Tim McMurty Howlett

Toronto, Ontario
International Development Studies and International Political Economy
Symons Medal Winner
Tim McMurty Howlett is a Symons Medal winner, recognized for high academic achievement. After Trent, his first step into the world of work will be as a Parliamentary Intern.

Why did you choose Trent?

I was attracted to Trent by its intimate scale and its reputation as an outstanding undergraduate liberal arts institution.  It seemed to encourage the sort of engaged and critical inquiry that I sought in a university.

How would you describe yourself? How would others describe you? What are your passions in life?

I am a generally relaxed and easygoing person but driven by an intense curiosity and passion for discovery. I thrive on new experiences and new ideas.

Though it is attractive to imagine oneself as a self-made man, I must credit my family as an important influence in how I have come to understand the world and my place in it. I have inherited a commitment to social justice, which is my animating principle and a challenge I carry into any endeavor.

Have you been involved in any clubs, groups, and/or sports at Trent? If so, which ones?

I participated in student politics both informally and through serving as a representative on the Traill College Cabinet.  I was also active in SAID, the Student Association for International Development, helping to organize events in the community around international issues.  The International Development Studies Program at Trent afforded me the incredible opportunity to live, study and work in Ecuador through the Trent-In-Ecuador Program.  This program and the lessons I continue to draw from it will forever be a highlight of my Trent career.

In my final year at Trent I returned to Peterborough and had the pleasure to help in the founding of the Trent Global Politics Society dedicated to serving students of this exciting new emphasis program.

What has your time at Trent meant to you? What are some of your favourite memories? What will you take with you from Trent?

My four years at Trent have been formative in both shaping my academic interests and perspective as well as fostering important relationships with friends and colleagues, which I will carry forward.  I emerge with a commitment to academic inquiry as a tool for social and economic justice and in the affirmed belief in collaborative action to realize changes within communities both grand and small.

What are your future plans and aspirations? What do you hope to accomplish?

My next endeavor, a year with the Parliamentary Internship Program, could mark a step towards what sometimes seems like an inevitable encounter with public service.  There remains a strong possibility, however that my pursuit of lifelong learning will draw me into academe.

In the next decade I would be glad to keep the Trent Alumni association busy tracking me across the globe but ultimately see Canada as my home and as the site of my attempt to contribute to the realization of a more just society.