My name is Cassandra Whelan and I was born and raised on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia. I attended Halfmoon Bay Elementary School, Madeira Park Elementary School, and Pender Harbour Elementary-Secondary School.

I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Northern British Columbia in 2012. It was during my four years at UNBC that my passion for education grew through my work and volunteer experiences with the Iris Griffith Nature School program, Genome BC Geneskool North, and the Vancouver Aquarium AquaVan.

I spent the 2012-2013 year in the Acadian community of Caraquet, New Brunswick, working as an English Language Monitor in two schools through the Odyssey program. This reinforced my desire to become a teacher. Furthermore, it made my interest in teaching a language grow exponentially, as did it foster my interest and appreciation of our culturally diverse country.

Since September 2013, I have completed 57/65 credits required for my Bachelor of Education through the University of British Columbia. I am studying Elementary Education and am in the French Language and Global Studies (FLAGS) cohort. During the school year, I was an elected member of the UBC Education Student Association and I continue to volunteer with the Provincial Intermediate Teachers’ Association Start Up! Program. I am completing the remaining 8 credits during the summer of 2015. In the summer of 2014, I took the time to improve my French proficiency by enrolling in École d’immersion française de l’Université Western à Trois-Pistoles, Québec.

My practicums were with the following classes: a 5/6 split (for core subjects), and two grade 7 classes (for French). During the school year, I visited and volunteered in a variety of classes and schools. From primary grades to French immersion and Montessori, I learnt  from many admirable teachers. For my Community Field Experience practicum in June, I travelled to Kenya through UBC’s Go Global International Service Learning. I volunteered at a Inclusive Early Childhood Education Centre called Little Rock Academy. You can read more about my experience in Kenya by looking at the June 2014 archives.

During the 2014-2015 school year I worked in Edmonton, Alberta with the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada as a promotions agent for the Official-Languages Programs. It was a diverse position that allowed me to work within the Ministry of Education, to travel around the province to schools and deliver presentations, and to work in two grade 1 French immersion classes as a French Language Assistant. All three aspects of my job allowed me to greatly improve my proficiency in French. Working within the ministry granted me an opportunity to view education through once another lens, and to understand challenges faced by another group working in education. My time with grade 1 French really heightened my interest in primary French immersion, it is now certainly a career focus for me.

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