I am currently a 3rd year student at Boucher Institute of Naturopathic medicine. The road has been long and hard. Quite frankly, I do not know much other than being a student. I frequently ask myself, will the grind ever end? Well, it has to, right?
I began my adventure striving to become an educator. A high school teacher to be exact. I began my undergrad at
Mount Royal College. A fantastic college I must add. I was young and eager. I wasn't jaded about life or the hard work ahead of me. Everything was simple at that point. I lived in residence with the RA, whom I am still close with today. From MRC, I transferred to
Kings University in
Edmonton. I played basketball and soccer, both which I love dearly but basketball will always be my first love ;) I worked at nearby gym to meet new people and make a little $$. Once graduation grew closer, I knew the next big step would be gaining my Education Degree. U of A was my first choice.
Before I took my next big step, I took a year off to volunteer and backpack around
Europe. A few memories were made ;)
Once it came time to register for the Ed program, I knew I would be making a mistake. I changed my mind. Oh dear. What would I do now? I was 22 years old and my mother wanted me to have my career in reaching distance. Sorry mother. Instead, I applied to the
University of Victoria and began my 2 year stretch to gain acceptance into Boucher. In order to boost my chances of acceptance, I took a 2 1/2 month internship with a program in
Nicaragua called NDI. While I was in
Nicaragua, I did my interview over the phone for CCNM (the 2nd naturopathic school in
Canada). It was quite the experience to have chickens running at my feet, dogs barking and two 4th year students reading their script to me as I clenched on a $10 cell phone. I prayed our connection would hold up. It did and I was accepted to both BINM and CCNM. So...New
Westminster or
Toronto for four years? I took BC ;)
Now I am about to head into my second term in 3rd year. I am working in the clinic and seeing patients. I am the Student President Liason for NDI, the Global Health Rep for the NMSA (the Naturopathic Medical Students Association, which is the student voice for all the naturopathic schools) and I work for a supplement company called Integrative Therapeutics Inc. The love I have for this profession is growing with every conversation, clinic experience and conferences I attend. The learning will never stop!! The road is harder than ever before but I know I am here for a reason.
I would love to hear any questions you may have about what I do. Education is a huge part of what I do!!
Yey TB! Tell me more!
ReplyDeleteYes, much more.
ReplyDeleteMore? Well, how can a refrain information from such amazing people. Lets see...I'll go back to high school days. Mount Baker Secondary. Here is where I knew my passion for health really sprung forward. Grade 11 I discovered the importance for nutrition. I was playing basketball for our high school team and understood that if I ate right, I could play at a higher degree of basketball because my body would perform more efficiently. I ate what my body needed and sure enough was able to out score and dominate my opponent. From that day forward, I thrived on how the body could adapt to its environment. If I could work out and eat right, what else could the body achieve?
ReplyDeleteAfter playing a year of basketball at Mount Royal College, year of Cross Country running, two years playing for basketball for Kings University along with a season of soccer, I quickly came to understand how health played an important role in physical performance.
Today, performance means waking up without pain or feeling uncomfortable. My body used to be able to withstand abuse from all directions but now it seems the smallest stumble I am suffering from discomfort. It is most likely from the drastic decrease in physical exercise and the increase in studying. Or maybe it is mother nature taking over and screaming for attention?
Because I am in a demanding program, I am challenged to discover what will work for a busy person. I no longer enjoy waking up at 6am and swimming lengths in the pool with an hour session in the weight room. I have to modulate my time and figure out how a schedule of 6hrs of school along with study time will allow personal time.
This is the challenge I am currently facing....