In her keynote, Peggy Patterson touched on a lot of topics that resonated with me. Having attended SFU as an undergrad in Kinesiology, I was that first year student Peggy discussed who was too intimidated to talk to her profs and who just 'didn't get it.' Coming from a high school where my teachers interacted with me and seemed to truly care about teaching, university was a complete culture shock. With 300+ students in my classes, and no real guidance, I quickly realized that I was really just a number, and the grades I achieved in high school were no longer attainable at the university level.
My saving grace was the connection I felt with the campus through friends, participation in sports clubs and intramural sports, and my on-campus jobs. I feel that if I had not gotten involved by joining the SFU Waterpolo team and working for SFU Recreation & Athletics as a lifeguard, fitness instructor and varsity promoter, I might have not completed my schooling at SFU. Another motivating factor was SFU's international exchange program. Peggy mentioned the benefits of taking part in these kinds of programs, and I feel very fortunate to have experienced a semester abroad in Lund, Sweden.
What I remember most from my university days is not the long hours studying or the lecture rooms with 300+ students, but rather the fun times working at the pool, the roadtrip to the states for a waterpolo tournament, and the friendships I made that remain to this day.
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