UNews - Trish Jackson

Development of Student Experience Transcript a win-win for students, academic units

trevor.kenney — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:44:29 +0000

Recognizing a student’s post-secondary journey cannot be captured fully by a list of courses and grades, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is creating a supplement to the academic transcript that proposes to represent a student’s complete university experience.

The Student Experience Transcript (SET) will complement the academic transcript and is being designed to reflect a student’s curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular experiential learning opportunities, giving students a well-rounded summary of their university career as they transition to the professional world.

“Experiential education is one of a number of high impact educational practices connected to deep learning and personal development,” says Kathleen Massey, the U of L’s associate vice-president (students). “We provide a remarkably enriching range of these opportunities to students, and the new platform will allow us to gather them in a centralized location for students, increasing visibility and awareness.”

Students will be encouraged to mindfully plan their personal and professional development throughout their time at the U of L. The SET will include a self-reflection tool that will help students develop language to articulate the value and impact of their broad range of experiences while at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

“Working with the people who offer the various experiences to our students, we will give them the developmental language to articulate the value of the skills they have gained, preparing them for their future higher education and career paths,” adds Massey.

U of L departments and academic units will play a major role in the creation of each student’s SET and through the use of a central platform, the reporting and curation of student experiences promises to be easier and more consistent across campus. The aggregated information will also help provide enhanced data and metrics linked to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s immersive experience brand block, which can be featured during future marketing and recruitment initiatives.

“The project team has been consulting widely to understand how the SET might be helpful to academic and student service teams,” says Massey. “One major benefit is that practicum, workshop, and event registration and prerequisite checking are supported using the new platform. This can help to alleviate a great deal of the manual work that is currently handled by many offices across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.”

What will it look like? Examples of experiences that might appear on the SET include:

o   Cooperative Education
o   Applied Studies
o   Volunteer experience (such as UVolunteer, who has contributed to the project)
o   Study abroad
o   Internships
o   Practicum placements
o   Athletics
o   Leadership roles with ULSU, GSA
o   Workshop participation
o   Research

All experiences will be managed and validated by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ through the platform.

A pilot launch of the platform is scheduled for May 1, with graduate students gaining access to THRIVE programming content and Cooperative Education & Applied Studies students being able to access an initial experience catalogue. By September 1, all students will have access to the system and the experience catalogue, which will be a continually updated living document in ensuing years.

For more information or to learn how you and your department can get involved, contact Trish Jackson, SET Project Manager, trish.jackson@uleth.ca. Also, to follow the development of the SET, check out blogs.ulethbridge.ca/set/

Student Success Centre launching

trevor.kenney — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 16:48:06 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is launching a Student Success Centre – a new business unit that brings together a number of different resources and services to help students successfully navigate through their university experiences.

"This is a great step for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, as we move forward with a co-ordinated approach to student engagement," says Dr. Judith Lapadat, the U of L's Associate Vice-President (Students).

Building on the recommendations of an all-campus recruitment strategy committee, the Student Success Centre will be managed by Trish Jackson, a U of L grad (BASc '03), former SU executive member and international recruitment officer.

Jackson will be joined by campus outreach coordinator Auburn Philips (MA'12) and support personnel drawn from other offices on campus to work with students to ensure they get the most out of their university experience.

A Learning Strategist position and a Tutoring Coordinator position are in the process of being filled, and will add tutoring assistance, time management help and student leadership development to complement of services offered through the centre.

The centre is an extension of activities that the Recruitment & Student Life office and Counselling Services have created over the past seven years to assist high school students with their transition to university life, only it will be extended to all years and levels of study, and to the U of L's campuses in Calgary and Edmonton.

"We are going to take the programming we already operate and make it more obvious to students who may, at any point in their university career, feel they need some extra help in a variety of ways," says Lapadat. "That can include students looking for tutoring assistance, study skill development and general information about how to be a successful student.

"Attending university is a big decision, and we know it is the right decision for a variety of reasons. We are also mindful of how to help students get the most out of this experience so that they successfully complete their programs."

In the start-up phase, the Student Success Centre team will work to increase awareness and understanding of all student services, and increase the quality of the student experience for students (particularly those who do not live on campus), among other projects.

