From childhood swimming lessons and science camps to tagging along with her dad in university lectures, Jessica Mustard has been connected to the University of Lethbridge for as long as she can remember. After an early detour to Calgary, she transferred home and found her spark in sociology — and never looked back. Now preparing for law school, she credits her ULethbridge experience, and especially her community-based research, with helping her discover what truly lights her up.
Give yourself over to the process, work hard and stay patient. The rest usually works itself out.
Meet Jessica | Warm. Creative. Diligent.
Program: Bachelor of Arts | Major: Sociology
Why did you choose ULethbridge?
I grew up in Lethbridge and have been poking around campus since I was a kid. I have early memories of taking swimming lessons and attending science camps run by undergraduate students — who I thought were the coolest people ever — and of coming to class with my dad, a mature student working toward his BMgt, on days we didn’t have daycare.
My grandma also used to host international students from China who were attending ULethbridge. Spending time at her house meant getting to know these students and asking about their studies.
After high school, I had an opportunity to move to Calgary and spent my first year there. But when the pandemic hit, I moved home. Eventually, I admitted how miserable I was in the program I’d chosen and decided to transfer to ULethbridge. Once I found my footing, I loved it — and I’ve never looked back.
Did you know what you wanted to study before you came to ULethbridge? Has your academic plan changed since you began your studies?
I’ve been all over the map when it comes to deciding what I wanted to do. I started out in Calgary studying biomedical science — a program I found both fascinating and incredibly draining.
After transferring to ULethbridge, I continued in biology for another year but still didn’t know what direction I wanted to take. One day, my best friend told me I needed to take a sociology class. She said every day in her SOCI 1000 class she thought of me because the topics were all things I already loved to talk about. I figured, why not? And she was right — I loved it from the start, and my interest only grew as I progressed through higher-level courses.
Please tell us about your experiential or work-integrated learning at ULethbridge.
I have been incredibly lucky to participate in several experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities throughout my studies, the first being my honours thesis under the guidance of Dr. Athena Elafros and Dr. Carly Adams, where I collected oral histories from southern Alberta women quilters.
In this time, I was also a Community Bridge Lab fellow, another incredible experience that connected me with peers and professors who were also doing community-integrated research.
Most recently, I got to design two Applied Studies courses that combined my work as a legal assistant with my academics. This experience was special because it solidified for me the direction I want to take after undergrad — toward a career in legal advocacy. My biggest takeaways from these experiences were that getting involved was the very best thing I ever did to get clarity on what direction I wanted to go, finding the things that actually light me up, and learning to trust myself. As an introvert, every one of these activities stretched me in certain ways, but the growth that came out of these experiences was invaluable, and these experiences were so, so enriching to my undergraduate years.
What do you like to do in your free time?
My favourite (procrastination) hobby is painting. My house is full of acrylic landscapes of southern Alberta — my favourite ski hills and campsites, lots of fields and mountains.
What are your hopes/plans for the future?
This fall, I’ll be starting law school at the University of Alberta. I am so excited for this next step, and incredibly grateful for the foundation of knowledge and skills I built at ULethbridge.
What advice would you like to give those about to begin their journey at ULethbridge?
If you don’t know what direction you want to go, follow the things that already get you excited. Take these things seriously. Give yourself over to the process, work hard and stay patient. The rest usually works itself out.
About Shining Students
Shining Students engage inside and outside of the classroom. What makes a student shine may differ from person to person, but they all share a passion for learning. They may be top students, involved in an innovative project, participating in ground-breaking research, playing Pronghorn athletics, fighting for social issues or all of the above! When students find something they enjoy and combine it with what they are good at, they shine.
Each year, the Faculty of Arts & Science's faculty and staff nominate students who exemplify the ULethbridge student spirit. Congratulations, Jessica!