Why Volunteer on Campus at SFU?

My name is Lindsay Wainwright and I am a 4th year Cree/Metis student studying Cell and Molecular Biology at SFU. After high school I obtained a Diploma form Kwantlen University College in Horticulture Production and I later decided to return to school as a mature student and pursue a BSc. I am currently planning on pursuing a career in medicine either as a family physician or behind the scenes within medical research.

I have volunteered with SFU’s Peer Programs as a Learning and Writing Peer Educator for two consecutive semesters. As a Learning and Writing Peer Educator I had the opportunity to work with SFU’s diverse student population and help students increase their individual academic success. This position also gave me an opportunity to shape a new connection between the Indigenous student population at SFU and SFU’s Peer Programs, with the intent of making these services more friendly and accessible to the Indigenous student population. I enjoy helping people achieve their goals and this experience has allowed me to follow and achieve my passion of improving services available to Indigenous students and potentially their overall academic success.

I have volunteered in thelab of Dr. Nicolas Harden, in SFU’s faculty of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, for three years. In his lab my exceptional research resulted in receiving a SFU Undergraduate Student Research Award allowing me to work in Dr. Harden’s lab for a semester full time as a paid employee. This experience provided me with the basic scientific research skills and references I needed to pursue further scientific work experience.

In order to determine which career path was right for me I chose to take part in two science related SFU Co-op work placements. My first work placement was for 8 months with Amgen, the world’s largest biotechnology company which generates biomolecules for therapeutic use. While at Amgen my research abilities resulted in me receiving a National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Award. This experience provided me with valuable work related skills and my own personal scientific research skills. This experience also offered me the chance to experience scientific research in an industrial setting.

My second Co-op work placement was for 8 months with the Vancouver Prostate Centre at Vancouver General Hospital. They are a world leader in prostate cancer research and work incorporation with the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. During this work term I was able to take on my own research project and experience research within a highly competitive academic setting.

Outside SFU I volunteer as mentor with Urban Native Youth Association’s Kinnections Program which serves to provide support to at risk inner-city Indigenous youth. I am also a volunteer at Royal Columbian Hospital in their Emergency Triage which has provided me with the opportunity to experience BC’s public healthcare system. At SFU I have received two consecutive Aboriginal Community Involvement Awards for my extracurricular activities within SFU and within my community.