SMU Science

Congratulations to new Saint Mary's University Alumni Sarah Chiasson, who won a Governor General’s gold medal at the Spring 2026 convocation at Saint Mary’s University! She received the award for achieving the highest grade point average in the Faculty of Science.

Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with an honours thesis on European Starlings. When she begins her Master of Science studies at Université Sainte-Anne she plans to continue her research on birds, with a focus on Red-breasted mergansers. Well done Sarah!

Congratulations, great work!

Meet Your Valedictorian: Melissa Maria Alvarez Del Angel is one of two valedictorians from the Faculty of Science.

Melissa is graduating from Saint Mary's University Halifax with a Bachelor of Science, summa cm laude, with Honours in Psychology.

An international student from Mexico, Melissa Alvarez Del Angel immersed herself in life on campus. She lived on campus for four years, and started a Residence Wellness Team during the three years she was a residence assistant.

Off campus, she was involved in the French Woodland Conservation Project, helping educate children about the preservation of yellow birch trees, and supported initiatives through the IWK Foundation.

Melissa has earned a long list of awards, and plans to keep working full time for Dr. Margherita Cameranesi as a research assistant. She hopes to pursue a master’s degree in clinical psychology.

Congratulations Melissa!

Read More: https://news.smu.ca/news/2026/5/25/science-valedictorians

Meet your valedictorians: Tashauna Reid, one of two valedictorians from the Faculty of Science, had a unique path to the podium.

As an unfocused high school student in Jamaica, Tashauna struggled with her grades. Acceptance to was the second chance she needed—she became a science tutor and earned awards for her excellence as a student leader.

Tashauna successfully turned around her own academic path—and teaches the 285,000 TikTok followers on her study tips site, The A+ Student (studywtash) how to succeed at their studies too.

Tashauna is graduating magna cm laude with Honours in Psychology and a minor in Biology. She plans to pursue a career in the field of medical neuroscience.

Congratulations Tashauna!

Read more: https://news.smu.ca/news/2026/5/25/science-valedictorians

It’s spring at SMU! 🌸🌿

We love to see the cherry tree beside the Burke Building bloom in the spring! The Weeping Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata var kiku-shidare-sakura), native to Japan, Korea and China, was planted to honour BSc alumni Charles (Chuck) Given in 1998.

Enactus Saint Mary's was named runner-up in the 2026 Enactus Canada National Exposition!

On the national stage, Enactus Saint Mary's presented Square Roots and Alaagi, two ventures defined by purpose, innovation and measurable impact.

Words can’t describe how proud we are of the team. Bringing Alaagi and Square Roots to the national stage was an unforgettable experience.

A huge thank you to the Enactus Saint Mary's community, students, alumni and supporters; the team couldn’t have done this without you.

Saint Mary's University Halifax SMU Student Life Sobey School of Business - SMU SMArts - Saint Mary's Faculty of Arts SMU Science Enactus Canada Enactus