When her mom took her to an open house at Trent’s Peterborough campus last spring, cancer survivor Tessa Smith applied on the spot.

“I’d been considering moving to Toronto for university before I got sick, but after that I knew I couldn’t just up and move out on my own. Once I was on campus I realized what great resources Trent has, and just how beautiful the natural surroundings are – I applied right there on the spot,” Ms. Smith says.

The first-year English literature student says Trent is the kind of school that will help bring you out of your shell if you’re an introvert. But she’s not an introvert.

“If I think different things, I’m not afraid to say something,” says the outspoken 19-year-old who is a two-time cancer survivor.  “Being sick a couple of times, especially at 13, I really learned to use my voice.” Ms. Smith was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma when she was only three months old, and her right eye was eventually removed to prevent the cancer from spreading. At 13, Smith was diagnosed with cancer again, this time bone cancer. After weeks of chemotherapy and a surgery, her left leg was amputated.

The spokesperson and ambassador for the Terry Fox Foundation and SickKids Hospital says she is now learning things at Trent that “are not just good for class, but good for the world.”

For example, she says her current minor in Gender and Women’s Studies has encouraged and informed her to do more advocacy work with people with disabilities.

As an advice columnist at the Peterborough Examiner, Ms. Smith says that she always tells students considering Trent to be prepared for the immense feeling of home you find on campus. “You should know Trent really becomes a part of your life. You become involved in the culture, and the people, and the atmosphere – It’s not just an education.” She adds, “Trent is a really accepting place for people of different races and sexual identities. You never feel alone.”

Ms. Smith is this year’s prestigious Board of Governors Leadership scholarship recipient. The award is given to one student per year with high academics, who is also a strong and consistent contributor to their community.

When she graduates, Ms. Smith hopes to be a writer, an author, and continue her advocacy work. But in the meantime, she plans on continuing to study hard, write more poetry, and speak out.