Jubilee Medal - Humanities
"I'm probably UVic's most reluctant graduate"

When Alice Tyrrell first came to UVic in 1998, she was nervous to attend her first class. But it was more than the regular first-year nerves-the lifelong resident of Victoria was worried that, as a mature student, she might not be taken seriously.

"I remember sitting in my first German class, looking around and seeing all these young students, and feeling much older. They were younger than my own kids and I remember thinking 'What am I doing here?'"

She needn't have worried. Tyrrell, who did a double major in medieval studies and German — and has won the Jubilee medal in humanities as that faculty's top student — found plenty of encouragement and support from her peers. "I've felt so accepted," she says. "I've met many friends of all ages and often they'll say that they wish their mother would go back to school too."

The decision to attend UVic came in 1998, when Tyrrell learned that all three of her daughters were engaged to be married. She needed to minimize the empty-nest syndrome, and thought that pursuing her long-time interest in German studies would help keep her busy.

"I felt this wave approaching, as it does in life, and I thought if I don't catch this wave now, I'll probably never go."

With the encouragement of her professors, Tyrrell took full advantage of the learning opportunities offered by the school. In 2000 she went to Germany for six weeks on an exchange.

Next year, Tyrrell plans to take some time to regroup, but intends to pursue a master's in the U.K. in medieval studies. She wants to examine the cultural interchange between the Greek east and the Latin west, areas that scholars tend to study separately.

For the moment, however, Tyrrell will have to adjust to life outside university.

"I'm probably UVic's most reluctant graduate," she says. "I've had such a wonderful time. I don't want to leave!"