Category Archives: Education

Who am I?

Posted in Education, Growing Up by

I’m currently sitting here watching Glee, and it’s made me wonder who I was in high school. I think it’s safe to say that I fell into almost every clique throughout the years.

When I was in Grade 8, I was a part of the “popular” group, or at least as far as Grade 8’ers go. That was, until Grade 9 when I had a falling out with my life-long friend. She made new friends and I found a new one, along with my (kinda-loser) boyfriend. I wound up grounded on more than a few occasions for seeing my loser-boyfriend behind my mom’s back.

Then, at one point in Grade 9 I got a new loser-boyfriend. He got expelled/suspended from school and eventually broke up with me. Then it was back to the original loser boyfriend, at which point I got a new best friend and gained some popularity again. Then, almost out of nowhere, I decided that it would be a good idea to start being “cool” and skipping school and doing drugs. Okay, it was “only” pot, but apparently even my loser pothead boyfriend thought I shouldn’t skip so much school.

Eventually, my mom caught onto my ways and I got in soooo much trouble. And, eventually, I snapped out of it. Did I really have to do drugs to fit in? Not so much. I became great friends with a couple guys, and I kind of became (more) of a “jock.” I spent the mornings before classes started in the gym playing basketball (or just throwing the ball at the hoop like the girl I am), and I dabbled in the run club as well as soccer (which I never quit to begin with).

When I started dating Kyle in Grade 11, I slowly started to figure out who I was. I learned that you don’t have to put on an act for people to like you. If they don’t like you because you don’t smoke, do drugs, or party every weekend, so what? Kyle liked me just the way I am, even though I was unsure of who I was. He didn’t force me into being someone I wasn’t and he was patient while I figured it out.

I don’t know who I was in high school, but I do know right now that I try to just be myself. I’m a mixed bag of craziness, and really, I don’t fall into one category. I love the UFC but i can’t wait for the next Sex and the City movie to come out. I go to the gym but I eat like it’s the last meal of my life. I love a good gong-show of a party but love quiet nights at home.

I guess I’ll just keep not knowing where I fall in life, but at least I’m happy with whatever I am.

What group did you fall into in high school? Jock? Geek? Popular? Not? What about now?

Reflecting on the final year

Posted in Education, Friends, Memories, Photos, Reflections by

It has been approximately one year since I finished my undergrad degree. ONE YEAR! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been out here in the real world, doing my thang for a year already.

My last year of university was a whirlwind, to say the least. I started my job as one of the news editors for the university paper, I met Canada’s Green Party leader, I moved in with Kyle, I travelled east for the first time and I partied hard, all while completing my degree!

These photos are from September 2008, when the federal election was going on here in Canada. A group of us went out to practice our die-hard journalism skills, staying up until 1 a.m. to meet and scrum with Canada’s Green Party Leader, Elizabeth May. (The Green Party is more or less the “Environmental” party of Canada) It was also Melissa’s birthday, so we celebrated that as well!

We had a pretty awesome Christmas party for the school newspaper, enjoying delicious tapas and drinks before heading to the boss’s house to play a little DDR and Guitar Hero like the nerds we truly are!

After the new year and barely a week into the new (and final!) semester, the gang from the newspaper ventured to the Canadian Prairies to visit freezing cold Saskatoon for the Canadian University Press Conference. I shall warn you now, the entire trip was more drinking and partying than learning about the paper, but Melissa and I did tour the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, which was pretty awesome, and we saw some odd sights, like a statue of Ghandi. Also, I realized that I know I’m drunk when I start flashing random hand signals and gang signs. In this case, it was “W” for “Wizard”, the nickname we lovingly gave the horrible DJ at the wind up gala.

Finally, there was the Year End party, filled with singing, dancing, drinking and good times. I sure miss these people sometimes but I bump into them from time to time. Oh, and I also discovered I act like a pirate sometimes. Oh, and did I mention horrible U-Brew wine sipped from coffee mugs?

Yep, those were the days! Do I miss school? Sometimes, but somethings are better left as memories :)

TRU Journalism Grads, 2009

Do you ever miss school, if you’re not in it anymore? If you’re not, do you think you will?

Cross-Studying

Posted in Education by

I was having a conversation with two of my best friends during a coffee date the other day. Two of us (myself included) are all done school and one of us is still in school, studying Sociology and Anthropology. She was asked if she has taken any Psychology courses, and she said no, that they don’t touch that stuff.

I found it odd, really, because I always thought that cross-studying was a good thing. Maybe it’s because I studied a little bit of everything to be well-rounded and knowledgeable in a variety of areas. Other than the programs that require special admission (think Tourism, DAAD and Nursing) I took a course from every discipline. In first year I took Microeconomics (I failed, but I still remember some stuff), I’ve taken art history courses, a bunch of political science courses, psychology a philosophy courses just to name a few. Of course, I took all the required courses to get my degree, but I really found that studying outside of my major was eye opening.

Anyway, I never think it hurts to study outside of your field. You get a better understanding of other areas and personally, I think you can back up your arguments better.

What do you think? Do you enjoy taking courses outside of what you’re studying?