University of Winnipeg’s Rachelle Thiessen
University of Winnipeg’s Rachelle Thiessen is an exemplary student who has just recently been accepted to Canada’s most prestigious Canadian francophone literature program at the University of Ottawa. Thiessen has been accepted to do a Master’s in Lettres françaises, in French Canadian Literature. Thiessen graduates this week at Spring Convocation with a Bachelor of Arts Honours, in French Studies and will be receiving the Gold Medal (Honours).
“Rachelle is a bright student, and her admission and scholarship funding speak very highly of her accomplishments at UWinnipeg,” expressed Dr. Kenneth Meadwell, Professor of French Studies, UWinnipeg Faculty of Arts. “This also underlines the exemplary quality of the French Studies curriculum in the area of Canadian literature at UWinnipeg.”
Thiessen’s pursuit of language and culture developed into a study and appreciation of literary analysis and of the diversity of the human condition, both here and abroad. She attributes her UWinnipeg professors Meadwell and Sante A. Viselli as integral to her intellectual evolution.
“The standards of excellence exemplified in the French Studies Department at UWinnipeg shaped my knowledge and understanding, largely influencing my decision to continue studying at the graduate level,” explained Thiessen. “In September I look forward to beginning my graduate studies at the University of Ottawa. I will be pursuing research on the construction of individual and collective identity in the contemporary novel of French Canada. Their two-year Master’s program in Lettres françaises will allow me to explore not only the role and function of French literature today but also the precedent perspectives that form its foundation.”
