Hi! My name is Courtney and I’m a 3rd year student working towards my Biochemistry degree at UBC. I was born and raised in Richmond, and I currently live on campus, which is my home away from home. I’m part of the Pilates club on campus and I also recently joined Dance Horizons, where I do contemporary dance. I did ballet throughout my life, so I thought I’d change it up and try contemporary and I’ve been loving it so far!
This term I’m peer tutoring for the first time for BIOL 121. I was really excited to get placed in this course because I loved it when I took it in my first year, and I’m happy that I get a chance to experience it again (this time in person, as my first year was online due to COVID).
What do you most enjoy about being a peer tutor?
I love being challenged by questions. When I am asked questions either during office hours or in between breaks or classes, it’s just so rewarding to be able to help someone understand something or to try to explain it in a way that works for them because everyone learns differently. I also like being able to give students direct tips and help them figure out how to prepare, since I’ve taken this course before and have an idea of the types of things that could be useful. I know that a lot of students are still trying to figure out what university life is all about, so I’m glad that I’m able to be part of their experience and to help them through this stepping stone into university.
What has being a peer tutor brought to your undergraduate experience?
It’s brought me a new perspective and a new appreciation for the people on teaching teams. Now that I know what it is like to give my time to host office hours, I better appreciate the professors and TAs who are also giving their time to host office hours and answer questions in the courses I’m taking. This experience also reminds me that they are humans as well. They might not know the answer right away, just like I don’t always know the answer right away, and this is completely ok. Everyone is learning no matter what stage of education you are at, so I strongly believe in helping each other out!
What has been an interesting outcome of your peer tutoring experience?
It’s been interesting to get to see what it’s like to be on a teaching team and how things come together backstage. For example, I was able to see and experience how midterm review sessions are planned out and have even been able to host them myself. It’s been fun to try to figure out what kinds of questions to include and how to make the sessions most useful for students.
How has your unique background influenced your peer tutoring experience?
Outside of school I’ve been a private tutor since I was in Grade 10, and when COVID hit, I joined a private tutoring company and have been doing it online ever since. This past summer I tutored a student who was taking a biology course that included mitosis, meiosis, pedigrees, and genetic crosses, everything that they are learning in BIOL 121. So that gave me a chance to try to figure out how to explain these concepts and how to come up with analogies and examples to help others understand. This was my first go at it, and I’m glad that I’m able to use this skill that I started to prepare this past summer in my role as a peer tutor in BIOL 121 – it’s helped me transition into this position for sure.
What is something you are currently doing at UBC that you are excited about?
Since January of this year, I’ve been a research lab assistant in the Eric Jan lab at the UBC Life Science Institute. It’s been amazing to be part of a research setting and to have my own project to work on. It’s also been a cool experience to see how everyone functions as a whole and also within their own individual projects. You have people like me coming in as an undergrad and some others are PhD students or Postdocs. It gives me a good perspective on what I could do in perhaps ten years or so if I were to continue on the research path.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Outside of Pilates and Dance Horizons, I love doing nails, my own and for my friends! I started at the beginning of COVID and I got all the gear, such as the gel kits and a UV lamp, and then I just sort of fell in love with it. It’s fun and calming, and it’s my form of art too. I also like to cook and to prepare my own food. I’m a bit of a random chef and I enjoy throwing together whatever is on my mind that day. I usually don’t have really a plan, but it’s always seemed to work out so far. Finally, I love houseplants and I have a nice collection that I care for in my dorm.
What are your plans following graduation?
My original plan was to become a teacher and get my Masters of Education degree after completing my undergraduate degree, but I’m not sure what I want to do with my future yet and am open to other options. I have a co-op lined up for next summer, and with that opportunity I would like to try out the biotech or technology side of science to see what that is like. I would also like to travel after I finish my undergraduate degree. I was supposed to travel between high school and university, but I never got that chance because of COVID, so I’d like to take a year off and explore the world a little bit before I make further decisions.