The opportunity to be part of the Master’s of Arts: Integrated Studies Program at Athabasca University is incredibly exciting and motivates me to start as quickly as possible. This program stands out amongst many others because of how it exposes its students to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences academia.
Since graduating from the University of Victoria seven years ago, I have spent my time teaching in the Greater Victoria School District. I have taught a variety of grades, which has included a diverse range of students. Specifically, teaching to international students, and educating on a variety of different subjects has afforded me the opportunity to discover the areas of interest that I am most passionate about. It was important for
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In 2016, I continued further along the International Education path when I was given the role of International Student Program Advisor. I was the main contact for the 192 International students that attended Oak Bay High School. I built their timetables, acted as a counsellor, offered them career guidance, dealt with behavioural issues, and much more. Every day was different. It challenged me in many ways, consumed countless hours outside of the school day, but gave me a greater understanding and experience of an administrator's role. Despite this, the challenges are severely outweighed by the joyous moments helping these students and building relationships with them. All of these moments have propelled me forward in empathy and provided me with an understanding of minorities. This will be extremely helpful in courses with related content. I will be able to draw upon personal experience to supplement course curriculum. Furthermore, it will be of great assistance in group classes. As mentioned, Canada is a mosaic of different people and cultures, therefore I suspect this program will be as well. I look forward to interacting, communicating and learning from and with people from a variety of