Growing up in Brandon meant that coming to Brandon University was an easy choice for Amanda Ledoux.

“All my supports are here,” says the Vincent Massey grad, who’s working on her Native Studies degree with a minor in history.

“I like the small campus. I’ve always been a little intimidated to go to university, but BU was manageable. The small class sizes are good for me.”

They sure are. Ledoux is near or at the top of many of her classes, and she’s got the scholarships to prove it.

“It’s been pretty helpful, that’s for sure,” she laughs. “I’ve always been a high achiever, but I didn’t intend to win all these scholarships.”

She says the John E. Robbins Library has been a great place to help her keep her grades sky-high.

“I’m more productive in there,” she says, admitting she also prefers the old-school books-and-paper environment. “I like to have everything written down, printed off and sitting in front of me, I retain more information that way.”

With plans to take her Clinical Specialization next year, Ledoux says she’d like to eventually work with kids.

“I’ll hopefully get into a position where I can facilitate culturally relevant programming that will act as a form of prevention for Indigenous children,” she says.

But it’s not all work for Ledoux. She says while she’s more focused on her studies during the school year — “that’s more important to me” — she’ll be helping to train horses this summer, and she enjoys the occasional golf tournament, too.

“If I am on a team, we usually win something at the smaller tournaments and sometimes I win the longest drive,” she says. “Unless my mom does.”