Intellectual Autobiography
Ever since I was a child myself, I remember feeling as though my purpose in life was to help children. I had many thoughts of what I might want to be, including a teacher, a dance instructor, and a child psychologist.
It was the latter that interested me the most through high school, and what I went to pursue at university, fresh out of grade 12. I quickly learned that psychology wasn’t the right fit for me, and went on to a program in counselling skills. I discovered right away what a great fit counselling was for me. I had opportunities to learn and apply different communication techniques, take my first courses in Aboriginal studies, and obtain my first job in the field working with youth in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development.
Down the road, I was inspired to take a Child and Youth Care program, and was able to do a practicum in an Inner City designated school. Through my experience with working and volunteering with these groups of youth, I became and stayed inspired by their resilience and adaptability to the adversity they faced. Upon reflection, I realized that although I could not solve the world’s problems, I could still affect some change with the work I was doing.
Ten years into my current vocation, I began to realize that the work I was doing, wasn’t going to be conducive to a lifelong career, and that I was feeling motivated to grow. I was speaking with a friend of mine, who is an academic advisor, and she suggested that I look into the Interdisciplinary Studies program.
I began to think about how I wanted to go into teaching, and how my previous experiences could shape this new path. When I reflected on my career, I realized that I have looked through many different lenses while trying to teach and encourage the youth I have worked with. I needed to learn and understand the effects of trauma and various other mental health challenges, Aboriginal culture, social work, counselling, outdoor recreation, criminology and the justice system, life skills training, and health and nutrition. The latter are just some of the examples that I can think of off the top of my head.
In conclusion, I am currently interested in learning more about sociology, criminology, and Aboriginal Studies, and how to integrate them into Education.