Category: Campus Life

By Erin Rebello

If you’re anything like me, you’re interested in just about everything STEM related! From books to movies to school subjects and more, I absolutely love STEM! You’ve probably heard of this catchy acronym before and may be wondering what all the hype is about. STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is an emerging stream of study that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. With the rise of interest in these fields there comes a generation of kids and teens just like me who want to pursue these subjects in the future. Some may say that it is imperative that we learn more about these subjects for our future evolution depends on it.

Although it can be difficult to gain experience in fields like healthcare or engineering, there are a select few clubs and extracurriculars that allow students to get involved with STEM. By taking part in these experiential opportunities, students will be able to gage if the field is right for them. As an added bonus most universities and programs in STEM value this sort of extracurricular experience, and some even offer scholarships for individuals who have won awards in these extracurriculars.

One excellent STEM extracurricular is FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), which is an annual international competition involving building, programming, and driving robotics. Every year, FRC teams are given a specific challenge that they must complete in an arena. These challenges are usually quite thematic, and have involved a steampunk race, video game competition, and a space mission. FRC is for high school students, but if you’re in elementary or middle school, you can join the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for a similar experience. These extracurricular activities are great for anyone interested in engineering, as it allows for students to get a head start at building, programming, and operating robots. FLL and FRC teams can either be formed within schools or communities, so if you’re interested, be sure to check around your area!

 Another great STEM opportunity is SHAD. SHAD is a one-month STEM immersion experience during the summer of grade 10/11. This program allows students to study and board at one of 19 university campuses that are partnered with SHAD, including McMaster University, Carleton University, University of British Columbia, etc. By exposing interested students to new ideas, a wealth of information, and like-minded peers, it’s no wonder the SHAD experience has been described as life-changing by many. Although SHAD can be expensive, there are a variety of bursaries offered based on achievement and financial need.

If you’re into math, the University of Waterloo’s math contests may just be for you! Offering a number of math contests for just about every age range, it’s hard to get any better than this! Their “Gauss” contest is designed for grade 7 and 8 students, but they have even more contests for students in grades 9-12, including the “Cayley”, “Pascal”, and “Euclid” contests. If you prefer to work in a team and have a friend or classmate who’s just as interested in math as you are, you might also want to take part in the team competitions. Whatever the case, the University of Waterloo probably has a contest fit for you!

Have you ever felt unmotivated or thought, “I’m only one person, I can’t make that big of a difference.”? Most of us have at some point. Next time you catch yourself feeling this way, re-visit JPD! Movies are a great way to become inspired, and here are short descriptions of some of the most inspiring movies about people, just like you and I, who have made great strides in our history or within their own lives:

The Pursuit of Happiness is a great, inspirational movie that will motivate you to never give up. Starring Will Smith as Christopher Gardner, this film relays Gardner’s struggle with money and divorce. Throughout the movie, Gardner faces struggle after struggle with losing even more money than he was earning through investments, and eventually, it begins to negatively impact his family, and he is forced to leave his home. After seeing how accomplished Gardner turned out to be after all that struggle will inspire viewers greatly. The message is that no matter the hardship you face, you too can be successful with hard work and positivity.

Coach Carter is another inspirational movie starring a determined and driven character, Coach Ken Carter. In this movie, Ken decides to coach a basketball team from the “wrong side of the tracks”. The behaviour of the players caused coach Carter to become frustrated and impatient with them quickly, but with an optimistic mindset and a lot of motivation, he was able to push them to the finals, winning every game in their season.

Steve Jobs is a well-known, modern movie that stars Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs. Jobs was immensely successful in his 56 years in the world. After his death, the cast and crew came together to commemorate his life and his success in this movie. Jobs had countless accomplishments throughout his life, but perhaps his biggest accomplishment was being the CEO, chairman and co-founder of Apple. Despite his big successes, Steve Jobs faced struggles before this. He dealt with cancer for over 10 years, struggled to launch Apple, along with other things described in this popular, inspirational movie.