Jackson says that input and collaboration will be two of the key success points for the group as they move forward.

"We are developing the programming by consulting with Faculties, Student Service Units, the Students' Union, and the Graduate Students' Association. Student input will be solicited to ensure we are working for the students, and from a student perspective."

The Student Success Centre will be housed in Anderson Hall near the Career & Co-Op Services and Scholarships & Student Finance offices, and will be open for business in late August.

Crossing borders with bold Brazilian program

trevor.kenney — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 23:02:52 +0000

Dr. Drew Rendall's psychology lab might be considered atypical in its student makeup now, but as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to push internationalization as a key strategic goal, it may soon become representative of many.

Rendall currently has graduate students from Alberta, Manitoba, Sri Lanka and Brazil assisting with his research projects, the most recent addition coming to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ by way of the Brazilian Science Without Borders (SWB) program.

"This is a real boon for us as a university," says Rendall, professor of psychology in the Faculty of Arts & Science. "Graduate students are kind of the heart of the research enterprise, they are the real engine of it. They collect the data and do a lot of the work, and without graduate students the research enterprise disappears."

Science Without Borders began as an initiative whereby the Brazilian government is looking to send 100,000 students to universities around the world to study in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The goal is to revolutionize the country's research and development system.

"Brazilian science has shown great improvement over the last decade but we face many challenges," says Ednei Barros dos Santos, a Brazilian PhD student who has taken advantage of the SWB program to come study under Rendall at the U of L.

"We have a very low proportion of doctors in relation to our population, and there is a low frequency of international collaboration."

Doctoral student Ednei Barros dos Santos just recently returned from a three-month field study in Argentina.

Dos Santos discovered Rendall while researching his master's degree in zoology. After reading his papers, he decided to contact Rendall to see if he was open to supervising his PhD studies. The two met while Rendall was on field study in Argentina and not long after, dos Santos applied to the SWB program for funding.

"My research focus is on song variations of the house wren. I'm going to compare the male songs of two different populations, one here in Canada and the other in Argentina," says dos Santos. "We are trying to understand what is the relation between song variation and different mating systems and migratory behaviour."

That his master's work in Brazil, where he researched language in animal species, could be so closely related to Rendall's studies some 11,000 kilometres away, speaks to the value of international collaboration.

"This program provides an incredible opportunity for Brazilian students to be exposed to scientific innovation at Canadian universities, and will help to spur growth in science and technology sectors in Brazil," says Trish Jackson, the U of L's acting manager, International Centre for Students. "The students we are hosting are a wonderful addition to the institution; they have serious academic intentions, and will certainly make an impact when they return to complete their studies in Brazil."

The SWB program initially provided study opportunities for undergraduate students, placing more than 1,200 in Canadian universities alone. The U of L has 14 students enrolled from the program, including three who began last September and 11 more since January. Currently, a second call is going out for prospective doctoral students, and it is incumbent that faculty members provide the program with details of their research opportunities so that they might be able to participate. The PhD program is one of eight graduate programs offered by the School of Graduate Studies.

"We're excited to take part in this program. It's proven to be very successful at the undergraduate level and is likely to draw exceptionally high quality students," says Dr. Matthew Letts, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. "The program provides full support for PhD students from Brazil, including tuition, travel, book and living expenses, but potential supervisors need to enter the doctoral research opportunities they wish to provide into the CBIE (Canadian Bureau for International Education) Placement Database to be considered for participation."

That dos Santos was accepted by SWB is heartening to Rendall, given that his research is not as applicable as many of the funded students.

"Brazil is very interested in training students who can come back and contribute fairly directly to agricultural initiatives, to resource extraction initiatives and to the information systems industry, for example," says Rendall. "The thrust of what Ednei is working on doesn't have immediate and obvious implications but I think it's pretty encouraging that they are taking a fairly broad approach to this. It shows that they are also interested in training some basic scientists who will come back and contribute to science broadly, and that's exciting."

