Rishi Verma, BC’18
For Rishi, the Castle represented a great chance to experience academia outside of Canada. He also built lasting relationships with his colleagues (turned friends) and professors.
Mississauga native Rishi says that his one regret from his undergraduate degree was not participating in an exchange program. When he heard about the International Business Law program at the Castle, he knew he needed to find out more!
“Attending the information session led by Professor Nicholas Lamp further cemented my desire to attend,” says Rishi, “The opportunity to study in an historic castle, alongside some of the most accomplished international legal practitioners and visit top global law firms, international business law regulators and broaden my own legal network was something I simply could not miss.”
Networking with such highly accomplished lawyers led Rishi to the realization that international trade work was an area of significant interest to him.
“My passion to include cross-border and international work as part of my practice as a lawyer was significantly influenced by my experiences learning from, meeting with and speaking to internationally trained lawyers at the Castle.” says Rishi, “A portion of my current practice as a lawyer includes cross-border, international capital markets and M&A work, so my experiences at the Castle definitely played a part in me seeking out this type of work at my law firm.”
Upon graduating from ֱ Law in 2020 Rishi articled then was subsequently hired as an associate in the Capital Markets, M&A and Securities group of one of the largest Canadian law firms, in their Toronto office.
“My time at the Castle provided me with invaluable experience and confirmed my desire to incorporate international trade work into my practice,” says Rishi, “ I find that individuals are always excited to hear about my time at the Castle, especially about the field visits to other leading international law firms, regulatory organizations and international courts.”
For Rishi, his time at the Castle was a great experience which definitely had a positive effect on his life. “It was my first extended stay in Europe and provided a great chance to explore the UK and continental Europe.” he says, “We visited many countries outside the UK, and had the opportunity to experience those cultures, foods and lifestyles. It's helped me broaden my own horizons and better understand my own personal, professional, and academic interests.”
By attending the Castle, Rishi believes he has gained valuable access to the broad network of Castle alumni.
“It was great to meet with Castle alumni while attending myself, to learn how the Castle impacted their own careers and paths in life, ” says Rishi, “but it’s also important to pay it forward, so that current students can continue to have those same great experiences we did and connect with Castle alumni.”
Sam Belbin, BC’18
Originally from Hamilton Ontario, Sam has a unique perspective of the Castle, having studied here as a student, and now she is part of the Bader College faculty herself!
Sam attended the Castle in the Summer of 2018.
"Beth Richan was my first connection to the Castle when she came to give a talk to me as a first year nursing student,” says Sam, “As nursing students are only able to attend in the summer, the Global Health and Disability program fit perfectly within my schedule.”
With the goal of coming to the Castle in mind, Sam worked as a Residence Don at ֱ for three years to ensure that she had the funds to make the trip over!
“During my time as a student, I realised that I wanted to work on a global scale rather than just focusing on the Ontario population,” says Sam, “and as a teaching assistant, I realised my desire to work in academia. I am still searching for the learning opportunities I will take away from my time as a lecturer!”
Upon her return to Queen’s, Sam completed a BSc in Nursing, BA in Economics, and MSc in Health Policy, Planning, and Financing. She also holds a BScN and BA Econ from ֱ, plus a MSc from LSHTM and LSE in the UK.
"After completing my nursing degree, I started as an ICU nurse at Kingston General Hospital. I had been working there for about 8 months before the pandemic hit and remained in Kingston until December 2020,” says Sam, “In January 2021 I moved to Abbotsford, British Columbia on a travel nursing contract where I worked in the ICU until August 2021.”
During the summer of 2021, Sam was the teaching assistant for the summer Global Health and Disability program at Queen’s. Unsurprisingly needing a break from the stress of being an ICU nurse during the pandemic, Sam started her Masters in London, England in September 2021.
“My masters dissertation focused on coping strategies that healthcare workers used during the COVID-19 pandemic in low- and lower-middle-income countries.” says Sam.
Upon completion of her masters Sam started as a lecturer at Bader College, teaching healthcare ethics, health policy, anatomy, and more.
“My time at the Castle directly shaped where I am today,” says Sam, “When I was a student, we visited the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and I fell in love (thinking I could never be able to study here!), but fast forward 3 years and I started my first class with them.”
By transitioning into a teaching assistant role, Sam gained knowledge regarding the administrative process and learning environment from a faculty perspective.
“This built my confidence to be able to return to the Castle as a faculty member myself,” says Sam, “Currently, I am finishing up my first semester and am proud to say that I received an honourable mention for the upper year teaching award at the semester's closing ceremonies."
In short, Sam’s time at the Castle was so positive that she began a new career here!
“As a student, coming to the Castle helped to increase my confidence, meet new people, and travel outside of North America for the first time,” says Sam, “My time here encouraged me to apply to the LSHTM, which completely shifted my initial desire of being a nurse to working within global organisations. Now as a lecturer, I am understanding the importance of sharing my knowledge and experience with students and creating positive changes in their lives.”
Sam believes that Bader College alumni should stay connected to their Castle network as it maintains the tight-knit community that you feel when you are a student here.
“This encourages various years of students to present opportunities to the current cohort and share where their careers have taken them,” says Sam,” Plus, it’s always great to hear as an undergrad student that there are more careers in health than simply medical school!”
Michael Kuziw, BC’09
Michael’s fascination with the UK began in High School when he took a week-long trip to the UK with the English department. Fast-forward, and he seized the opportunity to study at the Castle with both hands!
Michael attended the Castle in the summer term of 2009, between his 1st and 2nd year of undergraduate studies. He learned about the summer program after seeing it promoted as an option for a study abroad program.
“Many of my friends, especially those in the Commerce program had made plans to study abroad in the fall 2009 term, and my double-degree in PHE and Life Science would not allow for a term, much less a year for me to complete my degree within the four year designated period.” recalls Michael, “Therefore, the Castle seemed like a good option. Besides that, I was able to receive a bursary for my tuition which helped offload the cost of the trip.”
Like many, Michael chose his courses prior to entering the summer term at Castle, but he still managed to use the opportunity to explore academically.
“While my roommate was a political science major, I was a science major and with a full slate of compulsory classes I was eager to take courses outside of my major,” says Michael, ”The memorable courses I took were History from 1851, and Art History. These courses really stood out, especially Art History which took me beyond my comfort zone of the sciences and captured my passion for art. I even had the opportunity to complete a field study of the crypts at the Canterbury Cathedral to write my paper.”
After completing his undergraduate degree, Michael pursued an M.Ed at UNB.
“After experiencing life at the Castle, I knew I wanted to make my life living abroad,” says Michael, “I considered various places, given my language skills in Ukrainian and German, but I ultimately settled on Japan, where I have been living for the past 14 years.”
Michael explains that he had never formally studied Japanese language, but his time at the Castle gave him the courage to live in a different culture, and a passion for travel.
“During my time at the Castle, we also did many field studies and trips, including a trip to Dieppe, which I found really fascinating. It encouraged me to continue my passion in travel, which until the pandemic I had been doing nearly three times a year. I have since visited more than twenty-five countries, some multiple times.”
Michael is currently an instructor in foreign languages at the university level and continues to encourage his own students to study abroad.
“I know it becomes less feasible to do so after graduation, or once full-time work begins,” says Michael, “Therefore, given my positive experience at the Castle, I promote study abroad when I can.”
Michael has fond memories of the Castle being a small community away from the noises of the city and set within beautiful natural surroundings.
“Besides that, I had a lovely experience at the library, even though the collection was not anywhere comparable to that of the main Queen’s campus,” says Michael, “but that it was always comfortable and a fascinating place to study.”