I arrived at St. Mary’s in the fall of 2009 as a young, unsure, full-time student. My first year took me by surprise. I enjoyed my classes, loved my professors and made some wonderful new friends. As much as I enjoyed the atmosphere and my experience at St. Mary’s during that first year, my heart and my mind were more focused on the 2010/2011 school year, when I knew I would be working and volunteering rather than being in school.

In January 2011, I set off to spend six months in Ottawa to participate in a government-funded program called Katimavik in their Eco-Citizenship and Active Living Program. At first glance, with its various rules and regulations that enforced an early curfew, and prohibited the use of sarcasm and the consumption of alcohol, many jokes were made that I was headed to some sort of prison. Rest assured, my experience with Katimavik was incredible, and did not resemble prison in the slightest…not that I have any firsthand knowledge of prison life! I was able to gain valuable work experience, learn about the environment, and experience the adventure living life away from home. I can honestly say that my time with Katimavik changed my life forever.

The program ended in June, and upon my return to Calgary, I was faced with many decisions for the year to come. Despite loving my time away and the opportunities I was provided with, one of the first decisions I made was to return to St. Mary’s. My life will always be full of opportunities, and, the way I see it, going to university can only broaden the possibilities for my future.

Some of my loves:

• Music plays a huge role in my life, and it keeps me grounded. I sing in two bands and lately I have been trying to teach myself the guitar. You will almost always find X92.9 playing in my car, but folk music is the music that I connect with the most.
• Nothing is better than fresh baked bread, I could easily eat a whole loaf in one sitting…I might not feel well afterwards, but it would be worth it.
• You know when you’re walking around outside, and you can smell clean laundry coming from houses? It’s the little things.
• Being in the mountains, on a camping trip, on a hike or out on the water — really just being surrounded by nothing but nature – gives me a certain peace that I just can’t seem to find anywhere else.
• I love to rediscover things from my childhood — who says you can’t go puddle jumping or color in a coloring book when you’re in university?

My life has taught me many things, and cheesy as it may be, I do my best to live in the moment and surround myself with people who bring light into my life. I hope you enjoy reading about my experiences as a student, and for those of you who are not yet students at this wonderful institution or any other, I hope you get a good sense of what your life might look like.