{"id":142,"date":"2011-02-23T11:40:33","date_gmt":"2011-02-23T17:40:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/"},"modified":"2011-02-23T11:40:33","modified_gmt":"2011-02-23T17:40:33","slug":"kristen-martin","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/archive\/archive-2011\/kristen-martin\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristen Martin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>What education have you taken?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I graduated from Vincent Massey in 2006 with Honours.\u00a0 Upon admittance to Brandon University in the fall of 2006 I received the Brandon University Board of Governors Entrance scholarship.\u00a0 After that year I was placed on the honours list. The following year I left university and worked.\u00a0 I returned in the fall of 2008 to pursue\u00a0an undergraduate degree in the biomedical stream with a Zoology Major and a Chemistry Minor.\u00a0 I received my second honours recognition for my 2009-2010 academic year.\u00a0 In the fall of 2010, my final year, I was\u00a0awarded the James A. McLeod Memorial scholarship.\u00a0 I hope to graduate this year.<\/p>\n

Tell me about yourself \/ your background \/ your history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was born and raised in Brandon, living just outside the city limits on an acreage.\u00a0 I was a very active child competing in gymnastics at a pre-national level and receiving many awards especially with regards to floor and beam where I excelled.\u00a0 After\u00a0leaving gymnastics I immediately took up Tae Kwon-Do\u00a0where\u00a0I competed and trained to the level of Red belt.\u00a0 Soccer then became a major interest in my life. From grade seven until grade eleven, I competed at recreational, travel, and provincial levels.\u00a0Participating in a team sport and being involved with\u00a0different teams\u00a0introduced a whole new\u00a0dynamic to my sport experience. \u00a0Each level was important for personal growth. I found the team aspect very different from my previous sports which were for the most part very individualistic. \u00a0Some of my fondest memories are from my soccer years and the unbelievable experiences that were shared between myself and my teammates.<\/p>\n

Pets have always\u00a0been an integral part of our family. \u00a0My little beasties sometimes feel like my children! I can’t imagine not having animals in my life. We have had turtles (two), guinea pigs, multiple dogs (Terra, Simba &\u00a0Skye), a couple \u00a0of outdoor cats, and for the last twelve years, a rescue iguana (Iggy). Skye and Iggy are living today. Skye, an Airedale terrier (about 60 lbs.) and bred to hunt, and Iggy (4.5 foot long,\u00a06 lbs)\u00a0have reached a tentative truce…. Iggy will chase Skye until\u00a0I save her. Not much of a truce really. . .<\/p>\n

How did you become interested in your field of study?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was planning on pursuing medicine until quite recently when\u00a0I decided to volunteer at some of the local veterinary clinics and the Westman Reptile Gardens. I don’t know how else to put it other than\u00a0I feel in love with the work.\u00a0 I realized after working at the veterinary clinics and the Gardens that that\u00a0is where I belong.\u00a0When considering Medicine I never felt\u00a0drawn to it as I now feel towards the field of Veterinary Medicine.\u00a0 So this year ,instead of applying to Medicine,\u00a0I have applied to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.<\/p>\n

To this end\u00a0I have also enrolled in a study-abroad program called Vets in the Wild. This is a three week program run out of the University of Pretoria, South Africa. \u00a0It is designed for students and anyone else who wants to learn about wildlife conservation and veterinary work in Africa. This will be an unbelievable experience which will finally allow me to fulfill one of my longtime wishes…. TRAVEL!<\/p>\n

What is your philosophy in life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Balance.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard when you are focused on studies to take time to actually go out and experience life. Many students especially in heavily textbook oriented disciplines spend an unbelievable amount of time in places like the library. I think it\u2019s important, no, vital to expand and allow yourself the freedom to go and experience new things when you have the chance and ability to do so. This summer will finally give me the opportunity to gain some real life \/ world experience.<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Where do you see yourself in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Its murky and unclear just like everyone else’s!\u00a0 This summer I have my trip to South Africa to look forward to, as well as a trip to Scotland with my mother to visit family (another first for me, and a second travel opportunity all in one summer!).<\/p>\n

Hopefully my vet application goes well and\u00a0I can start my studies again in this fall. \u00a0If not, I’m not 100% sure where my year will take me.\u00a0 I will likely be seeking employment in a job that will hopefully expand my knowledge in the field of veterinary medicine and\u00a0make me a more successful applicant.\u00a0 Whether that work will be in Brandon or somewhere else\u00a0I can’t say. Right now, I’m just going to focus on surviving this semester with my marks intact and I’ll see where that takes me.<\/p>\n

Nominator\u2019s Comments:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kristen is an energetic and eclectic personality. She is a superior student academically, who spends long hours and boundless energy on task.\u00a0 Kristen is an athlete of note in local soccer leagues.\u00a0 While maintaining excellent grades, Kristen also serves as an executive member of the Brandon University Zoological Society, and finds time to tutor first year Anatomy and Physiology students, and be a Teaching Assistant in biology labs.\u00a0 Kristen is a vet school hopeful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What education have you taken? I graduated from Vincent Massey in 2006 with Honours.\u00a0 Upon admittance to Brandon University in the fall of 2006 I received the Brandon University Board of Governors Entrance scholarship.\u00a0 After that year I was placed on the honours list. The following year I left university and worked.\u00a0 I returned in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143,"parent":183,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-142","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/142\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brandonu.ca\/womens-week\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}