Rewarding opportunities highlight Cherlene Cheung’s undergraduate experience

When it comes to making the most of her university years, Cherlene Cheung is certainly a tough act to follow.

The undergraduate journey of the Legal Studies student in the University of Ontario Institute of Technology’s (UOIT) Faculty of Social Science and Humanities (FSSH) includes an overseas student exchange in the Summer Gem Trailblazer program to Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore.

Most recently Cheung has been working on a prestigious practicum placement in support of international law research that FSSH Assistant Professor Dr. Natalie Oman was commissioned to undertake by the United Nations (UN).

“I am assisting Dr. Oman with her examination of human rights law as it applies to Indigenous peoples in Latin America,” says Cheung. “This project management internship opportunity has given me a chance to work independently and as part of a team to apply what I’ve learned in my courses throughout my program at UOIT.”

Dr. Oman’s team also includes UOIT research interns Annie Arko, Tiffany Barone, Aaron Bouman, Nicholas Ierullo and Matthew Markudis, along with other postgraduate researchers from outside the UOIT community. Dr. Oman will ultimately present her final report at UN Headquarters in New York City.

“UOIT students have made wonderful contributions to the project on atrocity crime prevention in Latin America,” says Dr. Oman. “They are ambassadors for the Legal Studies program and experiential learning at UOIT, and I'm so proud of their dedication and hard work."

Cheung believes her opportunity in Singapore in summer 2015 helped set the stage for a chance to participate in Dr. Oman’s research.

“The Singapore exchange was a tremendous privilege, where I had a chance to demonstrate what I’ve learned and help put UOIT on the map,” explains Cheung.  “I wanted to challenge myself in another educational system, be innovative, connect with other students from around the world and develop my capacity to be a leader.”

Cheung thrived in Singapore’s multicultural environment, receiving the Valedictorian award at NTU.

“My exchange allowed me to foster my character – to be a UOIT student who embodies integrity, innovation, and has an open mind to connect with others. Going on exchange further demonstrates my desire to further develop my leadership skills in graduate school. That would be important next step in order to perhaps one day work for the UN.”

Cheung is grateful UOIT has the key resources in place to support and guide students every step of the way. 

“I have to thank the faculty’s entire Practicum office team of Dan Walters, Juanita Boone, and Hazel Craig for making the UN project management position with Dr. Oman possible. It was a rigorous and demanding application/interview process, but also very rewarding.”

Above and beyond her studies, Cheung has expanded her networking skills and connections through extensive involvement in co-curricular activities, driving student advocacy activities as President of the Social Science and Humanities Student Society as well as serving as President of the campus Rotaract Club.

Cheung also found time to make the commitment to being an elite student-athlete. She was up early on many mornings, rowing on Lake Scugog in Port Perry with her UOIT Ridgebacks varsity teammates and competing on weekends in provincial competitions. In March. the university’s Athletics department presented her with the 2015-2016 UOIT Scholastic Award for having the highest GPA among the university’s female student-athletes.

Questions and answers with Cherlene Cheung

• What drew you to UOIT?

  “Many of my teachers at Thornlea Secondary School (Thornhill, Ontario) encouraged me to enrol at UOIT because of its innovative approach to teaching. I was in the Specialist High Skills Major program and we actually got to come to UOIT for a tour and a pizza lunch. I instantly fell in love with the programs and the campus. It was small, but very modern.”

• What do you like about UOIT?

  “I definitely want to show the community what UOIT is all about. Being at a young university, I am getting a chance to pioneer some things here. UOIT lets students be in charge and be leaders in everything we do – from athletics to our course work, we are able to create our own learning environment. The class sizes are amazing: I get to know my professors outside the classroom and am able to actually talk to them. And I really like the specialized software we have for each program.”

• Why did you choose Legal Studies?

  “I think the diverse faculty and staff here at UOIT is what really pushed me to pursue the Legal Studies program. I am inspired by my thesis supervisor, Dr. Sasha Baglay who specializes in immigration and refugee law, as well as Dr. Jen Rinaldi who has experience working in disability law and is a key advocate for mental illness. Plus UOIT is one of only a few universities that provides an opportunity for a practicum placement like my work on the commissioned UN project.”   

• What do you anticipate taking away from the UN practicum?

  “My opportunity with the commissioned UN project was a dream come true. I took away many transferable skills – leadership, dedication, resiliency and hard work. On a more tangible level, I learned how to amalgamate research into documents, facilitate the EndNote database and content management system for our website, and maintain communication with my supervisor and at times other researchers. I had the pleasure and privilege of working and being mentored by Dr. Natalie Oman who has taught me how to be an overall better researcher, student and leader.”

• What happens after graduation in June 2016?

  “My work as a practicum student on the UN project and the hands-on experiences it provided were rewarding. I hope I can apply my new research skills as I pursue my next degree in graduate school. Legal Studies set the foundation for what I want to do in the future: potentially law school or a master’s degree in Criminology at UOIT. My longer-term career aspirations include working for the UN one day.”