Amy Cran at the 2023 University of Lethbridge convocation with chancellor Terry Whitehead.--PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
At the recent convocation for the University of Lethbridge, Amy Cran, born and raised in Medicine Hat, received the Faculty of Arts and Science gold medal. Cran was a French immersion student who attended Connaught and Crescent Heights before heading to Lethbridge for university. She chose Lethbridge to have the experience of going away for school but still being somewhere smaller that was close enough to her family.
During her four-year degree – Bachelor of Arts, with a major in anthropology – Cran completed two independent studies. The first was about the supervised consumption site controversy in Lethbridge and the intersection with race. The second, larger project that she did for her honour’s thesis, and the one she has been receiving recognition for, was on SAGE clan control, a Blackfoot-led outreach organization in Lethbridge.
Receiving the gold medal was unexpected for Cran.
“I didn’t plan out from the get-go to try for that and it’s such a nice thing to receive. It is really an honour because there are so many students that I know personally in my year that are so hard working and really inspiring to me. The projects they take on are incredible. That, out of all those students, I was ultimately selected is a nice capstone to all the different things I’ve done in my degree.”
Her parents, grandparents, boyfriend and supervisor, Dr. Patrick Wilson, all attended the convocation ceremony. Cran had to walk on the stage twice, which was awkward for her as she finds being in the spotlight to be somewhat horrifying. Her diploma was awarded with great distinction and she also received her honour thesis designation from her department at the same time. Then she had to walk off stage, hide and come back out for the gold medal.
Before attending university, Cran was undecided on what she wanted to pursue but knew something concerning people was an area of study she was interested in. Initially, a psychology degree was her goal but that quickly changed as the first university class she attended was anthropology.
“It answered the questions I had a little better than psychology, so I ended up sticking with that instead.”
This summer, Cran is enjoying her time off while also attending a couple of conferences and completing some writing projects. Additionally, she is exploring internship opportunities for the next year before she enters graduate school in the fall of 2024.
