Kavetha Krishnan '08, Bachelor of Arts (General), Malaysia

Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, Kavetha Krishnan will be presented at Convocation with the Bagnani Medal for overall high standing in the general program. During her time at Trent she became passionate about the field of psychology; a discipline she feels is not as well known of in Malaysia. Women’s Studies and Sociology courses at Trent have also contributed to and cultivated her desire to do interesting work in the future.

How will you make a difference with your Trent degree?
I received a scholarship from the government of Malaysia to study abroad, and as part of the contract I will be serving the government for a few years. It is nice to know that I have employment opportunities available after graduating.

What is the best thing about studying at Trent?
At Trent, I have learned to be more confident in voicing my opinions. I have also made friends with people from cultures so different to mine and it has broadened my knowledge of the world.

I love the number of international students here and the overall atmosphere of tolerance and open-mindedness. The classrooms and seminars are small, which enable a shy student like me to feel comfortable speaking up. Professors are easy to approach. The scenery is also a big bonus.

I found professors at Trent to be excellent when it comes to spending time with students after lectures and genuinely caring about us. I remember being anxious about taking a course on statistics for psychology in my third year. But Professor Deborah Kennett was amazing at reassuring us that nothing is impossible if you work hard at it. I ended up doing really well in that class.

Extracurricular activities:
In my final year, I joined Trent's Active Minds. It is a group dedicated to creating awareness of mental health issues on campus and has organized important events (the annual No Stress Day event, for example.) Being a member of this group certainly pushed me out of my comfort zone, but it was also personally rewarding.

Awards and Scholarships received at Trent University:
I am receiving a Bagnani Medal for achieving a high academic standing in the General Degree program. It was a pleasant surprise and I felt proud of myself for having achieved that. It is even more of a big deal since I am a first generation university student in my family.