Margaret Lekan

Exciting, adventurous, inspiring, collaborative, provocative

UHP has benefitted my academic and personal growth in so many ways. I've had access to opportunities in college I wouldn't have had otherwise. For example, I took an honors seminar called "Blind Injustice" that discussed wrongful convictions in the American criminal justice system. My enrollment in the class solidified my goals to be a lawyer and gave me a launch pad to explore more about the career. UHP has so many paths and options that I can explore all of my different interests and goals while working towards becoming a global citizen scholar.

Don't hold yourself back from trying new things! Before joining UHP, I was a lot less extroverted and confident. Now, because of UHP, I've had the opportunity to challenge myself and go for things I never could picture doing at the beginning of college. So, new UHP students, go for it! You never know what might happen! You might even end up traveling with some of your new best friends in Europe!

I will never forget living abroad in Birmingham, England for a year! It was a life-changing experience and I think about it all the time. I traveled to 8 different countries and got to see places I had been dreaming of for years. I HIGHLY recommend studying abroad to anyone deciding what honors experiences they want to do!

Some of my favourite UHP experiences were participating in two summers of UHP Discover, a social sciences research program. One research project I worked on was centred on International Relations and the impact of COVID-19 on global regulations. Participating in the program helped develop my interest in international law and gave me experience in the field! Without UHP, I would not have had this chance to explore new career options and work with faculty mentors in that area.