Graduate Spotlight: Halle Tovell

Why I chose Western

I chose Western because I loved the campus. It felt so big and historic, and I felt like a little character in a huge kingdom. I also knew I wanted to go on exchange, and Western had so many partner schools and opportunities to study abroad.

My global experience

I went on exchange to Australia, which was one of the experiences I’m most proud of. I went there knowing nobody, but I came back with so many friends and incredible memories. I even solo travelled and lived out of my car for a few weeks while exploring. It really taught me resilience and showed me that I could handle difficult situations and figure things out on my own.

Going abroad also helped me grow a lot as a person. My Western experience has been all about growth and trying new things — whether that meant travelling internationally, meeting new people or stepping outside of my comfort zone.

A favourite memory of my time at Western

One of my favourite memories was working at the Rec Centre on campus. I met many of my best friends there, and we played on all kinds of intramural teams together. Through that experience, I tried sports I never thought I would, including water polo, and it became such a huge part of my university experience.

An accomplishment I'm especially proud of

I’m especially proud of pushing myself to go abroad and be independent in a completely new environment. Exchange challenged me in so many ways, but it also showed me how resilient and adaptable I could be.

A fun fact about me

I won free bagels for an entire semester from The Cove café on campus, so I’ve basically become a bagel reviewer. I even keep a spreadsheet ranking all the flavours!

My plans for the future

After graduation, I’ll be working for an international tour company as a trip leader and tour guide. I’ll start out in Banff and Alberta before eventually leading trips around the world.

In five years, I hope I’ve seen a lot more of the world and continued growing through travel and new experiences. I’d love to live in a big city like Sydney or London for a while and keep exploring different opportunities and adventures.

My advice for new students

Try everything and get involved. When I first came to Western, I was shy and nervous about joining things, but some of my best experiences came from simply saying yes. Join clubs, sports teams and campus activities. You never know what friendships or opportunities might come from it.