Hidden Figures is an excellent movie that depicts the adversity of racism and sexism, especially in the past. There are three main characters; Katherin, Dorothy and Mary, who are loosely based on real people. These characters face immense struggles with the society they were living in, yet they strived for their goals despite these challenges and were rewarded for their hard efforts, despite their race or gender. This movie gives viewers a clear glimpse into the past and how some people were forced to live because of the colour of their skin, and it shows how strong these 3 female leads were to succeed despite these challenges.

Into the Wild is a commonly known movie about renewing oneself while exploring the wild. This movie is about Christopher McCandless. In 1990, he set out on an adventure with minimal supplies to survive the wild. He was only 22 when he started this journey to escape the hardships he was facing at home and in his life. His journey lasted approximately 2 years. However, during this time he found himself through Alaskan nature and surviving on his own for a long time. Since the non-fiction book and movie have been released, many people have travelled the same path he walked to find themselves and to figure out their lives as he did. However, the people who take this journey nowadays come much more prepared, and most don’t stay out for as long as McCandless did. This movie is inspirational and has inspired many people to take a risk and to be bold to find their love for themselves alone.

Lastly, a movie that has inspired countless people is Blindside. This movie is about a homeless teenager named Michael who meets a family that takes him in and helps him to achieve his goals. They enroll him in school, help him with his interest in football and Michael goes on to be a very successful football player. This heartwarming movie is sure to make you feel motivated and inspired, just as Michael’s story has inspired others.

References:

1. https://dejareviewer.com/2016/06/07/the-glaring-omission-at-the-end-of-the-pursuit-of-happyness/
2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454921/
3. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0393162/
4. https://www.quora.com/What-did-Steve-Jobs-struggle-with-when-creating-Apple
5. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christopher-McCandless

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/

By Erin Rebello

You’ve probably heard of the term GSA and you probably have a GSA in your elementary or high school. But what is a GSA and what makes it so important and relevant? The term GSA stands for Gay Straight Alliance, and is used in reference to a club that supports members of the LGBTQ+. Although they’ve existed for a long time, you’ve probably seen a GSA pop up in your community in the more recent years. If you don’t identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you may be wondering what exactly a GSA does and why they’re so important, especially in this day and age.

A GSA works to bridge the gap of understanding between cisgendered heterosexual individuals, and queer non-heterosexual individuals. Although we’re all humans, members of the queer community face issues that someone who is straight wouldn’t have to think twice about. It’s important to remember that gay marriage has only been legal in Canada since 2005, which is about 15 years ago. Meanwhile, in other countries such as India and parts of Africa, it’s still a crime (sometimes even punishable by death) to be in a same-sex relationship! Even in developed countries like the US, there are states that may not exclusively ban gay marriage, but also do not have exclusive laws in place to prevent queer individuals from discrimination based on their sexual orientation. GSAs help to bring awareness to the issues that members of the LGBTQ+ community face on a regular basis.

Another reason why a GSA is important in schools is the fact that it offers a sense of security and belonging to its members. Although we’ve come a long way, the LGBTQ+ community is still marginalized in many ways. Be it through a lack of representation in the media or the absence of crucial rights, there are many aspects of culture that straight and cisgendered people take for granted. As well, it’s important to note that not everyone has parents who are supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Some parents may not be openly homophobic, but also may not be accepting if their child were to come out as homosexual or non-cisgendered. As a result, there are a lot of closeted queer youth who cannot open up to their parents and instead seek support among their peers in a GSA. Gay Straight Alliance clubs in schools and communties offer a much-needed safe-space for LGBTQ+ youth.

Finally, GSAs also do a lot of good for the LGBTQ+ community both locally and on a larger scale. For example, the GSA at my school has a special GSA spirit week every year which involves many festivities that spread awareness locally and raise money for larger LGBTQ+ organizations. Every day, there would be a special event that worked to spread awareness within the school community, as well a fundraising opportunity for charities that work to help marginalized queer youth. In this way, the GSA did a lot of good not only for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the school, but also on a more global scale.

