Congratulations to our photo contest winner!

Congratulations to Heather Colasuonno, Arts and Science Online Liberal Studies student, for winning our online student portrait photo contest! We look forward to meeting her when she claims her prize trip to campus.

Check out her photo and inspiring story below!

My name is Heather, and I am a wife, mother to two, runner, and introvert. I have also been a self-employed hair stylist for ten years. I mention that after the fact because my family is the most important thing to me, and if the only thing I contribute to the world is two good people, then I have succeeded! Secondly, running and competing keeps me sane and that is my outlet and joy. My 2017 and 2019 Boston Marathon medals hang in my study space and remind me I can do hard things. I am studying Liberal Arts at Queen’s online. The variety of courses appeals to me, and my introvert tendencies make online studies much more enjoyable than in class. I really want to develop my writing, critical analysis and vocabulary skills and this program has challenged me in these areas, as well as piqued new interests. The discipline, focus, and time management skills needed for online studies is a skill I have been able to transfer over from my focus on training and competing. I live in Ajax, Ontario and travelling to a University for in class studies meant daycare for my kids, loss of income as well as the additional stresses involved with commuting. While studying online, I can still be there for my children, book clients in slots that work for my studies, and still be able to complete my assignments and readings during the day. I am so grateful that Queen’s offers all the courses I need to be able to complete my Bachelor of Arts. I am even more excited about the fact that my children can see that making time for academics, personal endeavours, and passions is not only manageable, but entirely worth it!