I owe everything that I have done in my academic life to three things: first, my relentless and persistent resoluteness that frequently stems from the spite of the tough times, the nay-sayers, and the heartaches I have ever felt; second, my yearning to broaden my horizon to something bigger than myself; and third, the stunning … [Read more…]
Nothing is impossible for the one who believes so. This summarizes Dan’s transition into Canada. Dan came to Canada as an international student. Back in his home country, he was a thriving professional. Upon arriving here, he was allowed by his employer to work remotely while studying. So, the ambitious professional concluded he wouldn’t take … [Read more…]
My first sight of a university without a gate was in 2022 when I landed in Canada and visited Memorial University for the first time. The aura and symbolic idea of a gate-less university contrasted sharply with my experience of a typical university in the Global South. For security, border demarcation, and ownership, a fence … [Read more…]
Territory Acknowledgement The province of Newfoundland and Labrador is situated in the traditional territory of various Indigenous groups, and I respectfully acknowledge the diverse histories and cultures of the Beothuk, Mi’kmaq, Innu, and Inuit who have called this place home since time immemorial. Introduction Before undergraduate studies, I was unaware of the diverse Indigenous history … [Read more…]
I don’t think I can accurately put into summation what it feels like being a graduate student. I usually resort to a dark humor-esque analogy when my relatives and friends bombard me with the ever-common question: “So how is graduate school going Meghan?” My favorite comeback thus far has to be: “Moments of sheer unhinged … [Read more…]
Growing up as a disabled person in Newfoundland, I never considered what being disabled genuinely meant until I began thinking about what life after high school should look like for me. Looking that far into the future was a scary endeavour, one that I continue to think about as I navigate through the last few … [Read more…]
There are divergent views on success. Some say it’s a product of hard work. Some say it’s sheer luck. More recent schools of thought say it’s a combination of both–hard work and luck. That’s well, true. But I believe every success story has something much more important: self-belief. I recall grappling with my academics in … [Read more…]
Mature students often have the subtle connotation of being luddites. Unable to successfully negotiate the academic world, our pursuits are admirable, but ultimately doomed. At 39, I felt the alienation of a repetitive work environment and the longing for intellectual stimulation and fulfilment. I started by listening to a philosophy podcast (Philosophize This! – It’s … [Read more…]
I never know how to respond when people ask me how grad school is going. So far it has involved a lot of back and forth, a lot of up and down, sometimes in rapid and disorienting succession. Some days I feel genuinely, giddily excited about the things that I’m reading and discussing and writing … [Read more…]
What do you want to do after you finish your degree? As I enter the second year of my master’s, this question pops up more and more often. Similar to the inescapable what do you want to be when you grow up of elementary school days, these questions teach us from a young age that … [Read more…]