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Nothing but net: Commerce student succeeds in sports and school

Posted by Miriam Breslow on March 26, 2015 in News

Courtney Thompson is proof of just how much can be accomplished in one four-year degree program. A hardworking Commerce student, Courtney has also TA’ed, mentored, marked, completed work terms and performed fiercely on the basketball court.

 “I started playing basketball when I was five and have been playing every year since,” says Courtney, who competed at the provincial level as a teenager. While Courtney has played numerous sports, basketball has always been her main focus. She played in the Canada Summer Games in 2009, and soon after connected with Dalhousie’s coach, Anna Stammberger, and other Dalhousie faculty who were interested in recruiting her. Courtney recalls that after speaking with them, “I knew Dalhousie was the university I wanted to play for.” Since coming to Dalhousie, Courtney has been named AUS (Atlantic University Sports) Rookie of the Year, and has won All-Star and Player of the Year awards nearly every year she has played. Courtney’s list of records and athletic achievements is long: this year she set Dalhousie’s record for points in a season, and she tied for 11th in career points in AUS, among other honours. Courtney has also been named a CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) Academic All-Canadian for four years in a row, which requires maintaining an academic average of 80 per cent in addition to achieving great athletic success.

As the All-Canadian standing indicates, Courtney is not only a strong athlete but also a dedicated student who has worked hard in her chosen major, accounting. She was initially drawn to Dalhousie for its academics as well as athletics. “The Dalhousie co-op program was the main reason why I chose to study Commerce,” she explains, and adds, “I was fortunate to experience both finance and accounting placements through the co-op experience, which allowed me to see that I really enjoyed the accounting industry.”

In addition to studying accounting, Courtney enjoyed being a TA, and also chose to mentor a young girl with an interest in basketball. “It made me feel good to know I was making a difference in someone else’s life,” she says of the experience. In turn, Courtney cites Dr. Carolyn Savoy, former coach of the Dalhousie women’s basketball team, as a mentor and influence on her own university career. “She inspired me to be the best I can be and taught me to be mentally tough,” says Courtney. “She was such a role model to me and many others.”

Over the course of her time at Dalhousie, Courtney had to learn time management skills to juggle her very full schedule. Her life is hectic, she says, but she enjoys “staying busy and on the go.” Courtney is humble about her successes, noting that she couldn’t have won her awards “without the support from my friends, family and mentors.”

So what’s next? “I will be working with Irving Oil upon graduation from Dalhousie and pursuing my CPA designation,” says Courtney. Unsurprisingly, she will continue to play basketball in her home province of New Brunswick, and hopes to start coaching as well. This All-Canadian will be giving back to her community and using her Commerce skills, and she’s ready to continue scoring points on the court.