Mature and first-generation student Heidi-Lyn O’Connor always loved school and wanted to attend university, but life took her in a different direction. In March 2020, she was about to earn her zoo technician diploma online by completing an internship at the Moncton Zoo, when the pandemic hit and she needed to rethink her next step. That winter, at 33, and as a single parent of two kids — Rosalie, 10 and Maisie, 7 — she decided it was time to pursue the science degree she had always dreamed of — and she enrolled at Mount Allison in Fall 2021.

“I always wanted my degree and I was always meant to have it,” says O’Connor. “So I thought I’m going to figure the finances out and commute and make this work. I knew Mount A was where I had to go to get the hands-on experience that I wanted in this field.”

Now in the third year of her biology degree, she is set to start her honours thesis this summer with an independent summer research grant working with Dr. Diana Hamilton on shorebird research, testing isotopes in the bird’s feathers to determine demographics and original breeding grounds.

In May, she had the chance to participate in the Galápagos Islands Conservation Physiology Field School in Biology — an experience she had dreamed of for many years.

“Not only was this a lifelong dream, but as a biology student it was so educationally rewarding to see the things I'm learning come to life in front of me,” she says. “This trip was fulfilling academically, mentally, emotionally, and personally in every way. Being surrounded by wildlife in every direction at any given moment in the day is a zoologist's dream and I will treasure this trip deep in my heart for the rest of my life.”

This year, O’Connor was awarded the Gay Hansen Award in Biology, established in October 2021 to honour the life and work of Mount Allison biology lab instructor and technician Gay Hansen.

“I’ve worked really hard to do this with two kids and knowing my lab instructors, who I really love and adore, return that sentiment and notice my hard work is really meaningful to me,” says O’Connor.

A Dean’s List student, O’Connor is passionate about advocating for mature students and their unique needs. She started a Mature Students Association at Mount Allison to connect with other students in a similar place in life. She also participates in first-generation programming, which she says she has found very helpful as the first person in her family to go to university.

O’Connor is also highly involved in the east coast music scene through her initiative East Track Mind, which she started in 2020 during the pandemic as an avenue to promote east coast music. She has developed Spotify playlists for each Atlantic province, along with other spotlights for Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIA+, and Black artists, and promotes them to local businesses. At Mount Allison she has amplified this work with a radio show on CHMA, which has now been picked up by eight other stations across Canada.

For her efforts, she was awarded a 2024 East Coast Music Award (ECMA) for Visual Artist of the Year and a 2023 ECMA for Media Person of the Year. She also received Music New Brunswick Champion of the Year in 2021 and 2023. She recently had the opportunity to be on the red carpet as media at the JUNOs in Halifax, NS.

O’Connor is looking forward to working in her field after graduation either at a zoo or another nature or conservancy organization. She also plans to continue her education in the future by obtaining a master’s degree.

“I would be giving you the highlight reel if I didn’t say doing this while being a single parent is really hard on all of us,” she says. “But I also know that watching me go through school is very special because they get to see me shine and be successful, not live in the shadows the way I use to. Hopefully that will translate into a belief in what they can do, set an example that they can do hard things, and if you want something and work for it, you can have it.”

O’Connor has had two alumni mentors who have impacted her experience, including Monique Richard (‘93) who works with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Rob Williams (‘94) who was a first-generation student at Mount Allison and is now co-founder of Oceans Initiative.

“I am getting my degree and I don’t have to spend the next 10 years of my life worried that I might never get to,” she says. “So I’m just really grateful every day that I’m here.”