Hello! My name is Dana Lao, and I’m a third-year student majoring in Microbiology and Immunology. I’m from Surrey, BC, which is east of Vancouver.
This term, I’m peer tutoring for BIOL 121, and it’s been a very exciting experience since this is my first time being a peer tutor. I’ve learned so much working with our amazing teaching team to help our students however we can.
I’m also looking forward to this January when I’ll be starting my first co-op term working as a research assistant for a molecular diagnostics company.
What do you most enjoy about being a peer tutor?
I really enjoy being able to help students think about course material in different ways to strengthen their understanding. There’s been several times during office hours where a student knows a lot more than they thought about a topic, and all they needed to answer a question was to approach the problem from another angle. It’s great seeing a student’s confidence build when they find out they’ve got the answer right!
I also love when students work together to problem-solve; during one of my office hours, there were two students who stayed the whole hour together. We worked through various problems, and they used the whiteboard to explain concepts to each other, even exchanging contact information afterwards to keep in touch.
How has your unique background influenced your peer tutoring experience?
Prior to being a peer tutor, I was a Jump Start Orientation Leader for two years, and for one of those years I got to support my students for the whole academic year. In that role, I had the chance to communicate and relate to many different first-year students. Those experiences have been incredibly useful in helping me present myself as approachable and empathetic to students to make them feel more comfortable asking questions, since I know how difficult it can sometimes be to reach out for help.
What has been an interesting outcome of your peer tutoring experience?
Students have such insightful questions that sometimes go even beyond the scope of the course, and the way that they’ve been engaging with the course content through their questions has reminded me to always be curious about what I’m learning. They’ve really encouraged me to discover what’s beyond the scope of my own courses and how the content connects to the broader world.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’ve been an avid crocheter for several years, and I’ve made plenty of different things including coasters, the most adorable stuffed animals, and even a sweater. Lately, I’ve been a bit too busy to make anything, but I’m hoping to crochet more once I have more free time. There’s actually an E. coli crochet pattern I’ve been meaning to try out…
What is a fun fact about you that people may not know?
I absolutely love puns and dad jokes – you could say that I keep my list of jokes in my “dad”-abase.
What are your plans following graduation?
To be completely transparent, I couldn’t say! There are several avenues that seem interesting at the moment, from grad school to working an industry job to possibly something I’ve never even heard of. I’m hoping to use my co-op experiences to help narrow down where my strengths and interests intersect. What I do know is that plans often change, and I want to leave myself open to opportunities I might not expect.