OCNews

Q: What’s your hometown?

A: I’m from Williams Lake, located in the Cariboo region.

Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College?

A: I originally made my choice to come to OC by the recommendation of a friend who had attended previously and had a wonderful experience here.

Q: How did you choose your program?

A:  After playing rugby and soccer all through my life, and having experienced injuries from both, as well as other activities like mountain biking and boxing, I found that it was through the help of integrated health professionals like Physiotherapists, Registered Massage Therapists and Chiropractors (among others) that I was able to get back to feeling healthy and being able to engage in activities that I wanted to. After several years trying out different trades and work programs, I always felt a pull to get involved in some kind of health-centred career, so in 2019 I made the decision to come back, and OC was the right choice for me.

Q: What is your area of interest?

A:  I really enjoy the study of the anatomy and biomechanics of how the body moves, as well as the biology and chemistry that underlies that movement. I also enjoy learning about human cognition and why we do the things we do.

Q: What do you like most about the program?

A:  The small class sizes are amazing to create an environment where you feel comfortable to ask questions and develop good relationships with instructors and fellow students; I’ve made a lot of really good friends in my time here at OC and I expect those relationships to last long after I leave.

Q: Favourite class experience?

A:  I really enjoyed that in our class HKIN 173 – Biodynamics of Strength and Conditioning – I learned about the anatomy and physiology related to all kinds of exercises and movement patterns. It was really cool to understand some of the science behind the movements we have all been doing for years, and to see why and how our bodies are able to move in these ways.

Q: Who gave you the best advice you ever received?

A: I can remember reading a quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emmerson that read “What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." This quote alongside the advice and motto my dad has always shared with me to always “Work hard, play hard, and never give up” in life have both together helped to form some of the best advice I’ve received. Life has and will challenge us all, but the strength to rise above hardship lies within us all; the strength to create the lives we want, to make the world a better place then we found it, and to discover who we are and where our place is in the world lies inside each of us as well.

Q: What advice do you have for new OC students?

A: Make use of the library and create connections with your classmates and teachers, it will make your experience both more enjoyable and easier on you in the long run.

Q: Where are you the happiest?

A: Either spending time with close friends or somewhere solitary working on a piece of music.

Q: What matters most to you right now?

A: Putting in the work today to get where I plan to be tomorrow; it is a cliché, but I currently have envisioned a life I want to build for myself and to get there I’ve got to focus on the tasks at hand and do them well.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A:  Only time can tell as to the exacts of where I will land, but I hope to have graduated with a master’s degree in a health-related field and be either working towards acquiring the knowledge necessary to start my own practice, or to have already done so; a family wouldn’t be too far behind after I’ve got my career in order.