By: Melody Fagelogo, Kwabena Amoateng, & Akua Osei
Melody’s Experience
When I first arrived in Brandon, Manitoba with my colleagues, I wasn’t sure what to expect – like them. Everything was new, but very quickly, I realized I had stepped into a community that is not just welcoming, but genuinely warm in spirit. Brandon has this quiet strength about it: the calm streets, the crisp air, the way strangers smile at you in passing. It’s the kind of place that grows on you slowly, then suddenly feels like home.
The Master of Arts in Rural Development program has pushed me in ways I didn’t anticipate. There were days when adjusting to academic expectations felt overwhelming, and moments when the winter cold made me long for the warmth of home. Navigating a new environment, balancing schoolwork, and building a support system from scratch wasn’t always easy. But through these challenges, I’ve discovered resilience I didn’t know I had. I’ve learned that it’s okay to ask for help, and that growth often comes from the discomfort of not knowing, then slowly learning your way.
I remain indebted to the Rural Development Institute at Brandon University, my coordinators, and my mentor for their unwavering support and guidance. Thank you for always being there to encourage me and for making my experience at Brandon so enriching.
What I’m most looking forward to in the coming year is continuing this journey of self-discovery. I hope to get more involved in the local community, build deeper connections, and contribute meaningfully to the spaces that have welcomed me. I’m excited to keep learning, not just in the classroom, but through the people I meet and the experiences I gather.
Kwabena’s Experience
Brandon is a small and friendly community in Manitoba, Canada – filled with lovely people. With its friendly community, it seems like home (despite the cold). Aside from lectures, Brandon University has a diverse and dynamic campus with nice lecturers and friendly students and there is always something happening on campus and cool activities that make the community an interesting place to be. Transportation system is quite efficient and other forms of activities make settling in easier. The community offers natural treks from Walmart to Shoppers mall and exciting parks for socializing. Brandon seems more than just a place to start life after relocating – especially when you embrace the calm, cold, and community vibe. New students and people with determination and purpose will discover a cool rhythm and their best selves at Brandon, so bring an open heart, warm jacket, and desire to explore.
The severe winters, cultural shock, financial strain, transportation obstacles, and academic transition are challenges. However, these trials have taught me to build tenacity, independence, and resourcefulness. As a new student of Brandon University, Manitoba, my expectations for the coming year are to experience spring, summer having experience fall and winter already in terms of the weather and meet new people so as to expand my network and make more friends. Academically, I expect my second year and final year to be as smooth and less tiring, attend more campus events, experience Brandon University student life more, and discover nearby eateries, art galleries, new exciting places and ice skating in the next winter. Whiles doing that, I am eager to learn more, and put what I have learned into practice. Being in Brandon has forced me to be more independent, patient, and open-minded, so I am excited to develop and find myself. Brandon may seem little, but it has huge potential to help shape an individual.
Akua’s Experience
My time here has been a tapestry of discovery—navigating new cultures, languages, and ideas that have quietly reshaped me. Brandon, with its unhurried rhythm and prairie whispers, has been an unexpected mirror to my own subtle nature. In its calm, I’ve found a rare alchemy: the space to connect deeply with others, with my studies, and with parts of myself that louder places never seemed to stir.
My academic journey has been a provocation in the best sense—courses like Global Perspectives cracked open histories I’d only ever skimmed, revealing why I’m drawn to their untold layers. It’s as if this program handed me a lens to finally focus what had always been a blurry passion.
As the next year unfolds, I’m ready to lean into collaboration—within these walls and beyond them—to turn these quiet revelations into something resonant.