Dr. Nicoelle Wanner (she/her) has been coming to Medicine Hat College for as long as she can remember.

She recalls following big footprints through the hallways when she attended early learning programs as a child, singing with the Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir as a teen, and studying in the cafeteria for high school finals as a future college student.

When the time came to start her post-secondary education, the decision was a no-brainer.

“I could have moved away to another city or university, but that wasn’t high on my priority list. 

I knew I could get an excellent education here with the added logistical benefits of saving money in smaller classes.  The college gave me the education and training I needed in the environment I needed as a young adult. I didn’t have to make any sacrifices by staying here.”

Dr. Wanner finished her medical degree at the University of Alberta and returned to Medicine Hat for her Family Medicine residency. With strong roots in the community, she stayed to establish her medical practice, started her family and began building the life she wanted to have.

in 2014, Dr. Wanner came full circle as she returned to MHC, this time as a physician in the campus medical clinic.  As she continues to learn new things about the college, see her former instructors in the halls, and connect with students through the clinic, her own MHC days don’t seem so long ago.

“In a way, I see myself in so many of the students I see. School is hard and they want to get it over with – to get to where they’re going! I try to remind them, despite all the difficulties that come with this phase, to be mindful of the present – to take all they can from this mere moment of their lives. Life is about the journey, not the destination.”