[5][6] Derick later received teacher training at the McGill Normal School, graduating in 1881 as a Prince of Wales Gold Medal winner.

from McGill University, and graduated in 1890, at the top of her class in natural science with first-class honours, the highest GPA (94%) that year, and received the Logan Gold Medal.

She began teaching at the Trafalgar Institute for Girls in 1890, while also working part-time as McGill's first woman botany demonstrator.

[3] Given her previous seven years of teaching, researching, administration work and publishing (without pay) at McGill University, Derick wrote directly to Principal Peterson and was promoted to the position of assistant professor at one-third the salary of her male counterparts in 1905.

[3][5][2] In 1912, McGill University began a search for a new department chair and did not recruit Derick, despite her previous experience or the strong support she received.

[3][5][2][9][10] However, morphological botany was not Derick's research expertise, and this new position did not come with a pay rise, or a seat on the faculty.

[10] She later petitioned to have her title changed to professor of comparative morphology and genetics to be more representative of her expertise and research interests.

[3][2] In 1915, Derrick confronted then Quebec premier Sir Lomer Gouin regarding his views on the topic of birth control.

[2] In 1914, Derick supported Annie Langstaff, the first woman law graduate from McGill University, in her unsuccessful bid to join Quebec's bar.