For more information on the program, contact Dr. Matthew Letts (matthew.letts@uleth.ca) or Dr. Helen Kelley (helen.kelley@uleth.ca)

GET THE FACTS

· Science Without Borders was just one of the initiatives discussed when ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ President Mike Mahon visited Brazil in May as one of 30 Canadian university presidents who took part in an educational tour

· Dos Santos is wrapping up a three-month field study of house wrens in Argentina and will be back studying at the U of L in February

· The second call for SWB doctoral students runs from Feb. 1 to May 31 for January 2014 intake. The third call runs from June 1 to Sept. 30 for May 2014 intake

· Researchers can access the SWB database at the following web address: web.cbie.ca/smi/index_e.html

Exchange hits 30-year milestone

trevor.kenney — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:58:34 +0000

There are many barriers to running a successful exchange program, challenges far beyond the obvious cultural differences and language issues that exist between two nations. It is even more impressive then to recognize the 30-year relationship between Japan's Hokkai Gakuen ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, one that has seen participation by both faculty and students.

"It is an important achievement for a university to have such a long-standing partnership that has affected so many students, faculty and staff in a positive manner," says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge president Dr. Michael Mahon. "The U of L should be proud of this friendship and the goodwill it has promoted between two cultures and two nations, much less two universities."

The first faculty exchange between the two universities took place in 1981, followed five years later by the start of a student exchange program. Designed to promote cross-cultural understanding between the two nations, the exchange relationship has succeeded on many levels.

Trish Jackson, director of the International Centre for Students, says each exchange offers a unique experience for those taking part.

"We have faculty members coming from all different kinds of backgrounds at Hokkai Gakuen ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," she says. "They come here for one semester to teach common content as part of a Japanese Culture class. Likewise, we will send faculty members from all of our departments to teach their students about Canadian culture. You get a different flavour every time you have a different faculty member because they have their own way of looking at their culture through their own discipline and background."

This semester, Dr. Osamu Seto, a physicist, is the Hokkai Gakuen visiting professor. At 36 years old, single, well traveled internationally and at ease with the English language, he's brought an entirely new perspective to the exchange. He's wont to rent a car and take a day trip to Waterton and has no problem being thrust into new situations, such as an interview or being recognized at Convocation for the exchange's 30-year anniversary.

Dr. Osamu Seto is visiting the U of L from Hokkai Gakuen ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as part of this year's faculty exchange.

"I did not know that I was going to have to go on stage," laughs Seto. His intrepid spirit led him to Lethbridge when his department supervisor at Hokkai Gakuen said he was looking for exchange candidates.

"I didn't have anything stopping me so I decided to do it," he says. "It has been very enjoyable."

The student aspect of the relationship involves one student per year coming to the U of L and taking a semester of English for Academic Purposes, followed by one semester of undergraduate studies. Every two years, a group of 15 to 20 students comes for a summer program, the focus being to learn English. A group of business students also makes the trip every few years, studying English but with specific business related content. Likewise, the U of L sends a group of 15-20 students to Hokkai Gakuen every two years for a summer cultural program.

Dr. Ed Jurkowski of the Faculty of Fine Arts music department took part in one such exchange.

"There were obviously many experiences and memories that the students will forever carry with them," he says in a commemorative book celebrating the exchange. "However, the most far-reaching were the homestay opportunities the students had. Each student spoke at length about how much these relationships allowed them to understand Japanese culture on a far deeper level than as a simple observer."

It is those observations that keep the relationship between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Hokkai Gakuen alive and thriving, and speak to the value of the program.

"This is the type of interaction that encourages our students to become global citizens," concludes Mahon.

This story first appeared in the November issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Exchange hits 30-year milestone

trevor.kenney — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 20:44:59 +0000

Trish Jackson, director of the International Centre for Students, says each exchange offers a unique experience for those taking part.

Dr. Osamu Seto is visiting the U of L from Hokkai Gakuen ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as part of this year's faculty exchange.

"I didn't have anything stopping me so I decided to do it," he says. "It has been very enjoyable."

Dr. Ed Jurkowski of the Faculty of Fine Arts music department took part in one such exchange.

It is those observations that keep the relationship between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Hokkai Gakuen alive and thriving, and speak to the value of the program.

"This is the type of interaction that encourages our students to become global citizens," concludes Mahon.

