Features

Students return to St. Thomas University for the winter semester, marking the start of a new term on campus. (Credit: Sabrina Zabatiero)  Coming back to class can be tough. For some, it means returning to a familiar environment, reconnecting with friends and resuming routine. For others, it involves starting over in a new country, adjusting to a different culture, different food and life far from home.  While students share the same campus, local and international students of

Asma Abdel Kader, a fellow board member along with Rawia Mokhtar,   President of the Manarat Association for Community services. (Credit: Peter Gross) Despite freezing rain on Sunday, Jan. 11, Fredericton residents gathered at the Cultural Centre to support the 13th Halal Food Fundraiser, raising money for humanitarian aid in Gaza and Sudan while also supporting the rural Harvey Food Bank. Approximately 30 vendors filled the wellness room at the Cultural Centre with authentic

Mohammed Ali Akhtar waits at a slippery Fredericton bus stop as winter conditions slow public transit across the city. (Suzanne Shah/AQ) Winter has long shaped life in New Brunswick, but for students without access to a car, the season increasingly dictates how their days are planned. Those concerns intensified after a Fredericton Transit bus slid into a ditch on Hilton Road last December during icy conditions. “I used to catch [a bus] but now … I’d be late, so I have to go o

A Smart Start table displays study materials and information, marking the shift away from STU’s former peer tutoring program. (Credit: STU Communications) When St. Thomas University discontinued its one-on-one peer tutoring program this fall, many students were left confused about how to seek academic support.  The Smart Start Study tables were introduced as a community-based alternative, but students who depended on tailored, course-specific help say the shift has created ga

Green and red aurora bands break through the clouds, illuminating a quiet Fredericton neighbourhood. (Credit: Sabrina Zabatiero) This month, a rare appearance of the Northern Lights brought students across Fredericton outside as faint streaks of green and red pushed through heavy cloud cover.  The display, brief and partly obscured, was enough to send groups of students toward parking lots, riverbanks and open spaces in hopes of catching a glimpse. For Huzaifa Hameed, a maste

A single tree becomes a season’s announcement. (Photo credit: Huzaifa Hameed) Fredericton doesn’t just enter fall — it leans into it. By early October, the air thins, the light softens, and the city begins its slow transformation into a landscape of red, gold, and quiet fire. For students, longtime residents, and anyone who walks the streets with their eyes open, autumn becomes more than a season. It becomes a conversation.

The Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with St. Thomas University, delivered Fredericton's Health Care Summit II at the Kinsella Auditorium last Nov. 13. (Credit: STU Communications) On Nov. 13, the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with St. Thomas University, the City of Fredericton and the New Brunswick Medical Education Foundation,   hosted the second annual healthcare summit at the Kinsella Auditorium. The summit was composed of three panels whe

Attendees play a round of Mario Kart during the Bridges of Hope fundraiser, which featured video games, crafts, and food to raise money for children and orphans worldwide. (Brianna Lyttle/AQ) Competitive students were in for a treat on Nov. 1 when Islamic Relief Canada’s (IRC) Bridges of Hope event came to St. Thomas University. With a variety of games ranging from Mario Kart to playing cards, shawarma donated by Osmow’s Fredericton, soda drinks, and baked goods, the IRC team

Lori Neily and Crème Brûlée, therapy Labradors, pose with their trainers, Zahra and Steve Neily, during their visit to St. Thomas University. (Credit: Sabrina Zabatiero) On Oct. 20, Lori Neily and Crème Brûlée, along with their tutors, Zahra and Steve Neily, came to spread some Labrador sparkles to the ordinary and stressful routines of students at St. Thomas University.  The visit lasted one hour, during which students gathered to watch a small fraction of the many tricks th

A quiet exchange from election night in New York City, captured shortly after the results were declared. ( Credit: ABC News / Good Morning America) On election night, speaking to supporters at a rally in Queens — in a speech later published by Newsweek — Zohran Mamdani didn’t pound the lectern; he told a story.  "In the words of Nelson Mandela: it always seems impossible until it is done. My friends, we have done it,” said Mamdani. “So hear me, President Trump … to get to any

