MAY 2005 ISSUE
Afshan Kaba
student column
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A Personal Reflection
On Graduation
This article will be the last one I write for The PEGG as a student contributor. Reporting about students’ everyday school activities is one of the things I will miss most about being a student.
Graduating from university brings out various emotions in students. Most of us will be leaving school forever — or at least not going back for a very long time. Speaking from personal experience, my post-secondary journey has taught me a lot more than how to become a skilled geophysicist.
It has taught me to have big goals and even bigger dreams, and making them come true doesn’t come easy. It’s going to take a lot of hard work and energy, and there will be times when we fail.
In my opinion, what defines us as being successful is not only our position in the workplace, or how much money we make, it’s also based on how we rise after we fall. Many professionals I’ve spoken to over the years have said that at some point in your career you will most likely hit a low. Getting out of that low is one of the toughest challenges a professional will face.
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And They're Off |
I’m not writing with the intention of giving a valedictory speech. Rather, I just would like to remind the readers (who are mostly made up of professionals who have been out of school for a while) of what it feels like to be entering the professional realm. Other than the academic benefits of education, I believe that the majority of students who come out of these professional degrees are relatively humble.
Although we do like to poke fun at the people who also did four-year degrees and can’t go very far with them, we try to refrain as much as possible! I have talked to people who have graduated in the past few years, as well as students who will be graduating very soon, and I get the feeling that most of them are quite happy in their chosen field. If there is something that definitely shouldn’t be the result of education, it is material greed and intellectual vanity. In my opinion these are the most dangerous things that come out of a good education.
I have really enjoyed giving all of you a little insight into the lives of the geo students here at the U of C. Thanks to all of you for taking the time out to read about what us “little people” are up to, and I’m sure you will continue to be faithful readers in the upcoming years.
Graduation Day
On March 19, geoscience graduates participated in the APEGGA new graduate workshop and luncheon, followed by the geoscience ring ceremony. The workshop taught students about some basic ethical principles that APEGGA strongly abides by.
The biggest lesson learned by the geoscientists was that engineers really like to debate issues until they are firmly beaten into the ground! In all seriousness, it was a great morning and we learned the importance of ethical professional practice.
The afternoon consisted of a luncheon with guest speaker Dr. Jocelyn Grozic, P.Eng. She gave an exceptional address to the students. The rest of the day was devoted to the Earth Science Ring Ceremony. Approximately 70 geology and geophysics students received their earth rings, and there were also a handful of professionals who participated in the ceremony. Dr. Ed Krebes, P.Geoph., officiated the ceremonies, along with ring stewards chosen from the department. The student speaker this year was Chanone Ryane, a graduating geology student.
It was nice to see most of the parents come out to witness this proud moment. All in all the day went quite smoothly. The evening ended with a graduation banquet for the students.
This was one of the last days we all had together. Now, we all go off on our own paths.
Author Credits
BY AFSHAN KABA
University of Calgary
Student Contributor
(Geosciences)