“Before I came to UBC I was very shy and reserved, but I have been getting better about being open to opportunities. As part of a service learning placement, I’m going away for three months this summer to learn about global development initiatives in either Uganda or Kenya, depending on where I get placed. It’s an applied psychology course offered by UBC ORICE and we just had our first pre-departure learning session—it was actually very interesting and inspiring. Just having discussions, I felt very involved and excited about it. I’m still undecided about what to do after my bachelor’s, but even before taking psychology courses, I always thought I wanted to go into social work and to travel the world. So this course [PSYC 417A] is just a super great opportunity that just fell into my lap. Initially I thought I was going to do Go Global, but I thought it would be a lot more meaningful than doing a semester abroad, and I would get to go into a totally unfamiliar environment. I think it’s super important to go out of your comfort zone and see other ways of living, because you’re missing out on so many experiences and perspectives.”