Even though we’ve come a very long way from 60 years ago, there are still many issues that members of the LGBTQ+ face that straight individuals simply couldn’t understand. For that reason, it’s crucial to have a club like a GSA that allows for open dialogue between the two parties in order to provide fair and safe opportunities to marginalized communities like the LGBTQ+ community.

By Maryam Sheikh

This year might seem a little different than others; no, it’s not an increase in snow days, but rather, an increase in days off for students due to job action within the elementary and secondary school boards. Though it may seem nice to have days off here and there, it is important to learn about why educators and school staff are striking. In this article, I’ll provide some background information and advice for students on how to deal with a teacher strike.

Why is all of this happening? The Doug Ford government made very large cuts to education and as a result, many teachers lost their jobs. Moreover, the changes mandated that class sizes would increase, secondary students would have to take mandatory e-learning classes, and overall, that the amount of resources available to educators would be reduced.

This would heavily impact the quality of education; with bigger class sizes, teachers would be forced to focus more on classroom management than instruction time. Additionally, mandatory e-learning would not be inclusive to all students and learning types. A lack of special education resources would prevent students from performing to their full potential. Overall, the cuts would greatly impact all students- from the elementary to secondary level.

So, educators are primarily fighting for more special education resources, smaller class sizes, more course options, and changes to the mandatory e-learning courses that high school students must take.  Some teachers and educators have their own personal reasons to strike as well.

On Friday, February 21st, more than two million students were out of school. This is because 4 of the province’s largest teacher unions participated in a one-day strike. These unions include The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), The Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), the Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO) and The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA).

So, as students, what do we do? Firstly, we can use our voices to spread awareness about education concerns. We can reach out to local MP’s and influential figures to voice our opinions. Moreover, we can use social media as a platform to fight for positive change in the education system alongside our teachers.

We can also stand in solidarity with our teachers by supporting them on the picket lines. Many educators stand outside for hours, so it is thoughtful to send them encouraging messages, stand with them, or bring them warm drinks during the cold weather.

Job action can be effective for bringing about change, however, it can also be disruptive to school schedules. During days off, it is important to stay accountable and keep up to date with course content, assignments, and reviewing any lessons so that it’s easier to stay on track once classes resume.

In conclusion, the uncertainty around job action has resulted in an unpredictable school year. There are many issues that teachers and students face, and at the heart of it all, educators are simply fighting to deliver quality education to the students of Ontario. It’s important to keep up to date with what is going on in the province; check for updates on the news and from teacher union social media platforms.

School is harder than it seems. Not only is it hard to keep up with your grades, but with the people around you. I’ll admit, I am not a competitive person at all. However, recently I have found myself almost trying to compete to get better grades, and I don’t even know why. I don’t even get bad grades; I just can’t help the discouragement when I see that someone got a better mark. I constantly exert this pressure upon myself to the absolute best that I can, and most of the time it isn’t even to impress myself; it’s to impress my parents, my peers, my friends, my teachers and my newest companion, universities. All this pressure to do good makes me more anxious than usual during school, that causes me to perform poorly on tests. However, after all I’ve learned throughout my 3 years in high school, it’s that you must let all the negativity go. Every bad mark, every negative thought, every piece of discouragement that you have ever been told can be turned into motivation to encourage yourself to do better every day.

I particularly remember getting a 55% on a math test. That had been the first low mark I had received on a test this year. I am part of the STEAM program in my school. In truth, I don’t even want to pursue a career in the STEAM fields: I despise science, math and robotics. Math is arguably my worst subject in school, but all my friends (who are all in STEAM) are amazing at it. Whenever they got a good mark, of course I would be over the moon for them, but I often lied about my mark when they asked just so they didn’t think that I was stupid. Since then, I have decided that I will no longer do that. I have come to realize that math is just not my best subject, and that is completely alright. Failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing, making mistakes is good. Making mistakes can help you grow if you learn from them. Use your failures and insecurities to motivate you. Use them to drive you to do better and keep on trying. If you fail, try again. Keep on going.

