July-Ann El Baze

Villefranche sur Mer, France
Lycée Massena
Bachelor of Science Biology Health Science and Bachelor of Arts Fine Arts
Class of 2019

My passion is snowboarding and I compete nationally and internationally in women’s snowboardcross. In 2018, I competed in the Junior Snowboard World Championships in New Zealand where I achieved a 24th place finish. So when deciding upon a university, I needed to find a place where I could combine my passion for snowboarding with my academic interests in both fine arts and sciences. Due to the entente between France and Quebec I wanted to study in Quebec to take advantage of the tuition rates, but really, I wanted to study in English. I had visited other Quebec universities but after the tour, I was overwhelmed by the size of the universities and of Montreal. I stumbled upon Bishop’s while searching for other Quebec English speaking universities. I saw the pictures, the size and the liberal education model and decided to go there without even having visited the campus and I’ve never looked back.

At Bishop’s I’ve found a place where I don’t have to sacrifice my love of snowboarding but can balance being an international caliber athlete and high academic achiever. On the academic side, I’ve had the opportunity to present my research in the area of microscopy, as well as having my artwork presented at an art gallery in Montreal. On campus, I also: participated in various on campus art open houses; helped organize a live art show to fundraise for our Grad Show; was a volunteer for our campus blood drive; was a research assistant for one of our biology professors; was a student assistant in the microbiology lab; a teacher’s assistant in an animal physiology class; was a chemistry tutor; have been involved in the environmental club; and I also held a research internship in a neuroimmunology lab at one of the local research hospitals. As you can see, there are many opportunities available to our students. My best piece of advice is not to wait for things to happen. If you are interested in something or feel overwhelmed, it’s OK to ask for help or ask about opportunities – you just have to ask.