Prestigious award for one busy Bishop’s bee
Bishop’s University’s very own Chloé Soucy will be the recipient of the esteemed 3M National Student Fellowship (3MNSF). Selected to be one of the 10 winners out of 129 applicants, this student, who is completing her fourth and final year at BU, has big plans for the future and the Fellowship is a big stepping stone to achieving them.
“I found out about a month ago, but I was sworn to secrecy,” said Soucy about her big win. “After months and months of waiting I had almost convinced myself that there was no way I could be selected.”
Applications for the 3MNSF are not just open to undergrads like Soucy, but all higher education students, even those pursuing a master’s, doctorate or anything in between.
“I looked at winners of the previous years and there were all so incredible, I thought to myself that there was no way I could compete. When I got the call I was like, is this a mistake?” she laughed.
Soucy is completing a major in English Literature and a minor in teaching English as a second language. She was Bishop’s 2017-2018 Tomlinson intern for the English department and chair of the English department student advisory council. She was also coordinator of the largest humanities undergraduate conference in North America, the Quebec Universities English Undergraduate Conference (QUEUC). On top of that, in her second year, she co-founded two of BU’S clubs: Bishop’s Bees and the Bishop’s University Outdoor Club.
The application process for the 3MNSF was rigorous, according to Soucy, who called it “one of the most important and life changing events,” to happen to her during her BU career. She was required to put together a 15-page application, including numerous references from professors, an explication of what leadership means to her, her thoughts on university education in Canada as a whole, as well as concrete steps to effect change within the higher education system.
“It was incredibly self-reflective. There was a big change in me after doing it,” said Soucy. “I had to put things into words that I never had before and explain them in a comprehensive way while being as concise as possible. 15 pages isn’t a lot for all that!”
The 3MNSF awards recipients with $5,000 to spend at their discretion and issues them an invitation to the annual Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE) conference.
“Realistically, in the future, I want to do what Michael Goldbloom does. I want to be the headmaster of an institution and hold it up to my values: a liberal education, small classes, and based on authentic experiences,” said Soucy. “My huge dream, though, would be to completely revolutionize our educational system, but I would need a great team and a lot of hard work to do that.”
Hopefully, she will find that team at the STLHE conference, which will take place June 8 to 15 at Bishop’s University and l’université de Sherbrooke. Soucy will be the first winner of the 3MNSF to attend the conference at her own learning institution.
“They haven’t given me a lot of details,” she said. “I’ll be meeting with the 9 other fellows and staying at the residence at U de S. We’ll be doing a lot of leadership activities, and we have to develop a presentation that will be shown at the end of the conference. I’m hoping I can take them to see the bees, or organize an outdoor adventure event. It’s all I’ve been thinking about!”
“Authenticity” is Soucy’s key-word when it comes to her vision of an ideal educational system.
“I believe in building authentic connections in every circumstance, including school. There is no point in a university setting based on memorization. University is a place for experiences. I am in defense of a more human way of learning,” she said.
Soucy, originally from New Hampshire, plans to move to Oregon after graduation for a year and work in a school for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. After that, she intends to enroll at Mcgill University to pursue a Master’s in Education and Society or Educational Leadership.