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as I walked into Prof. Peters’ office, my nervousness faded – understood the importance of “dirt research” in a field trip to
before me sat a man wearing socks and Birkenstocks, with a Copley and how to embrace my position as a “Free Ranger.”
cup of tea steaming on his desk. You could say I, as a New To finish an incredible year, I was given the opportunity
Englander, felt quite at home. to present my research at a conference in Georgia in April.
During our meeting, not only did Prof. Peters welcome me With Prof. Peters’ guidance and encouragement, I was also
onto his team, but he deemed it necessary to send me with able to secure a spot to do a semester abroad next year in
his students to Sweden in a few short weeks. Of course, I Adelaide, Australia – making myself the first Health Sciences
accepted his offer. I’m not sure exactly what Prof. Peters saw student ever to go abroad. In the last year, I have been
in me, but I am forever grateful that he decided I would be a immersed in a whole new world, both literally and figuratively,
good fit for Free Range. Thus began an incredible whirlwind through the work of the SDoH Lab and the Free Range pro-
of a year with opportunities and challenges I couldn’t have gram, all thanks to Prof. Peters.
ever imagined. My journey began in May of 2018, two weeks after ac-
For the rest of the summer and throughout my second cepting my Dean’s Summer Research Internship, in North-
year of university, I was lucky enough to continue working ern Sweden at the Free Range conference. There, after a
with Prof. Peters, discovering more about rural areas both in few weeks of meaningful conversations and experiences, I
Canada and across the globe. In December of 2018, I trav- came to realize that people from rural areas have a different
elled to Burra, Australia with our team. Not only did I fulfill a outlook than those who grow up in metropolitan areas. I had
lifelong dream of travelling to Australia, but I also truly found my “people.”

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