Katherine balances being a student at the College with working with our recruitment team as a Student Ambassador and as a lab monitor for the Fine Arts program. She is a delightful, energetic free spirit who is a joy to be around. I asked her 10 questions to get to know her a little better – and so you can too.
What program are you in?
I am in the Fine Arts certificate program.
Where did you go to high school?
Dover Bay Secondary School in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Why did you choose College of the Rockies?
I had a whole experience, looking all over the country and nothing really seemed to tailor to the specific artistic needs of my life and what I wanted to do with my career. I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit too much time to it. This is a perfect program because it allows you to go to school for a year and then continue on if you want to or stop and have a certificate you have earned. Whereas a lot of other programs, after a year, if you drop out you’ve just withdrawn, you don’t get anything and this one you can sort of add it to something or you can stop. Now that I’ve come here I know I’d want to keep going to school forever but…. I needed that, sort of, not too strong of a commitment to get me here in the first place. To feel like I had the freedom within my education and not be tied down to a program I might not even enjoy. And also my parents live in the area. I lived in England for three years away from my family and I’m very close to them and I knew I wanted to come home and see them and be with them for a while and this is where they live – and the tuition fees are great and it’s beautiful. All the reasons – it ticked all the boxes for me.
If you were a super hero, what would your power be?
Definitely teleportation! Because I think so much of my life is spent getting from point A to point B and if I could just, you know, go and visit my friends in England for a day and then come back here and go travelling somewhere else and just teleport it would be great! It would be a wonderful thing. It would be really cool to have like a shield around me that I could go into outer space and still be able to breathe – like an oxygen shield. That’d be cool. And on the top of the mountain where there is no oxygen – just going to places that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to go.
If money was no object, what would you do all day?
I would write all day. I would do any kind of creative pursuit – paint, draw. If money was no object I would open a summer camp that is dedicated to magic and fantasy and build, basically, a magical world with an enchanted forest and just keep that magical spirit alive in kids – and in myself too, I guess. Adults as well. That’s the dream.
Who would you want with you if you were stranded on a deserted island?
Somebody who knew a lot about desert islands. Or if I could have anyone I would have a wizard who could ‘magic’ things out of thin air – like food and, you know, other desert islands. Maybe somebody who could teleport me out of there if it got bad.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself maybe having published a book. That’s a really, really big goal of mine. I’d love to do that in my life. Definitely having travelled to many more places than I have right now. I’m not really sure. Maybe having a home. I am not sure if owning it, or renting it or whatever but having my own place, my own thing. I think the biggest thing I see myself having in 10 years is a lot more self-awareness and confidence in who I am as a person. I feel confident as a person now but I feel like I have so much to learn and it’s exciting, it’s not scary. How will I react in situations in the future that I’ve never been in before. I think I’ll know a lot more about myself in 10 years.
How would your best friends describe you?
A lot of childlike enthusiasm. I am the one who is maybe a little loud but really excited about life and, um, I’d say supportive. Really terrible jokes. Really, really bad jokes. And kind of maybe a little unpredictable but not unreliable, if that makes sense. I am a little all-over the place but my friends, one thing I really love about my friends is that they tell me that it’s not a trait that makes me an unreliable person or a person that you should be afraid to be around. They sort of encourage that in me and I really, really like that because I think some people can look at me and think like “she’s a bit you know… She’s been in one place and then she’s doing something else…” and I am a bit all across the board and some people see that as a negative thing but my friends love that about me and that makes me appreciate that part of myself because it is such a core part of my personality.
What motivates you to succeed?
My family – for sure. A lot of my motivation comes from wanting to give them everything they’ve given me and just return the love that I’ve received in my life. I think everyone has a lot of good in them and I think wanting to meet that potential in myself and try to be the best person I can be – I know that sounds so cheesy – but, you know, showing that we’re all human and that we can be understood, I think. Seeing other people when I’m in places where I’m not motivated and I feel like – what’s even the point – and I see other people have goals and achieve them and just have hopes in the world it makes me want to do that too so if there’s someone else in the world or someone else around me that might feel like they don’t want to do anything or they don’t want to get out of bed, like, just seeing that it is possible and that it can be done I think is really important.
What would you sing at Karaoke night?
It would either be something from Monty Python or a rap song. Something very silly or very gangster!