ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ

Glory Chima, Arts Valedictorian 2022

We've asked this year's Arts Valedictorians to share the lessons and experiences of their time as undergraduates with their former selves. Glory graduated with a degree in Honours Psychology and a Minor in Philosphy, on May 31, 2022.

Dear Former Self,

I’ve completed my undergraduate degree, and I’d love to tell you about some of the experiences I had and the lessons I’ve learned. Shall we begin?

I had some great experiences during my first year at ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ. One of my favourites was sitting on the Carrefour Sherbrooke (C4) Hall Council and the Inter-Residence Council (IRC) as the C4 Hall Council President. I loved working with the councils to plan events. However, I also had to learn how to balance a university course load with my extracurricular responsibilities and social life, which was challenging. Because it was my first year of university, I wasn’t sure how much I needed to study to do well on my exams, so I would often study for hours on end, which was sometimes stressful. Looking back on this experience, if there’s one thing I would say to you, my former self, it would be that you should take breaks when you study! It might seem counterproductive, but taking breaks will allow you to refresh your brain and body, which will subsequently help you stay focused and be productive. So, get up, take a walk or work out, and then come back to your studies a little later. Your brain will thank you for it.

In my second year, I worked as an IRC advisor, and balancing a part-time job with a full course load was demanding. I had to stay on top of my work while also trying to maintain a work-life balance. Then, toward the end of my second year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I was so excited when ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ announced that students would have two weeks off because that meant that I’d have time to prepare for my exams and to rest. But little did I know that things would not go back to normal after just two weeks.

Because of the pandemic, I couldn’t go home for the summer, so I spent it in Montreal, and it was amazing. Although dealing with the pandemic and social isolation was really hard at times, I made some great memories during this time as I got really into exploring the city. I would also go for hikes up Mont-Royal to see the sunrise and for walks around the city to make sure I wasn’t staying inside all day. Based on this experience, if there’s one thing I would say to you, my former self, it would be that you should get out there and explore Montreal! There are so many incredible things to do, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it all while you're here.

Once again because of the pandemic, my third year was completely online, and my senior year was both online and in-person. At first, I was excited about having online classes because I felt like it would give me more time to focus on myself and my hobbies, and while it did, there were also times when getting through online school proved to be really difficult. I’m glad that my senior year was at least partially in person, and places in Montreal were open again, which was really nice. But my senior year came with its own challenges aside from the pandemic. Altogether, if there’s one thing I would say to you, my former self, based on the last two years of my undergraduate degree, it would be that you won’t always have control over everything that happens in your life, and that’s okay. Whether it’s in relationships, in your career path, your academics, or any other area, sometimes things won’t go how you planned, and while that can be hard to accept, learning to adapt to your situation instead of trying to force things to go how you envisioned is a powerful skill that can benefit you greatly.

One last thing that I would say to you, my former self, is that you should capture moments! Take photos and videos, and keep a journal. It’s such a beautiful thing to be able to look back and not only reflect on the amazing memories you’ve made but also to see how much you’ve changed and how far you’ve come. Trust me, you’ll thank me for it later.

Well, that’s about it! I wish I could spend a day with you, my former self, to see how different I am from when I started university. I think that would be interesting because I feel that I’ve grown and changed a lot during my time at ÎÛÎÛ²ÝÝ®ÊÓƵ. But that’s okay. I’m so excited for this next stage of life and to keep learning and growing, and I guess we’ll see how different you and I are from each other again sometime in the future. Talk to you later!

Sincerely,

Glory Chima

Glory plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Neuropsychology, but until then, she'll be working, travelling, and learning new skills. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavours. 

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