This story first appeared in the November issue of the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Campus Kudos - June

trevor.kenney — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:54:51 +0000

Dr. Heidi MacDonald (History) received an award for the best English-language academic article deemed to make an original and scholarly contribution to the field of women's and gender history by the Canadian Committee on Women's History. Her article, Who Counts? Nuns, Work and the Census of Canada, was published in a recent issue of Histoire Sociale/Social History. Reviewers indicated that MacDonald produced "…an impressive and insightful piece of work on the various ways in which women religious (nuns) have been excluded or significantly undercounted in the Canadian census."

Taras Polataiko's (Art) painting was on view at the National Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv. The work was part of an international exhibition curated by Kateryna Botanova.

Annie Martin's (Art) installation Untitled (horizon) was exhibited in the PAVED Arts main gallery in Saskatoon. A critical text was also commissioned to accompany this exhibition.

Dana Cooley (New Media) has a video work in the group show, A Century of Artists' Films, at the Theatr Mwldan in Wales. Curated by Mike Cousin in partnership with Oriel Mwldan, the show runs until July 2.

Three ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge teams recently walked to raise money to End MS, totalling an impressive $6,762.05 that was donated to the fight against Multiple Sclerosis. The team from the Faculty of Education, captained by
Dr. Cathy Campbell, and consisting of Dr. Robin Bright, Dr. Noella Piquette-Tomei and Dr. Cynthia Chambers raised $2,935. The team from Administration, captained by Dr. Mike Mahon, and consisting of Maureen Mahon, Laurel Corbiere, Trish Jackson, Virginia Wishart and Robin Hopkins raised $2,725. The team from the Faculty of Management, captained by Dr. Lori Kopp, and consisting of Dr. Robert Ellis, Dr. Sameer Deshpande, Dr. Brian Dobing, Dr. Pam Loewen, Joan Kendall, Diane Boyle and Steve Craig raised $1,102.05.

Pictured left to right are iGEM team members Harland Brandon, (fourth-year Biochemistry), Justin Vigar, ( fifth-year Biochemistry) and MSc candidate Lisza Bruder, BSc ’11.

Clark Ferguson, the U of L's chief information officer, presented the keynote address at the Futures in it – Collaboration Western Canada Academy Conference in Calgary recently. Ferguson's address was titled Business Experience – Applied to Post Secondary at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Dr. Austin Mardon (BA'85) received an honorary doctor of laws from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta at its Spring Convocation ceremonies. Mardon, an inspiring advocate for the mentally ill, is a member of the Order of Canada and a past recipient of the CM Hincks Award, the highest award given by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Three members of the U of L iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines) team are travelling to Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in California to attend the 5th International Meeting on Synthetic biology. The sold-out conference attracts researchers from around the world who are working in the growing field of synthetic biology.

Dr. David Clearwater's (New Media) essay, What Defines Video Game Genre? Thinking about Genre Study after the Great Divide, was published in the Spring 2011 issue of Loading... (a Canadian journal covering videogames and interactive entertainment).

Dr. Josephine Mills (director/curator U of L Art Gallery) has recently been named president of the Canadian Art Museum Directors' Organization.

Dagmar Dahle's (Art) work was included in the exhibition ANIMAL, appearing at Museum London in Ontario.

Loralee Sand Edwards' (BFA '05) exhibition iGallery: curated auto-paparazzi (Self-Portraiture in a Digital Age) is in the Main Gallery of the Bowman Arts Centre until July 10.

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Global event hits home

trevor.kenney — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 17:57:41 +0000

On Mar. 11, 2011, the world watched in horror as Japan was rocked by a massive earthquake followed by a crushing tsunami that left behind a mass of death, destruction and devastation. Stirred by human compassion, many people want to help during such tragedies but often don't know how – so they wait for someone to take the lead. For Mieko Okutomi, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge student with family in Japan – waiting was not an option.

"When it first happened I was at home and I saw my friends on Facebook writing about Japan. I wasn't too concerned because Japan often has large earthquakes – but when I saw all the media coverage I started to realize this was different," recalls Okutomi, whose home is only 100 km away from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. "I felt really bad because at first I couldn't reach some of my family members. It took a while to find out they were OK. That was what initially prompted me to get involved in the fundraiser. I felt compelled to do something. I knew I would never be able to look at myself in the mirror if I hadn't done anything."

