Caitlin De Smit is one of 178 students in the Department of Sociology who are graduating in the coming weeks. Originally from Fort St. John, B.C., Caitlin is excited about the rite of passage that will happen when she walks across the stage on June 10th in front of family and friends. As a student in the BA criminology program, she has gained valuable work experience in placements with both the Elizabeth Fry Society and John Howard Society with the NOVA program, a program for at-risk youth. From May 25th to June 5th, Caitlin will be working at the Population Research Laboratory (PRL) as a technical assistant on the Métis Settlements Census, travelling to one of the eight Settlements in the province to work with locally-hired enumerators (learn more about the Census here - ThePRLlaunchestheMetisSettlementsCensus).
Caitlin believes getting a Faculty of Arts degree exposed her to important social issues that she would otherwise know little about. "Unlike high school, I feel that my studies in the Faculty of Arts have broadened my understanding of social issues", says Caitlin. "I have also come to appreciate diversity. My training has made me much more sensitive to cultural differences and the very different backgrounds that people come from. Not everyone is the same as me and I enjoy looking at the world from the perspective of others."
After graduation, she plans to broaden her perspective even further by travelling to Europe for a few months. In fact, she turned down two job offers, one as a youth worker and another as a probation officer just for the chance to travel abroad. When she returns, she hopes to pursue her real passion: a career helping at-risk youth.
Congratulations to Caitlin and all of our undergraduate students in criminology and sociology who are graduating this June - best wishes for the future!