UNB Alumni
Telling our #ProudlyUNB stories

Recipient of a 2022-23 Alumni Student Leadership Award, Callum Hunter is a Renaissance College student and has been heavily involved in her faculty and in campus life. She has served as a residence proctor, as a member of the Renaissance College Society (RCS), as a volunteer on the UNB Student Union's Student Experience Team, and has represented UNB in the community through her volunteer work with Hospice and L’Arche.

What inspired you to enroll in UNB’s Renaissance College?

I had a wide variety of interests in high school and wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to go into. I heard about RC through a colleague of my mom's, who had gone through the program, and the minute I heard about it I was pretty well certain it was the program for me. It allowed me to keep pursuing all of my interests and to pick my own path, and I think it was the best possible choice I could have made.

What has been the most rewarding or exciting part of your academic studies?

I’ve had the chance to get outside of the classroom and get involved in my community a lot during my time at RC, and all of those opportunities have been a highlight. To name a few opportunities I’ve had - I completed a Canadian internship at the pediatric hospice in Calgary, AB (with the alum that introduced me to RC!); an “international” internship with L’Arche Canada; a student-consultant position with the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick.

How do you stay involved in student life on campus? 

I am a residence assistant, which means I get to organize and support student activities in residence at all times during the year! I’m also a part of Renaissance College Society (RCS), so we organize events for our faculty and for the rest of campus to get to know RC a bit better, and this year I joined the Student Experience Team on the UNB Student Union which means I get to help promote and support major campus events.

What do you enjoy most about being involved in student life on campus?

I love that I’ve gotten to meet so many different people with different experiences and goals! Residence brings together all sorts of people and it’s my job to make sure they all feel as welcome as possible. RC often draws a certain type of student, but a lot of our events this year have gotten folks from other faculties involved and it’s so exciting to see our little house filled with activity. And being part of the SET team has actually helped me get out of my shell a bit – I probably wouldn’t attend most of the major campus events unless I was volunteering, but they’ve been some of the highlights of my year so I’m glad I had the chance to experience them!

Can you share one of your fondest or most memorable moments at UNB thus far?

I think one of my favourite moments was coming back to campus after being away for the 2020-2021 school year when I studied from home. I had missed my friends, my faculty, and Fredericton as a whole so much, and when I came back I was jumping into several new activities including being a peer mentor, starting my first year as a residence assistant, and being on RCS. It was like first year all over again, except with less nerves, as I already felt comfortable on campus and had an entire community already around me!

How has receiving the Alumni Student Leadership Award positively impacted your UNB experience?

Being a recipient of the Alumni Student Leadership Award has meant that I could really make the most of my fourth and final year without worrying about finances. It is a constant reminder of why I got involved on campus, because I want to make UNB feel like home for others, like it does for me. It makes me feel simultaneously proud and incredibly humbled to have been recognized, and I want to remain worthy of this honor by supporting my UNB community when and where I can.

What makes you Proudly UNB?

I am Proudly UNB because this university is full of students working towards their goals, supporting each other, working to build inclusive communities, and looking forward to how they’ll make our society better. I am Proudly UNB because students don’t just graduate with degrees, we graduate with experience, connections, and a whole community behind us, cheering us on.

What are your future plans once you’ve completed your undergraduate degree?

Next year, I plan to pursue a joint JD (law) and Master of Public Administration degree, either at Queen’s or Dalhousie University. I’m excited to see where this next degree takes me and hope to use it to make Canadian institutions more approachable and accessible to the public.

How do you hope to stay connected to UNB in the future as an alumna?

I will continue to proudly share my experiences at UNB’s Renaissance College. I’m hoping to someday have the opportunity to mentor a student as they complete their Canadian internship, just as I had the chance to work with an RC alum. I am looking forward to opportunities to reconnect with the faculty through alumni-student networking events and celebrations, and I’m excited to keep hearing about the incredible students making an impact at UNB every year.

Watch Callum's UNB Alumni takeover on Instagram.

Learn more about the Alumni Student Leadership Award.