Mieko Okutomi (fourth-year accounting), Sayu Ishimine (fourth-year psychology), Yukino Okutomi (volunteer), Eri Asano (volunteer) and professor Eiichi Yokota and his wife Yuko Yokota.

Responding to an plea from the International Centre for Students (ICS), Okutomi, Ayuno Nakahashi, Ryosuke Imura, Sayu Ishimine and Emma Wight met with staff and came up with the idea to fundraise money to aid Japan through the Red Cross. The students created displays and brochures detailing the tragedy and set up donation boxes on campus. The fundraiser took place Mar. 16-18.

"The ICS provided the students with logistical support, organizing tables on campus, supplying presentation material and signing the contract with Red Cross so that the fundraiser could happen," says Trish Jackson, acting manager ICS. "I am just so impressed by how much enthusiasm, love and care the students brought with them and how well it was received around campus."

During the fundraiser, Okutomi became aware of an extraordinary achievement by Yuko Yokota, the wife of Dr. Eiichi Yokota, a visiting professor from Hokkai Shouka Daigaku, Hokkai School of Commerce in Japan. Mrs. Yokota had made more than 1,700 traditional paper cranes that she was willing to donate to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In Japan, the crane is a very important symbol of hope and peace, and legend says that if you fold 1,000 cranes you are granted a wish.

Thanks to Mrs. Yokota's incredible contribution, the ICS, along with Okutomi, began an awareness campaign with the wish that Japan not be forgotten once the media coverage diminished. Their goal was to see how many cranes they could collect and display in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ as a symbol of hope and recovery for Japan.

From Mar. 28 through Apr. 1, Okutomi, her sister Yukino, and other student volunteers manned tables in the Atrium, where everyone was welcome to learn about the legend of the crane and show their continued support for Japan by folding their own cranes and adding them to the collection.

"The crane project is very therapeutic. When you fold a crane you put your love and compassion in it and it becomes a physical symbol for you. When you add it to three or four thousand other cranes it becomes so much more," says Jackson. "You realize that you have support and there is compassion around campus. Each time a tragedy like this happens we have students who come together to find ways to help. We also saw that with the recent earthquake in Haiti."

For Okutomi, thousands of miles away from a tragedy affecting her homeland, the outpouring of support shown was heartening.

"I really have to say thank you to all the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community, our friends and the ICS," she says. "I was really moved by the compassion people showed for our cause, asking if our friends and family were OK, even when they did not know us. I am really proud of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community for its kindness."

GET THE FACTS

· More than $3,000 was raised through the fundraiser and the sale of tickets for an International Dinner hosted by the Ecumenical Campus Ministry. The Ecumenical Campus Ministry held two memorial services to support Japan.

· There are currently four U of L students on exchange programs in Japan, along with one faculty member. All have reported they are safe following the tragedy.

· ICS donated 600 sheets of origami paper as a thank you to Mrs. Yokota. She folded it all, creating more than 2,400 paper cranes for the project.

· Students are also planning on displaying the cranes at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Calgary campus. Anyone wishing to make additional paper cranes is welcome to bring them to the ICS (SU040).

For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

A family of support

trevor.kenney — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:07:27 +0000

Only once did Priscilla Patel look over her shoulder and wonder if she'd done the right thing. It was then that she relied upon her father's reassurance to settle her fears.

Now, one semester later, Patel still looks to her father for guidance but fear has given way to excitement, and trepidation has been replaced by a confidence that helps support an entire family.

"Priscilla has really grown up," her mother Malti says. "I see a lot of difference in her since coming down here, she has totally matured."

The Patel family members have all come a long way. A year ago the entire family was in its home country of Malaysia, Priscilla set to graduate from high school, excited about a future she hoped would lead her to the United States and a dream job with animation studio Pixar.

That's when Trish Jackson of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's International Centre for Students happened upon Malti at a Study in Canada event.

"When we met Miss Trish, everything changed," Malti says. "We found that this university was what we were looking for, it had a lot to offer her."

