Hi everyone! My name is Maia and I am a fourth year student in the Applied Animal Biology program at UBC. I am originally from Calgary, Alberta, but I have permanently relocated to Richmond after falling in love with the Greater Vancouver Area while being a student at UBC. I am incredibly lucky to have been chosen as a Presidential Scholar at UBC which has allowed me to continue and financially sustain my hobbies and interests alongside school. I am an active equestrian and have ridden horses as a hobby for most of my life. In addition to having a strong interest in biology, I am also passionate about astronomy and enjoy observing space through my telescope at home.
I am currently a peer tutor for BIOL 121 and I am absolutely loving the experience! I have a keen interest in research and teaching, and it has been an amazing opportunity to develop my teaching skills as a peer tutor and to prepare myself for teaching as a TA in the future.
What do you enjoy most about being a peer tutor?
I absolutely love having the opportunity to teach students and help support them during their undergraduate career. Not only has being a peer tutor allowed me to share my knowledge with younger students and be an extra resource for any students struggling with the content taught in class, but it has also allowed me to share my undergraduate experience at UBC with students who are just diving into university. My favourite part of being a peer tutor is holding office hours and private meetings with students to help answer any questions and provide one on one support in any areas students are challenged by. I have a strong passion for teaching and it is incredible to have an outlet for this passion while also helping new undergraduate students succeed in their academic career.
What has being a peer tutor brought to your undergraduate experience?
Being a peer tutor has provided me with a unique opportunity to develop my teaching skills in a university setting while still being an undergraduate student. I have really developed my ability to understand what knowledge gaps or areas students are struggling with through conversation, and adapt my teaching style to better suit their needs. I am now able to pick up subtle cues from students when I’m explaining material in a way that is not easy to understand for certain students, and I have really improved in my ability to come up with different examples or ways of explaining a challenging concept on the spot. These skills will be incredibly useful when I am teaching as a graduate student and hopefully one day as a professor. Being a peer tutor has also given me a unique appreciation for teaching teams in university and the hard work that our professors and TAs do every day to help undergraduate students succeed.
How has your unique background influenced your peer tutoring experience?
Having a passion for teaching and having worked in several different teaching-type settings in the past (including private tutoring and teaching equine skills at summer camps) has been a big factor in my success as a peer tutor. Simultaneously while being a peer tutor, I also work at the H.R Macmillan Space Center as an interpreter which has developed my public speaking skills as well as my ability to explain challenging concepts in an easy to understand way. Working at the Space Center has really complemented my teaching skills as a peer tutor, and vice versa.
What is something you are currently doing at UBC that you are excited about?
I am currently enrolled in an undergraduate research methods class in the Applied Biology program, where I work with a Masters student in the WildCo Lab looking at the impact of human recreation on mountain goat population health. This has been an incredible opportunity because I have been able to actively participate in research and learn what it is like to be in graduate school. Learning how to write a research proposal, abstract and conference style poster has helped me dip my toes in the field of research and solidified by desire to pursue graduate school. Additionally, working in the WildCo lab has allowed me to meet many different researchers and opened doors for me to possibly pursue an undergraduate thesis before graduating.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I actively ride horses and participate in the equestrian community on a daily basis while being in school. I own a horse of my own who I am hoping to bring up the levels as my competition horse. Participating in a sport/activity like horse riding outside of school has really helped keep me well-grounded and balanced throughout my undergraduate degree. In addition to riding horses, I actively attend concerts, as I am a huge music nerd, and I love to travel as well, including travelling to tropical countries and going on sailing trips in the Salish Sea. I also participate in amateur astronomy with my own telescope at home, and I enjoy observing space as well as reading many astronomy related books and attending astronomy talks (as space is cool!). I am also an active mushroom picker and enjoy picking mushrooms every fall!
What are your plans following graduation?
While my current degree is in animal biology, I have a strong interest and passion in studying astrobiology at a graduate level. Astrobiology is an interdisciplinary field focused on the evolution of life on Earth as well as the possibility for life on other moons and planets. I have a very strong interest in studying the unique genetic adaptations that extremophiles here on Earth develop as an analog for understanding how microbial life could evolve on places like Europa, Jupiter’s icy moon. After I graduate from my program, I plan to do a Masters and eventually a PhD related to the adaptations and genetics of extremophillic microorganisms. My non-academic goals after graduation are to pursue dressage (a discipline of horseback riding) at a competitive level.