Guests fill the dance floor at the Barley Ball, celebrating with swing music and community spirit to support the STU Food Bank and Hearty STU program. (Credit: Sabrina Zabatiero) On Nov. 1, students, staff and community members gathered in the Great Hall at George Martin Hall for the first-ever Barley Ball, a formal fundraiser supporting the STU Food Bank and the Hearty STU program.  The evening paired live swing music, dance lessons and student-led service, offering a celebr

President Nauman Farooqi cooked alongside students from Hearty STU, Kaitlyn Hamming, Rebecca Osmond, and STU’s Campus Minister Claire Morrison. (Credit: Gisele Gallibois)  Students at St. Thomas University swarmed Holy Cross House (HCH) to get a taste of President Farooqi’s Pakistani homeland cooking on Oct. 23.  The lunch menu offered Tahiri, a rice dish with potatoes; raita, a yogurt-based side with vegetables; and Chicken Karahi curry. Farooqi said he “loves to cook,” and

International students at St. Thomas University share stories of resilience, identity, and the challenges of finding a sense of belonging far from home. (Credits: STU Communications) Between rising expenses, cultural adjustment and the federal government capping admission of international students, it has not been easy to attend university as a non-Canadian.  Shaun Narine, director of STU’s international relations program, has noticed that the community of international stude

Chef Chris Bruce is serving up the various Latin American cuisine to an attendee, Jack Fogarty. (Photo Credit: Peter Gross) Three hundred students, staff, professors, and visitors indulged their taste buds in Latin American cuisine at the dining hall last Friday, Oct. 21. Saa Andrew Gbongbor, cultural diversity coordinator at STU,  is the lead organizer of the Culinary Adventures Series. Gbongbor started this initiative in 2023 and said that the goal of the Culinary Adventure

Harnaaz Sandhu of India reacts after being crowned Miss Universe 2021 during the pageant’s final in Eilat, Israel. (Credit: Miss Universe Organization/PennLive) When India’s Harnaaz Sandhu won Miss Universe in 2021, she told the crowd, “The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves … I believed in myself and that’s why I’m standing here today,”  according to The Times of India.  Her win was more than a victory for India. It marked a shift for a

STU students gathered at James Dunn Hall for the Winter Warm Up initiative. (Suzanne Shah/AQ) One challenge that affects international students coming to St. Thomas University is the cold Canadian weather and the financial hurdles that come with obtaining proper winter clothing.  On Oct. 15, the International Office and St. Thomas University’s International Student Association (STUISA) combatted this issue with the Winter Warm Up in James Dunn Hall.  This annual event dates b

UNB Mobility day is an event dedicated to foster dialogue on improving transportation for post-secondary education students in New Brunswick. (Suzanne Shah/AQ) On Oct. 7, students gathered around posters and displays at the University of New Brunswick’s Mobility Day.  The event brought together students, faculty, and transit professionals to discuss how the city’s systems — from buses to bike paths — could better meet the needs of its growing student population.  Between rese

Henry Nadeau poses with a cast member from Frogs at the Theatre of Dionysus during the Greece Travel Study trip. (Submitted by: Henry Nadeau) When Henry Nadeau stood in the ancient Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, he couldn’t help but smile. Just two months earlier, the fourth-year great books honours student had performed Aristophanes’ The Frogs , the same comedy that premiered on that very stage over 2,400 years ago. “It was kind of mind-blowing,” said Nadeau. “Standing wher

Kat’s kitchen at Fredericton High School is part of the Feed NB program. (Photo credits: Hanin Bohram) A month after New Brunswick made...

Enactus STU won Campus Administration of the Year last May 2024 in Toronto. (Credit: STU Communications) While St. Thomas University offers a variety of student clubs, Enactus STU stands out on a national level.  As a branch of the international Enactus organization, the club's goal is to support student leadership and entrepreneurship to make a positive social, economic and environmental change.  Each year, Enactus STU competes with teams across Canada in displaying their im