Jackson, an international recruitment officer, extolled the virtues of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the burgeoning new media program being offered in the Faculty of Fine Arts. Little did she know that she was recruiting Malti as much as she was wooing Priscilla, because there was no way the Patels were sending Priscilla to Lethbridge on her own.

"It's not very often we find a student who has a parent and siblings who are relocating with them, so this was a little bit of a special situation for us," says Jackson.

Along with Priscilla and Malti came her three brothers and sisters, 12-year old Natasha, nine-year old Nashania and seven-year old Darren. Only Ashok, the father, stayed behind.

Suddenly, Jackson was more of a resource than she'd ever been before.

"I think my biggest role was trying to answer questions before they actually arrived," Jackson says.

"Beyond student support it's really difficult for our office to provide a lot of support to the family. Aside from trying to answer questions and providing some contacts in the local school division for the younger children, most of the support the family ended up needing came from the Immigrant Services Department of Lethbridge Family Services."

Malti gives Jackson a little more credit.

"Miss Trish was constantly in touch with us, whatever questions we had she was always willing to answer," she says. "What we wanted to know about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, the city, even the education for our other children, she guided us in every way."

It was a bold decision to come to Canada but one that sent a strong message to Malti and Ashok's children. They seem to understand that the risk their parents have made is for their best interests and have embraced the transition from Malaysia to Canada. Leading the way is Priscilla.

"I love it here, it really is amazing," she says. "Getting to know people has been so easy, I really think it's better than where I'm from in Malaysia. I find people have so much respect here, they respect you for who you are and what you do."

The new media program has been everything she could have imagined.

"I don't know where to start, I've only taken five classes but they've all been great," she says. "Right now I'm not even sure what area I want to pursue. I want to go into animation but at the same time I feel like I want to do film, I want to do graphics, I want to do everything."

Priscilla truly lives the campus experience. She's active with the International Centre, has joined student clubs and taken in everything Canadian.

"I love the snow. Even though a lot of people tell me I'll hate it soon I don't think so, at least not yet," she says. "After coming here I started involving myself in skating and going to hockey matches, I just wanted to try everything."

Priscilla's brothers and sisters have followed her lead. They quickly adapted to their new schools, are active in local choirs and activities and have excelled academically.

Malti rests easier now knowing that the new life she and Ashok have chosen for their children seems to agree with them. She has also embraced her new surroundings, first by volunteering for local organizations this past fall and through the Christmas season, and recently by taking a part-time job.

While the family thrives here in Canada, it isn't without sacrifice as Ashok stays behind to support their new life.

"My dad's amazing," Priscilla says of Ashok, the managing director of a textile company. Malti finds it tough without her husband but instead looks at the situation from his perspective.

"I have my children with me and Priscilla, she understands what mom is going through and she helps out in every way," she says. "My husband is alone there and he has to take care of it alone and that is hard."

The plan is for Ashok to reunite with his family here in Canada in two or three years, just in time for Malti and her children to become Canadian citizens and for Priscilla to graduate (she's planning on taking summer courses to finish her degree earlier).

Now, it's hard to believe Priscilla ever had any doubts about coming to Canada – but there was that one day.

"When I landed in Lethbridge and I looked around and all I saw was prairies and mountains, I wanted to go home," she says. "I wasn't sure if I could do it, but my dad told me it's about change and I have to learn how to adapt and it turns out that it's pretty good now."

GET THE FACTS

• The Patels are from the Malaysian island of Penang. The average maximum temperature in Penang only varies from 30.4 degrees in September to 32.2 degrees in March.

• Jackson has been to 14 countries since being hired as international recruitment officer in August 2007. She heads out on a seven-country trip through Latin America this month.

• Priscilla and her siblings all attended international schools growing up. Priscilla's final years of study at Taylor's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ College in Kuala Lumpur featured a Canadian-based curriculum developed in Ontario.

• The family pays great reverence to their father Ashok as Natasha brought a picture of him to the interview, telling her mother that he was a part of the family and should be part of the experience.

UNews - Trish Jackson

Development of Student Experience Transcript a win-win for students, academic units

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