CHARLOTTETOWN — Three University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) students have been awarded funding to participate in international study abroad programs in Norway and the United States during the 2025–2026 academic year.
Kiana MacLeod, Leetia Eegeesiak, and Leah MacPhail will each spend a semester abroad as exchange students, supported in part by the UPEI Office of Study Abroad and International Partnerships.
MacLeod, a third-year biology student, has received a grant of 75,845 Norwegian kroners (approximately CAD$10,000) through the University of the Arctic’s north2north (N2N) mobility program. She will attend the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) this fall.
“I’m incredibly honoured to receive the N2N mobility grant,” said MacLeod. “I’m looking forward to learning in a new environment, connecting with people from different backgrounds, and seeing how biology is approached in another part of the world.”
Eegeesiak, a first-year biology student, has been awarded CAD$9,000 through the same N2N program to attend Bergen University in Norway in winter 2026. As an Inuk from Nunavut, Eegeesiak emphasized the personal and cultural value of the experience.
“This exchange presents a meaningful opportunity to expand my knowledge of another northern Indigenous culture and country,” she said.
The N2N mobility program connects students from across the Arctic region, including institutions in Canada, the United States, Scandinavia, and several other northern and circumpolar nations. It aims to strengthen knowledge and awareness of Arctic issues while offering transformative academic experiences.
Meanwhile, first-year sustainable design engineering student Leah MacPhail has been named a 2025–2026 Killam Fellow. She will spend a semester at Arizona State University in the U.S. in winter 2026.
The Killam Fellowships Program supports exceptional undergraduate students from Canadian universities to study in the United States. The fellowship includes US$6,000 per semester, a three-day orientation in Ottawa, a spring seminar in Washington, D.C., health coverage, and optional mobility grants for educational field trips.
“I believe true education happens when you embrace new experiences,” said MacPhail. “This is a true adventure, and I’m excited to see how it will shape my future personally, academically, and professionally.”
Sherilyn Acorn, manager and international liaison officer for the UPEI Office of Study Abroad and International Partnerships, expressed pride in the students’ accomplishments.
“Leetia and Kiana are the first UPEI students to receive N2N funding and will be our university’s first participants at these Norwegian institutions,” Acorn said. “We are learning the process alongside them, which is incredibly exciting.”
Acorn also praised MacPhail’s selection for the prestigious Killam Fellowship and noted that her experience will help promote global learning within the UPEI Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering.
