Third Year, Biology Specialist
“I guess number one thing that [my father’s] probably always told me is perseverance. That’s the number one thing that you should always try to keep on your mind. And focus towards your goals. But if it’s not going too well or not as well as you want to, just make sure you try harder the next time and keep persevering.”
Third Year, Biology and Psychology
“ I love traveling, I have traveled to places such as Australia, Italy, Paris, India, and to all the eastern provinces of Canada. Also volunteering is a big part of me; I volunteered at most of UTM’s projects, like bike share, campus tour guide, health and counselling centre, and Schlegel Villages, which is a retirement home.
I don’t know about you, but personally, I’m tired of candidates for UTM elections tossing flyers and pamphlets in my face.
Yes, I get it. You’re “lobbying” and “fighting” and “increasing” and “decreasing” and “fighting back” and you’re doing it all for me! Thank you. And I understand that maybe you are trying to make a change to better campus life at UTM. But from the average UTM student’s point of view, you’re making all of these claims with no results. How many elections have been held at UTM, and how many changes have I been able to see? Are you really running for an election to better campus life, or do you just need a role to add to your resume?
First Year, Life Sciences
“Why did you decide to choose Life Sciences?
“The one reason I wanted to [study] medicine is kind of unrealistic but it’s something my grandma told me when I was little: When she used to see her doctor, she’d feel healed by just seeing him. And a lot of doctors nowadays do it for the money and name but not a lot of them like it. And to be honest, I really like it and I hope I get there.”
“What would do if you weren’t pursuing medicine?”
“Be a soccer player.”
Third Year, Major in Geography, Minor in Environmental Science and Geographical Information Systems
“One piece of advice I’d give would be to go out of your way to find experience with the profs, and to email them if there is any research or asking them advice or just going out of your way, cause most of the time you won’t find information yourself if you just look.”
Let’s just face the facts: we’re all addicted to social media in some way or another. There might be a handful of you that legitimately do not succumb to that social media itch, but the rest of you are probably thinking, “Me? An addict? What? No, definitely not.” Yeah, you! You’re in the same boat as everyone else…and here’s why:
1) The first thing you do in the morning is NOT brush your teeth (c’mon who were you trying to kid?), but instead wade through your Instagram. All of your favourite celebrities have left you filtered memoirs of their days (and dinners) and you aren’t moving that butt until you’ve seen it all. Scroll, double tap, scroll, scroll, double tap.
2) The same celebs will inspire you later to perfectly arrange your breakfast and Instagram it, and although it may not get the same response, you’re satisfied with the twelve ‘likes’ you’ve gotten.
3) Next on your daily checklist is eliminating all the red 1’s and 2’s floating above your apps. While at first they might thrill you, no one wants them hanging around for the rest of the day – you’ve got to make way for more.
4) The secondary activities that stem from step #3 may or may not involve tweeting, re-tweeting, re-pinning, liking everything on Facebook, or dropping a comment or two.
5) Various stages of your day will be documented through Snapchat in the form of selfies (post-shower, breakfast, lecture, gym – the list is endless).
6) And a picture of your latte may slide its way onto Instagram too. #whitegirlproblems.
7) You literally think in 140 characters all throughout the day. And more often than not, you will find yourself saying, “I’m going to tweet that!”
8) “I’m sorry, I totally missed what you were saying but here’s something really funny on *insert name of social networking site*”.
9) You could respond entirely in memes instead of words because of your extensive knowledge of them.
10) Your followers to following ratio is something you secretly pride.
11) You can’t function without a charger, or an area that doesn’t have an electric outlet, because now anything you say happened in your day basically didn’t. No way to document it.
Second Year, Art and Art History Specialist
“The art program in UTM is more challenging in a good way, There’s a lot of different types of thinking and different mediums that are taught that we can’t learn from other art programs.”
Sarah Boodram
Something happened recently that brightened my mood yet made me feel really old and nostalgic. I’m not talking about finding my Pokemon collection from the third grade or listening to the Spice Girls. I’m talking about television. Yes…television. It seems that with our busy schedules, we don’t have the time to watch TV, or at least shows, from this traditional medium. Instead, we hop on the Internet to catch up on episodes if we missed its original air date. Or, if we still watch TV shows on television, many of us record selected shows on the PVR to view on our own schedule.
I found myself, surprisingly, watching TV a couple of days ago and noticed that MTV has became my new go-to channel. Why? Because MTV now airs re-runs of shows like Clueless, Malcolm in the Middle, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Saved by the Bell, and Student Bodies…a.k.a. TV shows from the 1990s…a.k.a. TV shows from my childhood.
Though I’ve been watching Daria, Breaker High, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for some time now, the rebirth of these TV shows seemed quite fitting since I recently decided to re-watch (and re-obsess over) My So-Called Life, another television show from the 90s that’s filled with teen drama, grunge music, fashion, and Jared Leto.
I’ve realized how much time has gone by. It’s no longer “the 90’s…just the other day,” it’s “the 90’s…two whole decades ago!” Watching these TV shows make me remember a simpler time when my day didn’t revolve around non-stop “career-driven” activities, but about wondering whether Cher (from Clueless) will get home before her curfew. Living in the past? I think not, because sometimes it’s good to add a little nostalgia to life to make you appreciate the present. So, will I stop watching my favourite 90’s shows because of how old it makes me seem?
Dear Barista Maker of this glorious cup,
What shall I compare you to? A sunrise, perhaps? A cluster of lilacs on a cool summer’s eve? Is there such a metaphor? Tell me, my magical fairy…how exactly do I define your beauty, for I assure you there is none quite like you?
First Year, CCIT
“When you actually have to wait for the deer to move so you can continue walking… that’s when it’s like, really kind of surreal.”
“Like ‘Welcome to Canada?’”
“It’s not even ‘Welcome to Canada!’ It’s like ‘Welcome to this weird bubble of forest animals and Bambi.‘”
“Does it make you feel like a Disney princess?”
“I wouldn’t say princess. More like a Snow White dwarf.”