How long have you worked here?
Kat began working for Dental Hygiene in November of last year. Meghan just started in May. However, both of us have been working on the U of A Campus for several years. Kat came from Undergraduate Surgical Education and Meghan came from Technologies in Education.
What is one of your proudest moments at work?
Kat - I am still a newbie to Dental Hygiene, so I am working on proud moments for this job. So far, the girls at ECHA Starbucks know my name… and I have managed to keep plants alive for the first time ever… But I am really proud that Meghan and I have gotten Dental Hygiene onto using Google Drive apps, and we that are moving to an online exam platform (while saving trees in the process). Meghan and I also did a mass purge of the compact storage room (to a groovin' playlist), which was sorely overdue!
Meghan - I would agree with most everything Kat said… except for the Starbucks girls… we're working on it. I'm also really proud of finally knowing all of my students' names! I think it really helps them to know they have a consistent and familiar face to reach out to whenever they need help.
What do you guys enjoy the most about working together?
Meghan - Kat bakes a lot of sweets… so that's probably my favourite! We're both organized, and tech savvy, so working together is a no-brainer. And her kid's really cute.
Kat - Meghan's shoes are the highlight of my day, she always has the fanciest shoes! She also always comes into work with a big smile every day. We're also both easygoing and have the best designed/most fun space on the 5th floor (we think). And probably the most tattoos combined in the Dept. :-)
How would you describe/compare your working style to?
Meghan - I would compare my working style to Kat's... But, really, Miranda Priestly (Devil Wears Prada) is a huge inspiration, in terms of office aesthetique, not so much office demeanor.
Kat - I would compare my working style to Meghan's, because we mesh so well! We're both super organized people who take pride in our work. But also that of a den mother, because I like to make sure the people around me (like our students) are taken care of.
Tell us something we don't know about you that you are okay with sharing? A previous job, hobby, what you wanted to be when you grew up, etc.
Kat - I was a court reporter for many years and spent 2 1/2 years travelling around Saskatchewan helping gather stories of residential school survivors.
Meghan - I wanted to be a whale trainer (think Shamu), until I realized that whales don't need training and are better left alone in the wild.
If you weren't doing what you do now, what would you be doing?
Meghan - I would be travelling the world in some foreign country, getting by on a few dollars a day. But having benefits is nice, too.
Kat - I would love to be a professional organizer, go in and declutter peoples' spaces. Or running my own crafting/painting and baking retail space.
What's the best advice somebody has ever given you?
Meghan - "Whoever you choose to be your life partner, make sure they dance." - Meghan's Mom
Kat - My daughter asks me every morning before school, "Any advice?" I tell her to "Be Awesome." (inspired from a book my daughter and I read called "Kat and Meg Conquer The World" - actual title!). So I try to follow that, too, and bring my best foot forward to everything.
Favourite quote, movie or book?
Kat - My favourite non-fiction book is Fat Girl Walking by Brittany Gibbons, but I am seriously addicted to Sophie Kinsella books as my fiction first love. I also love comics and graphic novels. And Star Wars. Always anything Star Wars.
Meghan - I am huge book collector of anything old. So Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is definitely one of my favourites.