This article is part of a series on graduates of Spring Convocation 2017. Read more grad profiles or, to learn more about the ceremonies, visit the Convocation website.
If you had asked Holly Fisher four years ago to stand in front of hundreds of people and speak on behalf of her graduating class, she probably would have said no. But that鈥檚 exactly what she鈥檚 doing at the Faculty of Agriculture graduation ceremony Friday, May 12 as her class valedictorian.
Nervous? Not at all: instead, she is overcome with a sense of pride and accomplishment for overcoming the obstacles that stood in her way.
Holly鈥檚 dream to study animal science at the Agricultural Campus was overshadowed by one major detail 鈥� at 25 years old, Holly didn鈥檛 have a high school diploma.
Holly, from Masstown, NS, enrolled in the Adult Learning Program at the Nova Scotia Community College and earned her high school diploma.聽 She then set her sights on the Faculty of Agriculture. After upgrading courses over the summer she began her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture program.
Four years later, she was voted valedictorian by her classmates and will address the Class of 2017 during its Convocation ceremony.聽 In the past, Holly explains that her speech impediment, oral dyslexia, kept her from public speaking. She admits she wouldn鈥檛 have perfected her public speaking skills if it wasn鈥檛 for her involvement with Cultiv8.
Entrepreneurial experience
Holly has been involved with Cultiv8 for two years. Cultiv8, a collaborative program that is offered to both 国民彩票 and Acadia students, offers students access to business mentors and entrepreneurial resources. Through Cultiv8, students are given the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship through programs, mentoring and interactive programming.
鈥淭ruthfully, I had never considered myself an entrepreneur and I really had no idea what it was,鈥� says Holly. 鈥淗owever, after meeting Jolene MacEachern, Cultiv8鈥檚 coordinator, in the library one day, I was inspired to come to a Cultiv8 meeting, which actually changed my life enormously and made my university career what it is today.鈥�
Through Cultiv8, Holly has competed in a number of pitching competitions and business development workshops allowing her to work on her business idea using the business model canvas while earning credits towards her degree.聽 It was through Cultiv8 that Holly developed the idea for her business, 3Meals. Through 3Meals, Holly plans to produce a protein supplement from mealworms, which are high in protein, full of nutrients and environmentally friendly.
鈥淚 have always had an interest in entomophagy and believe it will play a crucial role in agriculture in the future,鈥� Holly explains. 鈥淭he need for a reliable and cost efficient protein source is becoming important as the population grows and insects may prove to be the answer for this problem.鈥�
Coming full circle
Holly has also taken part in pitching competitions through Cultiv8 such as Start It Up at Acadia University as well as Sprint Ag and Pitch Ag at Dal AC. She even had the opportunity to compete in the Canadian Business Model Competition which then led her to com