Undergraduate Students

From pediatric patient to professor: Rebecca Balasa on nursing, research and why Windsor felt like home

Rebecca Balasa stands outside in a green spaceThe Faculty of Nursing welcomes Professor Rebecca Balasa to the University of Windsor. Her experience in nursing and public health, along with her research on child health equity, brings valuable insight to our community. (SUBMITTED BY REBECCA BALASA/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For Dr. Rebecca Balasa, the path to nursing didn't start in a classroom.

Her own experiences as a pediatric patient introduced her to the role nurses play, not only in delivering treatment, but in providing comfort and connection.

“I was really inspired by my own healthcare team,” she said. “It was through my relationships with nurses and seeing everything they do that I decided to go into the profession.”

That sense of purpose continues to guide her as she joins the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing.

Court filings, bail hearings and urgent deadlines — at 20 years old

photo of Bianca Toma standing in River Commons area of Turtle WalkPolitical Science student Bianca Toma receives a Rising Star Award for her work during her co-op placement as a legal assistant during the fall 2025 semester. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

University of Windsor student Bianca Toma entered a high-pressure legal workplace and quickly proved she could handle real legal responsibility as a second-year student.

In her second year of the Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Co-operative Education) program, Toma completed her placement at the Law Office of Amy Osman Professional Corporation, working as a legal assistant supporting immigration and criminal law files while gaining direct experience inside Ontario courtrooms.

UWindsor nursing professor leads cross-border study highlighting lung transplant care

Jane and her team of colleagues and students stand with their poster at the WESPARK conferenceJane Simanovski (left) and her team of colleagues and students stand with their research poster at the WE-SPARK conference in March, highlighting a cross-border study on caregivers supporting lung transplant patients. (SUBMITTED BY EDWARD CRUZ/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

It takes more than medical expertise to support a patient after a lung transplant.

As April marks Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Month, a new cross-border study examines an often-overlooked part of the transplant journey — the family members and friends who provide care after surgery.

The unwritten rules about what to wear at work — an Odette researcher is studying who they actually serve

photo of Dr. Yanhong Li seated in her officeOdette School of Business professor Dr. Yanhong Li is leading a SSHRC funded study examining how workplace dress norms and office design shape self expression and feelings of belonging. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

What do you wear to work?

Is what you wear truly your choice?

Or is it a reflection of how your workplace signals you are expected to look?

What employees wear is often assumed to be a personal decision, but in reality, those choices are often shaped by workplace norms, informal cues and broader power structures.

Clothing can affect how professionalism is judged, how credibility and organizational fit are assigned and how comfortable someone feels simply existing at work.

Argue, negotiate, represent: how mooting competitions shape Windsor Law students

students and judges pose in the courtroom after a moot competitionMark Jones and his co-counsel stand with moot judges and opposing counsel after completing the preliminary round of the Julius Alexander Isaac Moot. (SUBMITTED BY MARK JONES/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For students at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, mooting and negotiation competitions are more than academic exercises — they are integral to how students grow into confident, capable legal professionals.

Mooting, a simulated court hearing usually focused on appeals, challenges students to think critically, advocate persuasively and navigate complex legal and ethical issues under pressure.

Cut-Move-Click — SoCA students explore rhythm, colour and motion

students in a classroom watching stop-motion videos on a screenProfessor Catherine Heard plays a stop-motion animation created by one of her students during the final critique of her VSAR-1060 class. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

Colourful shapes bounced, collided and slipped across the screen as abstract forms moved in tight rhythms, set to beeps, boops and bursts of heavy metal drumming.

The screening marked the final project for students enrolled in VSAR-1060 Introduction to Elements of Art and Principles of Design.

The short films — each between 60 and 90 seconds — featured abstract, non-narrative animations made with paper, found objects and digital sound.

Shaping the next generation: UWindsor co-op supervisor earns top honour

photo of Michael Joyce accepting his awardMichael Joyce (left), a software designer at DuroByte and University of Windsor alumnus, accepts the Outstanding Co-op Supervisor Award from Kristen Morris, director of the Office of Experiential Learning, during the university’s Co-op and Experiential Learning Awards ceremony on April 1st. (PETER MARVAL/University of Windsor)

 

By Victor Romao

Michael Joyce (BComp ’25) still remembers arriving at work as a co-op student, unsure of what questions he was allowed to ask — or whether he belonged in the room.

Now, he is the one making sure students never feel that way.

A kaleidoscope of paths: UWindsor visual arts graduates open their final undergraduate exhibition

image of student painting graphics on gallery entrance wallDrea Madore puts the finishing touches on the entrance wall, featuring artwork by Joe Ishaq, which introduces visitors to the Kaleidoscope thesis exhibition at the SoCA Gallery. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)

By Victor Romao

The creative path is rarely linear, often shaped by trial, error and continual reassessment.

For the graduating visual arts students at the University of Windsor, it has been marked by experimentation, reconsideration and change — a journey now brought into focus through their final undergraduate exhibition, Kaleidoscope.

Windsor Law grad honoured with inaugural Sidney B. Linden Student Award

Jamie Holmes pictured in an outdoor gardenJamie Holmes, a Windsor Law graduate and current Master of Laws candidate, has been awarded the inaugural Sidney B. Linden Student Award for her work advancing access to justice for Indigenous families. (SUBMITTED BY JAMIE HOLMES/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

Jamie Holmes sees the law as more than a career choice.

For her, it’s a way to make a real difference.

Her commitment to advance access to justice for Indigenous communities has earned her the inaugural Sidney B. Linden Student Award.

Inside Chemical Valley: Windsor Law students confront environmental injustice at Aamjiwnaang First Nation

Members of Aamjiwnaang community gather around a traditional drumMembers of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community gather around a traditional drum, opening and closing the students' visit with ceremonial songs that honoured culture and connection. (SUBMITTED BY GEMMA SMYTH/University of Windsor)

By Sara Meikle

For first-year law students at the University of Windsor, learning about access to justice often begins in the classroom.

But on March 20, that learning extended beyond campus, onto the lands of Aamjiwnaang First Nation.

Supported by UWindsor’s Article U: Diversity, Indigeneity, and Anti-Racism Professional Development Fund and Windsor Law, students in the Access to Justice course travelled to the community near Sarnia for a day of land-based, experiential learning centred on environmental and treaty rights.