After receiving her Certificate and Diploma from Douglas college (CISY and Business), Jill Cowan started working at Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in June 2013. After working in the Scheduling department at KPU for a year, Jill learned more about the courses KPU has to offer: “I saw all the courses and when they were offered and started to think about going for my BA – which had been a lifelong goal.”

In Fall 2014, Jill started taking one course from a different department every semester. After meeting with Herbie in the Advising department, Jill was encouraged to increase her course load to two classes a semester where she found herself in her first US history class with Bob Fuhr in Spring 2016. “I knew that was what I wanted to major in,” says Jill. “When I realized in 2018 that I was close to graduating, I took three classes for two semesters while working full time and got my BA in the Summer of 2019.”

Receiving her degree at KPU paved the way for many memorable moments throughout her education: “I loved making friends with and getting to know my classmates,” says Jill, “that is by far the best part.” Jill also loved the instructors she had, stating that they were all very passionate about what they were teaching: “When teachers are excited about the subject, it’s infectious.”

Jill’s interaction with her instructors contributed to many learning experiences that she refers to as highlights in her degree. Social Studies and History weren’t always her favourite subjects in elementary and high school. However, her viewpoint changed after interacting with the instructors at KPU. Jill recalls how their teaching has made a difference to her interest in the subjects: “Bob Fuhr used a lot of historical documents in his courses and the way he lectures just always held my interest.” Another highlight of her degree was taking a HIST 4499 Special Topics Course on “Global Indigenous History” taught by Kyle Jackson. “Kyle Jackson had us in a role-playing exercise where we re-held a meeting that took place in history,” Jill reflected on, “that was so immersive and fun, it really stuck with me.”

When asked if Jill has any advice for prospective or current students at KPU, she stated, “Don’t be shy, talk to other students and make a buddy in every class as it makes school a lot more fun." She also encouraged students to build a relationship with their instructors: “Don’t be scared or too intimidated to talk to the instructors. They have all been in our shoes while obtaining their degrees and they know what you’re going through.”

Jill works in the Scheduling department at KPU. When she isn’t coordinating course schedules for the semester, she often can be seen using her knowledge of history to answer office trivia questions: “I’ve gotten a lot better at playing along with Jeopardy, that’s for sure.”