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As a U of A student, I’ve come to understand that learning here is about far more than completing assignments or earning a degree.
The university’s newly introduced Shared Values of Unwavering Curiosity, A Spirit of Community, Shared Accountability and Impact through Excellence will shape how I experience campus life and understand my role within it.
These values aren’t just abstract ideals. I can live them daily through my studies, relationships and evolving sense of purpose as a student.
I’m reminded of the quote by U of A’s first president, Henry Marshall Tory, " ... knowledge shall not be the concern of scholars alone. The uplifting of the whole people shall be its final goal.”
His words remind me that education is not only about personal achievement but about contributing meaningfully to the broader community — a responsibility these values uphold.
Unwavering Curiosity
Unwavering Curiosity is the value I experience the most directly in my academic life. As an education student and former humanities student, curiosity is not just encouraged — it’s essential.
Curiosity is an ongoing pursuit rather than a destination. It’s taught me that knowledge isn’t complete, and that growth often comes from uncertainty and challenges. Unwavering Curiosity has given me permission to change my mind, to question dominant narratives and to approach learning as a lifelong process rather than a series of requirements to fulfill.
It drives me to ask questions that go beyond surface-level understanding and to sit with complexity rather than rush toward easy answers. I experience this when a lecture sparks a question that stays with me long after class ends, when a footnote leads me down an unexpected research path or when a single historical or current event reveals multiple (often conflicting) interpretations.
A Spirit of Community
Being a part of the U of A has shown me that education isn’t an individual endeavour.
A Spirit of Community has been central to my experience here at the university, particularly as a transfer student navigating a large campus. Belonging was not immediate, but it was built through classrooms that valued discussion, student organizations that fostered connection and everyday moments of mutual support.
The community I experience at the U of A is grounded in care and respect. It’s about listening to one another, making space for different perspectives and recognizing that learning happens best in environments where people feel seen and valued.
My experience with A Spirit of Community also extends beyond peer relationships. It includes instructors who treat students as collaborators in learning and a campus culture that emphasizes connection rather than isolation.
Knowledge creates meaning when it is shared, debated and situated among others. The university’s emphasis on partnership, locally and globally, has encouraged me to think about how my work connects to communities beyond campus and how learning can contribute to something larger than myself.
Shared Accountability
As I’ve progressed through my studies, Shared Accountability has become an increasingly important value in how I understand my role as a student.
Our actions collectively shape the kind of university we’re building. This value reminds me that learning is relational and that accountability is shared rather than imposed. It calls for me to act thoughtfully, knowing that my choices have an impact beyond myself.
University life teaches independence, but also teaches responsibility to one another, to the institution and to future generations. I experience Shared Accountability in conversations about sustainability, equity and inclusion. For me, it means recognizing that I’m not just here to benefit from the university, but to contribute to it. It shows up in how students, like myself, hold one another to standards of integrity and in the choices we make about how we use our voices and resources.
Impact through Excellence
This value speaks to why I chose the U of and why I remain deeply invested in my education here.
As I’ve come to understand it, excellence is not about perfection or competition; it’s about care, intention and commitment. It’s about doing work thoughtfully and with purpose, and recognizing that the true measure of success lies in the impact it has beyond the classroom. For me, Impact through Excellence means striving to produce work that matters — work that challenges assumptions, elevates overlooked voices and contributes meaningfully to ongoing conversations. It encourages me to see my education as a tool that can inform, question and create change.
The U of A’s emphasis on impact has shaped how I define success, reminding me that excellence gains its full meaning when it serves the broader community.
Carrying these values forward
Together, these values shape what it means to be part of the U of A community. They remind me that learning is both personal and communal, that curiosity carries responsibility and that education reaches its fullest potential when it uplifts people.
As I continue my U of A journey, these values serve as a compass, guiding not only how I learn but who I'm becoming in the process.