚 know I couldn鈥檛 have done it without them and they made every late-night study session worth it.鈥