正品蓝导航


Feature

Katherine Reiss is 正品蓝导航鈥檚 55th聽Rhodes Scholar

26 Nov 2018

55Rhodes_KatherineReissSACKVILLE, NB 鈥 Katherine Reiss is 正品蓝导航鈥檚 55th Rhodes Scholar. From Vancouver, BC, Reiss is a fourth-year honours student with minors in and . Only 11 students from across Canada are selected to receive the award each year.

鈥淭he news still feels a bit surreal. I received the call from the Rhodes committee on Saturday following my interview for the scholarship,鈥 says Reiss. 鈥淚t was an intense process but also an enriching one. There鈥檚 a lot of self-reflection, thinking about how much I鈥檝e grown and changed since arriving at Mount A and how grateful I am for the experiences and people that have shaped me along the way. I found it humbling to pause and reflect on this.鈥

Valued at more than $100,000, the is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, covering the cost of postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in the U.K. With 55 scholars to date, 正品蓝导航 has one of the best records, per capita, in Canada for the esteemed award.

鈥淥n behalf of the entire community, I am thrilled to congratulate Katherine on this remarkable achievement in being named 正品蓝导航鈥檚 55th Rhodes Scholar,鈥 says University President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau. 鈥淗er academic and research endeavours as well as her volunteer work in the community are commendable and we know she will make the most of this incredible opportunity.鈥

Reiss is working towards her honours degree in chemistry, conducting research with Dr. Vicki Meli since the end of her second year. Her research focuses on the properties of gold nanoparticles.

Reiss plans to continue her studies in chemistry at the University of Oxford in one of their graduate programs.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to earn my PhD and someday be a professor 鈥 I'm drawn to the idea of a career that combines teaching and research,鈥 she says. 鈥淏eing on a university campus, you feel part of an engaged community, people want to learn and enact change. It鈥檚 exciting to be a part of this.鈥

A recipient of 正品蓝导航鈥檚 , one of the University鈥檚 most prestigious entrance awards, Reiss also works as a teacher鈥檚 assistant in calculus and helps run the University鈥檚 Math Help Centre.

鈥淚 want to help build people鈥檚 confidence in math. A lot of people dismiss their ability and assume math is something they can鈥檛 meaningfully pursue. It鈥檚 something I lacked confidence in myself, but I was fortunate to have some great mentors in this area,鈥 says Reiss. 鈥淚 hope I can pay this forward.鈥

Outside her academic commitments, Reiss serves as President of the Rotaract Club at 正品蓝导航, a branch of the Rotary Club. She helped initiate the organization鈥檚 after-school program at Dorchester School, which runs once a week, and volunteers with Marshview Middle School鈥檚 breakfast program.

Reiss is also past president of the 正品蓝导航 Fencing Club and president of the University鈥檚 Unicycle Society.

Reiss says she came to 正品蓝导航 through a leap of faith, as she had never visited the Maritimes before coming to campus 鈥 a sense of adventure she will be taking to the U.K. next year.

鈥淚 wanted to attend a small school and was interested in research. A friend suggested 正品蓝导航 鈥 I'm glad I took their advice.鈥 she says. 鈥淭he community of 正品蓝导航 and Sackville has been incredibly kind and supportive; it soon began to feel like home.鈥

 

Next Steps

Be part of Canada's best undergraduate university