Local student tops at University of Lethbridge

By Rob Vogt
It isn’t one particular teacher or class that Nadine Thyssen remembers from her years at Willow Creek Composite High School that propelled her to one of the highest honours at the University of Lethbridge.
“All of them encouraged me a lot,” said the daughter of Josh and Marika Thyssen.
The result was that at the university’s recent Spring Convocation, Thyssen was awarded the Dhillon School of Business Gold Medal.
At the ceremony, it was noted Thyssen graduated with a Bachelor of Management degree in economics and finance with great distinction and a co-op designation.
She was described as a very attentive, punctual, and respectful student with a genuine desire to learn. She stood out as one of the most engaged and thoughtful students in her class, consistently demonstrating a deep understanding of the course material and always arriving prepared.
Thyssen demonstrated a collaborative and positive presence in group work, and her teammates highly valued her contributions.
Her insightful questions added meaningful depth to discussions, and her ability to connect theoretical concepts to real-world applications left an impression.
Beyond her perfect 4.0 grade point average, she showed genuine leadership without overshadowing others.
In addition to her grades, involvement was another key component in winning the Dhillon School of Business Gold Medal.
Right from the time she started university, she has been involved in some manner.
She joined the business students’ association where she helped organize events and later became vice-president of finance.
Thyssen completed a 12-month co-op as an education abroad assistant at the University of Lethbridge International Centre.
During her co-op, she helped plan a Māori Culture and Business Practices study tour.
This study tour provided Indigenous students with the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and learn about Māori culture and business from Māori hosts.
Thyssen said hearing the lasting impact the experience had on students was rewarding and the meaningful impact made it the favourite project she worked on during her degree.
She did an exchange to Budapest as well for one semester with University of Lethbridge’s partner school Karoli Gaspar University.
She took part in unique learning experiences, where many of her classes took place at historical and cultural sites throughout the city and her study time was spent at a library inside a former palace.
Her mother is originally from Hungary, so it meant a lot Thyssen learned more about the country she is from.
Thyssen also volunteered with a buddy program, where she was paired with an exchange student she helped adjust to life at the university.
Moving forward, she is going to focus on her job and consider doing a master’s degree.
Thyssen is working as an anti-money laundering analyst and is working on becoming a certified financial examiner.
As she moves ahead in life, she also looks back at where she came from.
She really loved her time in Claresholm with small class sizes and an environment of support.
“All of this encouragement meant a lot,” she said, adding it helped her want to be involved and do well in university.
“Having all that support behind me really helped.”