2024 Award Recipients

Bachelor of Arts (Honours, Co-op) Political Science and Bachelor of Arts, International Relations

Nicole Schmidt, recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Student Leadership, is a dedicated advocate for student well-being, accessibility, and gender equity. Inspired by her high school experience attending Model United Nations conferences, Nicole recently completed dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science (Honours, Co-op) and International Relations. Her academic achievements include honours such as the Women’s Resource Centre’s Distinguished Undergraduate Student Award and recognition among Alberta’s Top 30 Under 30. Nicole is also a member of the university’s Scholars Academy and the Arts and Sciences Honours Academy program.

As president of the University of Calgary Students’ Union from 2021 to 2023, Nicole championed initiatives to address ongoing student concerns. During her time as SU president, she advocated passionately for students, playing a pivotal role in areas such as food security, post-secondary affordability, and improving campus accessibility. Notably, she secured $700,000 in funding for mental health services in response to feedback from students about the barriers they faced in accessing mental health resources. Using data from the Canadian Mental Health Association, she established bursaries to reduce the financial impact for students accessing mental health support, creating one of the first programs of its kind at Canadian universities. 

During her time as president of the university’s Model United Nations team, Nicole led the team in attending conferences across North America. She later had the opportunity to collaborate with Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and advise on gender equity efforts at the UN. 

Nicole’s approach to leadership centres on inclusion, equity and accessibility. She is passionate about giving students a voice in decision-making processes that impact them directly. As she explains, “Listening is so important. [Leadership] isn’t about me or what I want – it’s about reflecting and representing [your peers].”

Inspired by her time working for the Attorney General in Washington, D.C., Nicole plans to attend law school, where she aims to build on her past experiences and hopes to shape legal practices in the future that promote equity and accessibility.