5 Mistakes I Made in My First Year of College

Transitioning into college life was exceptionally difficult for me because I was homeschooled for most of high school. Combine this with taking a gap year and working too much, I had a really hard time becoming accustomed to college life. During that transition, I learned some valuable lessons by making some big mistakes. Here are the ones that stick out the most.   I didn’t pay my fees on time. In my first semester I missed the fee payment deadline and realized this at 2am that night. I cried for an hour… Read More

Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day has always been important to my family. My father was a reservist (as pictured above) and my grandfather was in the air force. Because of their strong military background and the relationships made during their times of service, my family has always considered Remembrance Day as one of the more important days of the year. Not only do we pay our respects on November 11 each year, we have also placed a wreath at our local cenotaph for 20 years now (that’s every year that I have been alive). In… Read More

Cultural Identity: If You Don’t Have One, Make One

It would be an understatement to say that my family lacks a cultural identity. The closest habits we have to customs are that we eat a pork roast and potatoes for dinner every Sunday, and we eat cabbage rolls and perogies at Christmas dinner (mostly because they’re tasty and not because of our Ukrainian heritage). My family immigrated to Canada several generations ago and since moving here we have lost touch with much of our cultural and religious heritage and have adapted to a more Western Canadian “culture”. I say “culture” because… Read More

Coming Out | Friends, Family and Society

rainbow flag of the LGBTQ

October 20 is Spirit Day, a day that was set up by Douglas College Alumni Brittany McMillan to show support for LGBTQ youth and take a stand against bullying. Today we are sharing Telka’s coming out story. Coming out is different for everyone. For me, I still haven’t entirely come out. To clarify, I identify as a bisexual lesbian. Those words may not mean much to you in combination, but to me they feel like the right way to describe how I feel about my sexuality. I have been telling people about… Read More

Taking the First Steps: My Struggle With Mental Illness

buzz lightyear and woody from toy story, buzz is pointing to the sky and the text reads anxiety anxiety everywhere

Mental illness is a hidden barrier for a lot of people. I am no expert on mental illness and I am not here to spout a whole bunch of facts about it. I am here to take the first steps in making mental illness less hidden among students. I have struggled from depression and anxiety for most of my life. It became debilitating when I entered high school. I very quickly left school and took my courses online. Most of my anxiety is socially driven, but at times it creeps up for… Read More

Drake, Dinner, and Developing Friends

drake in a turtleneck saying I love changes

Being a first year student at college can be confusing and scary. Coming into a new environment and trying to find your way and make friends while maintaining good grades isn’t easy. I got the opportunity to talk to a few new students at Douglas College and learn about how their first two weeks have been. Why did I get to meet with them? Because they all attended New Student Orientation and won tickets to see Drake in concert. Let’s take a moment to drool over the fact that they got the… Read More

You’re Never Too Old for Back to School Shopping

table with chevron print notebook and school supplies

Going back to school means a lot of things. New classes, new teachers, new friends, a new schedule, and lots of things that are out of your control. In a way of seeking a bit of control I always buy fun new school supplies. Why? Because I can’t control the girl who sits beside me… but I can control if I have a cool new metallic notebook. And if she can’t appreciate that, then we probably won’t get along anyways. Back to School If I’m being honest with myself, I struggle to… Read More