What is your first U of A memory?
It’s hard to pick just one U of A memory (does everyone say that?). I was lucky to start at the U of A right out of high school, and so many formative memories are landscaped by my time spent on North Campus.
One of my first U of A memories is standing in line at the bookstore, overwhelmed by heavy textbooks and nerves. It’s still a joy to visit the bookstore and remember what it was like being a brand-new student. The stakes were so high!
What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
This is a difficult question to answer because I’m someone who leveraged “talks too much in class” on my report cards into a career in communications. I’m an open book, and I’m really bad at small talk.
Let’s go with this: I was raised by European immigrants. My mom’s family moved to Canada from Poland in the 1960s, and my dad moved to Canada from Portugal in the 1970s. My upbringing informs so much about who I am, the cultural practices I hold dear and the traditions I hope to pass on to my daughter.
What’s your favourite distraction?
There’s no other way to say this than just coming right out and admitting it: I love pop culture, and I love the Bravo universe. Vanderpump Rules? I cannot wait for season 11. Any Realhousewives franchise? Absolutely yes. I am definitely someone who likes to lean on “bad TV” to help me decompress.
If you were enrolling in one course, program or degree right now, what would it be?
I think a lot about the current challenges the world is facing in terms of climate change, and I often make the joke that my two-year-old needs to shoot for the moon when she’s ready to decide on a career as long as it’s a degree in climate science.
With that, I think it’s only fair to say that if I were enrolling in a program or degree right now, it would be with a focus on something to help move this cause forward for my daughter and future generations.
You can invite anyone — alive or dead, real or fictional — to dinner. Who would it be?
Can I share my running list? I have a few folks in mind:
- Princess Diana
- Michelle Obama
- Zadie Smith
- My great grandparents
If you could see any live performance tomorrow, what would it be?
Okay, here’s another running list:
- Harry Styles
- One Direction. Please, I am begging for a reunion.
- The Raptors. I will take any chance to see them play in real life. NBA games are so fun.
- Culture Club
- Miley Cyrus
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Don’t stop using your retainer, and learn how to sit in discomfort when it comes to receiving feedback. That’s how you learn, grow and become a better person.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
My inhaler.
What three words describe your U of A experience?
Incredible, challenging and formative.
Do you have any upcoming projects or initiatives you are looking forward to at work?
The social media team is gearing up for another busy year of working with folks across the university to focus on telling all the incredible stories this institution holds. We’re implementing the institutional social media strategy across everything we do. I’m most excited to continue working with External Relations and every corner of the university as we all work hard to bring the many stories of the U of A to the world.
