Pause, look back, reflect, realize how far you have come and how much you have grown.

Welcome to my educational journey!

Education is a lifelong journey. The more I learn, the more I realize that there is no limit to education so I will keep on learning as long as I live. I came across this quote by the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo a few years ago. He was 87 years old when said: “Ancora Imparo – I am still learning”. The man who was one of the most creative and influential artists thought he was still learning. For me, this quote is a motivation whenever I become comfortable in my life and it pushes me to get out of my comfort zone and keep learning and exploring new things in life.

Throughout my elementary, middle, and secondary years, my family and I moved to a few different cities, so I changed schools quiet often. For as long as I can remember, I loved learning new things, picking up new hobbies, reading books, learning science, solving math equations, learning geography, you name it. When the time came to chose my career path, I realized that I was not very sure who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do. I was only 17 years old. In high school I was passionate about learning new languages and I was also very much into science. I liked conducting experiments, working in the lab, doing chemical reactions, it felt like magic to me. I made a decision to pursue science as my career and I graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Kyiv, Ukraine.

     

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry, I challenged myself to get a Master’s Degree in Chemistry and that’s when I moved to Canada. It was a challenging but such a beautiful journey. During my graduate years, I worked as a research and teaching assistant. One of my biggest accomplishments during my graduate studies is that I published academic articles as a first author and a co-author. Working as a teaching assistant made me feel so fulfilled and I finally knew who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do: be a teacher to share my passion for learning, inspire others and make a difference in this world. It felt like it was my purpose! Since then, the idea of becoming a teacher never left my mind. When I graduated with my Master’s Degree, I could not work as a teacher because I needed to get an Education Degree. I had to spend a couple years working in a chemistry field and getting my permanent residency before I could go back to school. Working in the industry gave me a lot of experience that I can share with students to guide them and set them up for success. As soon as I got my permanent residency card in the mail, I did not wait a second and applied to the Secondary Education after degree program at the U of R. And now I’m here!!

I am beyond excited to begin this journey and I cannot wait to see what is next! I think I finally found a place where I belong and I know that I am moving in the right direction.