Breaking Down Barriers: Acadia’s Anna Lukeman Named 3M National Student Fellow
by Lohnes, Grant
When Anna Lukeman walks into a room, she’s not looking to take up space—she’s thinking about how to make room for someone else.
That spirit of inclusion and quiet leadership has earned the 21-year-old Acadia University student one of the highest honours a Canadian undergraduate can receive: the 3M National Student Fellowship. Presented by the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE), the award recognizes ten students across Canada who are transforming post-secondary education through leadership, collaboration, and innovation. Anna was selected for her work in accessibility, community-building, and environmental stewardship.
“I’m happy that the awards committee values the importance of accessible spaces in education,” says Anna. “I’m also grateful for the opportunity for the wonderful programs I’ve been a part of to be highlighted.”
An educator at heart
Anna is in her fourth year of a combined Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Statistics and a Bachelor of Education—a dual degree that allows her to pursue both her academic curiosity and her passion for teaching.
While working alongside instructor Ashley Parsons as a teaching assistant and researcher, Anna embarked on a project aimed at improving chemistry lab accessibility for students with disabilities.
“I’d seen students struggling in the lab,” Anna says. “Especially with the fast pace, the calculations, the standing. And I thought—what if we could build supports into the lab environment before students even had to ask?”
Through interviews with students registered with Accessible Learning Services, Anna and Ashley gathered feedback and implemented changes in real time. Desk risers were added to lab benches, chalkboards offered step-by-step reminders, and a nearby classroom provided a quiet seating area to work on calculations.
“The students noticed,” Anna says. “They appreciated that their feedback was being heard and that someone cared enough to act on it.”
Ashley calls Anna a “dependable leader” whose calm, student-centred approach has transformed how the department thinks about lab learning.
“Anna’s work continues to shape conversations about accessibility,” says Ashley. “And she’s just getting started.”
Building community through dance
When she’s not in a lab coat, Anna can be found in the dance studio, leading another initiative close to her heart.
Dancepiration is a free dance program for individuals with disabilities. When Anna joined as a volunteer in her first year, it was a single weekly class. Today, under her leadership, it has grown to multiple classes, a youth program, and public showcases each year.
She introduced training for student volunteers, built partnerships with the Acadia Dance Collective and S.M.I.L.E. Program, and helped have Dancepiration recognized as a practicum opportunity for kinesiology students.
“Our student volunteers learn not just teaching and leadership skills, but how to bring joy into learning environments,” Anna says.
Parents echo that sentiment, praising the program for creating more than a class. “Dancepiration is a community of belonging,” reads one parent’s testimonial.
An Irving Scholar with roots in environmental stewardship
Anna is also one of Acadia’s Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation Scholars— a four-year scholarship awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, community leadership, and commitment to sustainability.
For Anna, that has meant contributing to environmental education through the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, volunteering with the Nova Scotia Envirothon program, leading high school tours, and participating in field work at Beaubassin Research Station.
“Because of the Irving Scholarship, I didn’t have to rely as much on part-time work,” Anna says. “That allowed me to spend more time on things like Dancepiration—and to say yes to research opportunities that shaped who I am as an educator.”
Sarah Hines, who helps to oversee the program, says Anna stood out from the beginning. “She came to Acadia with a plan already in mind, and it’s been a joy to watch her follow through with heart and determination.”
What comes next
Now in her final year at Acadia, Anna’s impact is already seen and felt: in classrooms and labs that better reflect students’ needs, in the joy onstage at Dancepiration showcases, and in the communities of learning she has helped shape.
She hopes the message people take from her work is simple but powerful:
“True leaders are not the stars on centre stage. A leader is someone who removes barriers and empowers others to achieve their full potential.”