At
23-years-old,
I
am
in
the
second
year
of
my
PhD
and
have
been
lucky
enough
to
share
my
thoughts
with
a
wide
range
of
people
through
academic
publications,
popular
media,
and
TEDx
talks!
I
truly
began
carving
out
a
path
for
myself
at
the
start
of
my
undergraduate
degree.
It
seems
like
just
yesterday
that
I
spent
Wednesday
nights
at
The
Bomber
sipping
on
caesars,
pulling
late
nights
writing
papers
at
DC
and
DP,
whipping
out
granola
bars
and
bacon
strips
to
quietly
snack
on
in
class,
and
making
cold
treks
across
campus
over
to
the
PAC.
I
learned
how
to
live
a
balanced
lifestyle
while
attending
the
University
of
Waterloo,
making
long-lasting
friendships,
being
inspired
by
some
amazing
teachers
and
truly
developing
my
interests
in
academia.
Upon
completing
a
Joint
Honours
Degree
in
Rhetoric
and
Professional
Writing
and
Fine
Arts,
I
further
refined
my
studies
by
pursuing
a
French
Certificate
1,
a
Global
Experience
Certificate,
a
Fine
Arts
Teaching
Specialization,
and
a
Digital
Media
Certification.
I
was
highly
involved,
academically,
and
met
a
range
of
people
in
different
fields
of
study.
I
was
thankful
for
the
opportunity
to
develop
different
learning
styles
and
ways
of
thinking
in
numerous
academic
fields.
By
volunteering
and
later
being
employed
at
the
Centre
of
Career
Action,
I
also
developed
an
interest
in
marketing
and
communications.
I remember the moment I clicked on ENGL 392A with Dr. Deman. The course allowed me to explore various forms of communication (visual, linguistic, online) in different media. I started studying music videos and how they are both a vehicle for communication and a tool for advertising. I later developed an interest in advertising and communication and the role of musical artists themselves in my MA. I continue to explore these ideas in my PhD.
Through volunteering, working, and my academic studies at UWaterloo, I learned how to think and teach using different approaches. I continued to push myself academically, and found a way to build interests in different fields and uniquely pull them together.
From day one, I had a plan that later turned into another plan, and by the end of my undergraduate degree I was entering into a new field of study. Throughout this journey, the biggest lessons I learned were to ask questions, be confident in trying new things, and find ways to use your personal interests and passions to build your own academic and/or non-academic career.