Convocation countdown with…Anna Noble Glube

Program: Honours Biology, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior

Hometown: Toronto, ON

Favourite course:

HTHSCI 4G03 – Pathoanatomy taught by Dr. Irena Rebalka. This was a hands-on course and completely different from anything else I’d taken at Mac. It’s a small class of around 30 students. We prepared educational surgical specimens from human materials, using cadaver specimens to create models for future anatomy students. My group worked on two sets of hearts and lungs. It was so rewarding to create something of lasting value for other students.

The person you’re most thankful to have met:

There are so many people who made an impression on me and led me in the direction I’m on. If I had to choose just one person, it would be Shannon Gomes-Hunt. Shannon was the first friend I made at Mac.  We actually met before school started through the Mac chat group. I was on the residence portal and found out no rooms were available. I had no idea where I was going to live. In a panic, I went on the Mac group chat asking for advice.  Shannon reached out and we’ve remained friends ever since.

Shannon always encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and believe in myself. She inspired me to run a marathon and we backpacked through Europe, visiting nine countries. Shannon also played a huge role in my decision to write the MCAT and apply to medical schools. She convinced me that I could do it before I believed that myself. And she was right.

Best day at Mac:

Finishing my thesis project, presenting it at the Biology Undergraduate Symposium and being awarded the top thesis presentation in the research area of physiology. My friends showed up for my presentation and cheered me on – I wasn’t expecting that.

I joined Dr. Graham Scott’s lab as an independent project student in my third year, examining high altitude adaptations of the enzyme cytochrome C in high altitude deer mice. I stayed on in Dr. Scott’s lab during my fourth year. My thesis project focused on mitochondrial adaptations to high altitude in deer mice.

There was a whole lot of problem-solving and trouble-shooting along the way with the independent project and my thesis. There were long hours spent redoing experiments and working through issues with the rest of the Scott Lab team. Perseverance pays off.

Who will you be most proud to show your degree to:

My parents. My mom went to Mac and she was hoping I’d follow in her footsteps. And my dad was also instrumental in my coming here. He owns Campus Discs. It’s a business that goes to universities and colleges throughout Southern and Central Ontario selling used CDs and vinyl. I’d visit my dad every time he was on campus. I was proud to tell everyone I was the daughter of Campus Discs – it was my claim to fame. Lots of students knew my dad. And yes, I have a really good record collection.

Best advice / insider tip for Mac students starting in September:

I pursued a lot of opportunities outside of my major – from volunteering at the Physical Activity Centre of Activity (PACE) and the DBAC sports medicine clinic to doing research in the DeGroote School of Business and working in the library. I would have missed out on meeting so many amazing people and having these incredible opportunities if I had limited myself to just studying and getting good grades.

So don’t limit yourself. Try a little bit of everything. It’s good to explore and there’s so much to do at Mac. These are the years where you figure out what you like, what you don’t like and what makes you unique.