Sometimes it is hard to have a positive outlook on grades in school. Below I have included my main tips that I have learned to try and apply more to my daily life at school.

Pay Attention to Yourself: One of the biggest problems that I have personally had in my high school experience is comparisons. I constantly compare myself to my friends, but I have realized that I must focus on myself and my growth. One thing that you must remember is that in the end, you must go to University, you’re the one who’s going to have to do the test or finish that project. Independence and focusing on yourself is key. Do not compare your grades to anyone else’s, don’t compare their project to yours, or their essay to yours. You must trust yourself and trust that you know what you are doing. If your friend performs better at science than you, that’s alright. You focus on yourself and keep looking for that passion of yours.  Everyone is on their own path.

Remember That You Can’t be Good at Everything: It is alright to have a low mark in a subject. Everybody has something that they are good at. If you haven’t found it yet, you have got to keep looking. Even if you aren’t amazing at something but you love to do it and are passionate about it then that’s amazing! Passion is an essential attribute of success. We often believe that we must be amazing at something to love it, but we don’t. If you are doing what you love, then I’d say that you’re successful.

Your Best is Enough: Always perform to the best of your ability. Even if you don’t like the subject, do the best that you can. If you give it all your effort and you still don’t get the mark that you wanted at least you’ll know that you gave it everything that you had. If you fail, you must keep going. Look at the

Climate activist Greta Thunberg made headlines in September 2019 when a video of her impassioned speech at the United Nations Climate Action Summit went viral. We all listened to what she had to say and we heard her loud and clear. When she was proclaimed Person of the Year by Time magazine and landed the cover, we all realized the message can’t get any clearer—we need to do better when it comes to the environment and we need to act now.

And with all the recent environmental disasters that are happening in the world, it’s about time to take a hard look at environmental issues and consider what we can do to help.

One option is to open your mind to a career that will have a positive impact to the environment and the world we live in. Below are five green career choices to explore.

Zoologist

The effects of the Australian bushfires are devastating as it has led to 16 million acres of land going up in flames and are gone forever. It’s even more so devastating if you put into account how it has led to the loss of 27 human lives and over a billion of animals and wildlife. If you have an affinity for animals, then a zoologist could be your top pick. Zoologists can choose to focus on different species such as mammals or marine life. And while the main responsibility would be to study the behaviour of animals, you also have to be prepared to commit to understanding the role of animals and their respective habitats and discovering the best ways in which we humans can best co-exist with them.

LEED-Accredited Design Professional

If you’re more of an outside-the-box thinker and look forward to getting your creative juices flowing, then a career in architecture will be an ideal option for you. Combine this with your love for the environment and you can look into a career as a LEED-accredited design professional. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, is one of the most internationally recognized green building certifications. The concept behind LEED was spearheaded by Robert K. Watson of the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 1993 and focuses on the environment-conscious design, construction, operation, and maintenance of structures. Canada is abundant in LEED-certified structures, such as the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre in Vancouver, BC, Eighth Avenue Place in Calgary, AB, Manitoba Hydro Place in Winnipeg, MB, TD Centre in Toronto, ON, and the Planetarium Rio Tinto Alcan in Montreal, QC. Perhaps in the future you can add to the list.

Environmental Lawyer

If your heart is in advocating for environmental causes and working directly with individuals or communities affected by mishaps due to neglect or abuse, a career as an environmental lawyer could be your best option. Environmental lawyers offer advise on environmental issues ranging from hazardous waste to water quality. Think Erin Brockovich who built a case against the giant gas and power company Pacific Gas and Energy in California by coming up with substantial evidence that linked a rash of illnesses to high levels of hexavalent chromium found in the drinking water and traced back to a PG&E compressor station. Brockovich became a worldwide sensation after Julia Roberts played her in a blockbuster movie and won an Oscar, but of course the bigger reward was gaining justice for a community.

