Sarah Khan
In life, we have the potential to explore many different paths. Sometimes the goal we have in mind isn’t necessarily where we actually find ourselves. Actually, come to think of it -- the journey is just as important as the destination. When Sarah Khan reflects on her undergraduate years at Lakehead University, it is apparent that her positive experiences prepared her for the next steps that she is taking at the University of Ottawa, studying law.
Ushna (Sarah) Khan was born in Pakistan. In 1995, at age 6, she and her family moved to Canada. She grew up in Mississauga, attended a private Muslim school and then Rick Hansen Secondary School before moving again with her family to attend Sir Winston Churchill Highschool in 2004 in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
It was in 2004 that Sarah’s father, Irfan had joined Lakehead as a Senior Systems Programmer/Analyst in the Technology Services Centre prompting her family to move to Thunder Bay where she and her brothers began studying at Lakehead. Sarah was finishing her final year of high-school and was determined to excel in all of her classes and then apply to medical school.
Smart, hard-working, helpful, sociable, and outspoken -- Sarah lights up any room with her presence. She had no problem making friends at Lakehead and without hesitation Sarah says it is the people at Lakehead that she remembers. “I liked how easy it was to talk to professors when I had questions; they were available, approachable, and the small class sizes were nice. I loved the people: the friends I made, working on assignments and having study groups was really helpful.”
There are many ways to meet new people and get involved on and off campus and Sarah was keen to share her enthusiasm, taking joy in helping another person when the opportunity appeared. Sarah became a dedicated Student Ambassador through the Orientation Office, and helped welcome and tour new students during the first week of school. She also found time to volunteer at the cardiac rehabilitation centre at the hospital.
In her final year, she was working in the lab researching lung cancer under the direction of Professor Oulanova. The experiments were challenging and offered her opportunities to work independently, closely with the professor, as well as collaboratively with other students -- valuable research experience that might be more difficult to come by at larger universities.
When Sarah wasn’t studying, volunteering or working, her favourite place to go was The Study to hang out with friends. She also liked ice-skating on Lake Tamblyn and walking on the trails.
She graduated with Honours Biology and Psychology in 2009.Sarah was figuring out what she was truly passionate about, so continued to work hard and further herself in her studies. She moved back to Mississauga with her family and took a few courses at York University in addition to working full-time at Bell Canada. She spent the summer studying, determined to get into law school.
Her uncle is a lawyer and has his own firm, which has also inspired Sarah to pursue law. Last October, Sarah wrote her LSAT exam in Montreal. Her hard work paid off because this year, she received her acceptance letter and is now taking on new challenges: adjusting to a new city, being away from family and friends, apartment hunting, and being a first-year law student. Currently, she is running as a student representative for the law society. Sarah carries her Lakehead experiences with her on her new journey.
For more information on Lakehead University's new Faculty of Law please click here.
