Leah Peters, '26 BSc/BEd

Leah Peters, Combined Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Education

Leah Peters has always wanted to be a teacher, and her love for science led her to pursue a combined bachelor of science/bachelor of education program at the University of Alberta’s Augustana Campus. She loved the idea of the smaller classes, but ultimately was drawn to Augustana's interdisciplinary approach to learning through its core courses. As she recalls, “It was the only program in Alberta that enabled me to have a teachable major in biological sciences while minoring in social studies!”

Her years at Augustana were busy and full, including unexpected opportunities working as a research assistant and speaking at a Faculty of Education event designed to inform and encourage would-be teachers about living and teaching rurally.

We caught up with Leah as she graduates with her combined BSc/BEd.

Congratulations, Leah!

Tell us about your favourite professor and/or class.

All of Augustana’s instructors have been excellent! I’ll be a bit biased and say I am very grateful to Dr. Anne McIntosh. I took three classes with her — two statistics and one plant biology — and really enjoyed them. Having her as a reference also helped land me my current teaching job, and I’m grateful to still be able to spend time with her and other past research assistants. I also really enjoyed Dr. Ivana (Ivy) Schoepf’s vertebrate anatomy course, where we did fun presentations and hands-on dissections.

Did you take on any leadership roles while you were a student, either on campus or in the Camrose community? 

I had the opportunity to take AUIDS 244: Intro to Peer Tutoring and spent three semesters as a tutor in the Augustana Writing Centre. Getting to know other students and helping them succeed while refining my mentoring skills was a great experience. As a research assistant creating statistics tutorials, I also had the opportunity to share my three-minute thesis speech about computer literacy at the University of Alberta Senate to show how summer research benefits our campus community, and co-led Excel and Google Docs workshops for research assistants and first-year students.

How did you get where you are today?

I am thankful for my supportive family and friends and the instructors at Augustana. Every teacher I’ve had has pushed me to challenge myself, build success and find joy in learning.

What advice do you have for current and future students?

Get to know your classmates; Augustana has so many awesome students who you’ll have most of your classes with. Also, apply for summer research. I never considered working as a research assistant, but after I worked with Anne McIntosh and Dr. Paula Marentette making statistics tutorials, it opened up the opportunity to work with Dr. Bonnie Stelmach in the Faculty of Education, studying agriculture immersion education. Now, I’m a published second author, I’ve presented at multiple conferences and I found a new passion to bring into my career!

How do you plan on celebrating convocation?

After convocation, I am planning to celebrate with my family and end the day by attending a concert in Edmonton.

What's next after graduation?

I am currently teaching high school science until the end of June, and I am planning to substitute teach in the Camrose area in the fall.