Geoscientist

If being confined in offices isn’t your thing, a career to consider is that of a geoscientist, which as the name suggests will make you responsible for studying the earth’s composition, history, and natural resources. Taking this path, however, would require a great deal of travel and subject you to hot and cold climates, so physical fitness is a must for this job. In some cases, geoscientists may team up with environment scientists and in some level may expect to work indoors such as in labs to do research. A bachelor’s degree in geology is a good place to start, although a degree in engineering, physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, or computer science will suffice for employers. In any case, coursework in geology is a must.

Conservation Scientist

Like with the geologist option, a career as a conservation scientist is suitable if you have a fondness for the outdoors. This job involves coordinating with property owners and governments and work together towards the same goal of utilizing natural resources properly, which include national parks or forests. They work hard to serve in the best interests of the environment while at the same time making sure the needs of private citizens and/or business owners or the community are met. If this is something that interests you, completing a bachelor’s degree in forestry or anything related like agricultural or environmental science will put you in the right track.

There you have it, five options for a greener career path. There are more of course and you can keep exploring and researching and see what best fits you.

SOURCES:

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-green-dream-jobs-4154258

https://www.environmentalscience.org/career/zoologist

https://www.thebalancecareers.com/geoscientist-526022

https://www.biography.com/activist/erin-brockovich

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/read-greta-thunberg-s-full-speech-united-nations-climate-action-n1057861

http://environment-ecology.com/environment-and-architecture/81-the-leadership-in-energy-and-environmental-design-leed-.html

As a high school student myself, I completely understand the never-ending frustration of lacking enough time each day to complete the tasks you need to do. Most high-school students find it helpful to have a job to earn money to save for things such as post-secondary education, a car, even a house, or maybe just to have extra spending money to go out with your friends. No matter what the reason behind your desire to get a job in high school, it can be difficult to manage your time. Jobs, schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, making time for family and friends; our lives are hectic. Here are some ideas of jobs that have flexible schedules and allow you to balance all of the things in your life.

In Canada, everyone knows how popular Tim Hortons is, and it’s a fantastic first job to have, especially in high school. This job allows you to start at minimum wage and as you work throughout the months and years, you can get higher job levels and earn more money than when you started. Most students who have worked at Timmies said they loved their experience, and that they were treated respectfully and with flexible schedules. Tim Hortons starts hiring at age 16.

Grocery stores are also a great job to have throughout high school. If you’re a cashier, there is slightly more work to do than most jobs. However, it gives you a great experience when it comes to customer service, along with learning how to handle money responsibly. Along with this, grocery stores typically allow you to have a higher paying job of a supervisor after you have been working thereafter your manager feels you are well qualified. Some grocery stores also have baggers and store clerk jobs. If you are not as comfortable dealing with customers, this job might be for you!

Most students choose a job in the fast-food industry since there are countless part-time jobs available with relatively flexible schedules, but it’s important to keep in mind that fast-food jobs are not the only choice for students. There are numerous jobs available in the clothing industry, however, these jobs mainly aim to hire people over 18 years of age. Some of the popular stores that do hire students at age 16 are Plato’s Closet, Old Navy, American Eagle, Zumiez and Levi’s. These employees learn a lot about retail, handling money and customer service as well. Especially if you are thinking about going into the fashion industry as your career pathway, working at a clothing store can give you great experience to add to your resume.

Along with these jobs, local community centres often offer jobs available to students. They have flexible, predetermined schedules. Oftentimes community centres have libraries and swimming pools open to the public. At libraries, they usually accept applications from students in high school, along with the opportunity to be a lifeguard at swimming pools if you have completed the correct training before applying to the job. These are fairly easy jobs, however, lifeguarding requires a lot of training to get the certificate needed to be a lifeguard.

