By Lauren Root – Staff Writer  

Sonoma Brawley is one of 10 students across Canada who was selected for the 3M Fellowship over the summer. The Squamish, BC native is in her third year at Bishop’s studying Music (Concentration in Musical Theater) with a double minor in English and Drama. The 3M Fellowship is based around leadership and innovation, which annually selects 10 students from across Canada to be in a cohort. While in this cohort, the selected students will develop and work on a funded project.  

It was 3M professors at Bishop’s who introduced Brawley to the fellowship during her first year. Many of her professors had been alumni of the fellowship, and they all display leadership characteristics that Brawley found inspiring. It was from the experience of directly working with 3M professors which influenced her to begin researching the fellowship. As she began to meet other 3M students, Brawley found them extremely inspiring and made the decision to apply to the program.  

After being nominated by a professor, Brawley began the long application process to the 3M Fellowship. The 15-page application focuses on writing reflections about yourself and personal values, which Brawley found equally challenging and rewarding. While completing her application, she says, “it all felt surreal” and allowed her to reflect on her own personal values and beliefs. After receiving an email back from the fellowship a few months after submitting her application, Brawley said, “it took me a long time to really have it sink in” and to know that she had accomplished her long-time goal.  

Brawley is the only humanities student in her cohort, which is composed of 8 STEM students and 1 business student. Together, they are working to create a hidden curriculum for university students and making a prospective guide on how to navigate university life. This project, once completed, will be extremely beneficial for university students across Canada and be monumental in easing their transition into post-secondary education.  

Reflecting on the role that Bishop’s has played in her journey, Brawley believes that the school’s emphasis on community connections is what allowed her to find success within the 3M Fellowship: “If I hadn’t met others who were successful, I wouldn’t have known to apply.” The connections that she built allowed her to discover new pathways she hadn’t thought possible prior to becoming involved in the community. Brawley’s advice for students who are looking to apply to this fellowship is to be confident in themselves, stating it: “feels a little daunting thinking about it” but to know that the application process helped her connect many parts of her life together, and she feels more complete knowing her values. As she continues to develop her project with her cohort, Brawley carries the values that Bishop’s and the 3M Fellowship have endorsed.