College campus buzzing a day ahead of fall semester

By Jeremy Appel on September 5, 2018.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com @MHNJeremyAppel

Although classes start today, Tuesday was a busy day at Medicine Hat College, with new students getting oriented and old ones reuniting with their classmates.

Skylar Martin was one first-year student who was on an orientation tour.

She’s enrolled in the education program, where she’ll be majoring in social studies and minoring in physical education.

Coming from Oyen, Martin appreciates the size of Medicine Hat. She’s looking forward to “experiencing something different from just a small town.”

Aidan Barrett, a first-year student registered for introductory accounting and drawing classes, stopped by campus to get his student identification card.

He said he was struck by the “more mature atmosphere” compared with high school. “I like being able to come in and choose what I want to do, (which) will help me build my life.”

Brittany Christal, 30, is returning for her second year in nursing at MHC.

She said she went into nursing due to a desire to assist people in need, as well as the job security the position offers.

“Going back to school, I wanted to make sure that I was going to have a wide range of options … and I really wanted to help people,” said Christal.

She previously went to the University of Lethbridge, which she said is much harder to navigate than the MHC campus.

“I struggled a bit, honestly,” Christal said. “I didn’t find that there was the same kind of amenities and places to go that were easier to find. And it was so much larger that it was hard for me to get to my classes.”

She said she also appreciates the high quality of education at MHC, with top notch instructors and academic advisers.

Another mature student, 51-year-old Donna Goyer-Franz, says she’s happy to get back to her studies and friends she’s made in the first two years of the education program.

“You’re creating the future,” she said of her passion for teaching.

Goyer-Franz’s previous career was in social work, which she also studied at MHC.

“I love the campus,” she said. “It’s not too big. It’s very friendly and cozy. You get to know your profs and they know you by name, and they know if you’re going through some crap and need help.”

Goyer-Franz says the age gap with many of her peers is not an issue, as they’re all friends with a common commitment to education.

“We’re all going into the same profession and the more support you have the better,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 90. Support is support.”

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