Babysitting is perhaps the best job for students who have hectic schedules due to the fact that you can accept or decline the hours you work and sometimes reschedule if the client’s schedule allows it. Sometimes parents will ask for a routine babysitter, so perhaps they will ask you to pick their kids up from school and walk them home afterwards and babysit on a regular basis. If you’re very busy, there’s occasional babysitting where you can watch over kids on parent’s night’s out or work events. Babysitting typically has a very flexible schedule, except it requires an immense amount of responsibility.

There are countless part-time jobs available to students, many of which offer accommodating schedules due to school and activities you make participate in. Remember, work should not be something that extremely overwhelms you. At times, it’s normal to feel stressed because of the business of life. However, if you are feeling too much anxiety because of your work schedule, talk to your boss or manager to sort out how to make your schedule for your calendar.

References:

1. https://www.job-applications.com/grocery-store-jobs/
2. https://www.hireteen.com/clothing-stores/

https://firstquarterfinance.com/clothing-stores-that-hire-at-16-14-15-17/

By Maryam Sheikh

Now that the last decade is over, it is interesting to look back and reflect upon everything that has transpired. There have been many global, social, and political changes and events that have sparked responses from people worldwide. Moreover, there has been an increasing trend in activism, protest, and vocalization of opinions from individuals of different backgrounds.

In this article, I will outline some of the reasons why I believe protest is becoming a popular tool of expression, some notable protests, and the importance of advocacy in this day and age.

Firstly, I believe that social media and the popularization of technology has played a large role in this era of protest. The dissemination of information has undoubtedly become faster and thus news stories have become widely accessible within moments. Social media and digitization has allowed for faster communication and the ability to organize large groups of people in shorter amounts of time. In turn, there has been an increase in organized protests, marches, and other gatherings of people.

Just this past year, thousands of high school students mobilized after Doug Ford, Ontario’s Premier, made drastic changes to education by cutting funding, increasing class sizes, and enforcing mandatory e-learning. Students, frustrated about the changes, took to social media and started planning school walkouts to demonstrate their unhappiness and resistance to the Ford’s plans. The response? Immense coverage from various news outlets and information widespread to the public.

Additionally, this past September, over 15 000 people came together in downtown Toronto for a climate change rally. Youth and adults from across the city expressed their opinions on the government’s environmental policies through posters, chants, and signs. The protest racked up a lot of media coverage as well.

One may ask- what does this all mean? Is advocacy and protest really that important, and if so, why? Why should students, in particular, care? The answer is clear. Youth hold power- they have the capability to shape their societies and influence people in positions of power. Many of the decisions that are being made today will directly impact the incoming generation; therefore, youth of this generation are responsible to fight for the changes they wish to see. They have knowledge and communication at their fingertips to use to their advantage. When students and young people recognize the importance of their voices, they are able to join together and advocate for change.

Some argue that advocacy and protest are useless and do not lead to significant change. After all, marches in the United States have not led to changes in government policies, nor have protests altered climate conditions around the world. However, I believe that there is a flaw in this mindset. Protests are not meant to cause big changes overnight. Rather, they serve as conversation starters- they begin a series of steps to eventual change. Advocacy informs the public and helps raise awareness and it is only through awareness that action can be taken.  After all, informed and educated people are empowered and impactful people.

You’ve definitely heard of this feeling before: homesickness. The feeling of missing home, friends and family, especially when you’ve moved away from where you grew up. It doesn’t matter how great the distance, but it’s always just enough to make you miss that comforting hug of your parents or your best friends, to miss your pets and their silly antics, or even just the look of your bedroom – carefully tailored to your interests and things that make you happy and feel secure.

Nerves always flare up in the first couple of weeks of post-secondary. It can happen during exams, too, and you start to question yourself and what you are doing there. It happens to us all and it is perfectly normal. That feeling can also be called “imposter syndrome”- the overwhelming feeling that you do not deserve to be there at all.

It doesn’t particularly help when the professors themselves say in their first year that more than half of your class won’t be in the second-year class. This doesn’t always apply to the grade “situation” (as it is different from high school), but rather, you find yourself wondering if this is what you want to do as a career – since you are paying money (through personal sources, scholarships or a student loan) for this, it’s definitely the year to reflect to see if it is what you want to do.

But back to nerves about leaving home – because of all the possible factors:  new school, new friends, new grades and pressure you put on yourself, it can be rather intimidating. So we’re here to focus on how to feel good about yourself, and your chosen path before you get into post-secondary. It’s a time of self-reflection – and it’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do. You may have a better idea after accepting a post-secondary school offer and going through the degree half-way through. (This is why I recommend talking to a school counsellor at the half-way point, to see if there are other options that you did not consider – such as changing your major to a double major since you’ve taken enough courses in the second major to qualify – this has happened to me and is the reason why I became a double major.)

What makes you feel good? You can apply that to post-secondary as well – do they have a really cool gym that you would love to use? An extensive library, with comfortable chairs where you can see yourself at home while studying or researching materials? You can even look for other items that may be a little different: clubs for activities you enjoy such as crocheting or board games, clubs to join where you can make new friends; even looking for to ensure there is a strong Internet connection, so you can contact your family and friends if you’re feeling a little down and want some support. Are there events planned that appeal to you – like a social mixer with food from other cultures?

Whatever makes you feel good, there are plenty of opportunities, and I hope you take the opportunity to find something you like. Try new things. Don’t worry about being nervous: we have all been there, and you can always tell your friends and family all about the cool experiences you’ve had and realize that you feel happy and good at the place you chose.

It’s our experiences that help shape us – and those experiences can help you with your future paths.

By Maryam Sheikh

Yoga has become popular in today’s world to help attain peace and mindfulness. It has been around for thousands of years. However, this spiritual, physical, and mental practice was not always around in North America. In fact, yoga originates from India and was introduced to America in the 1800’s.

The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit root “yuj” and essentially means “to unite”. Yoga, therefore, is the practice that aims to unite and connect the mind and body to achieve harmony.

A Hindu monk by the name of Swami Vivekananda is believed to have been the first person to speak about yoga in America. In 1893, he attended the World’s Parliament of Religions conference in Chicago and addressed the audience. Swami spoke about yoga as a philosophy and means of self- improvement. Later, he formed groups and taught people about the practices, later becoming known as an individual who inspired others to come from India to the States and do the same.

Yoga then gained popularity from the 1920’s through to the late 1900’s. There were schools that opened up in New York as well research centers that were created, dedicated to yoga. It was taught to the royal family, introduced to Hollywood, and had hundreds of books written about it. Some of these books include “Hatha Yoga” by Theos Bernard and “The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali”. Television series were produced, and yoga was later explored for its medicinal and therapeutic value.

As it evolved, less focus was put on the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga. In fact, yoga in America, began to focus more on physical exercises and became part of a billion- dollar industry. Currently, there are over 16 million yoga practitioners in the United States. It is interesting to think about how it developed and changed since being introduced to North America.

Over 36. 7 million Americans practice yoga, which leads to an important question- why has yoga become so popular in America? Firstly, the fast pace at which the world operates today has resulted in an increase in stress and tension in people. Therefore, more and more people are searching for ways to relieve that pressure and feel inner peace. Yoga has provided a way for people to achieve balance in their lives. It provides an excellent opportunity for people to unwind and reflect. Furthermore, it is a great form of exercise as it helps improve energy levels, promotes cardio and circulatory health, and increases flexibility in joints. As mentioned previously, there is also a spiritual aspect to yoga that is beneficial; yoga encourages compassion, respect, and kindness and can help build character. The early forms of yoga sought to incorporate breath work and other behaviour principles.

While we appreciate yoga, we must remember that it is important to respect the roots that it originated from and acknowledge its rich history. Though it has become more commercialized today, yoga has deep spiritual significance. It is a truly reflective practice that has reached many corners of the globe.