It’s been three years since I started writing for The Cascade, and my time at UFV is coming to an end. It’s bittersweet.
I’m sure many can (and cannot) relate to me since I was an honours student all throughout my degree. But don’t be fooled; during my undergrad I faced debilitating depression, had my fair share of loneliness, suffered from imposter syndrome, crammed for nearly every exam, and lost sleep worrying over grades that I felt defined me and my future (also, where was my interracial friend group to play frisbee with on the quad that was advertised in university brochures?).
I’m not afraid to say that I am afraid of what comes next — but at the same time, I’m excited to find out. Despite my doubts about whether I was smart or talented enough, I tried. What I’m coming away with is the fact that I’ve achieved things I never thought I could during my degree, and what I want to leave you with is this: pursue community where they say there is none and get the most out of your education at UFV.
Now, to get a little gushy (because it’s my inspirational TED Talk, goddammit). When I came to UFV, I knew no one. I would sit alone in my classes, make small talk with the people sitting next to me, text them when I had questions about homework, and never really meet up with anybody outside of class. I kept thinking: am I the problem here? Can I not make friends because, perhaps, I inherently suck as a person? I couldn’t put it into words at the time, especially since I was battling with severe depression in my first few years at university, but I found comforting words soon enough — when I picked up a copy of The Cascade. Students were writing about the woes of university life, including the fact that UFV feels like a commuter campus. There are no local pub-nights, events get little attendance, and the school spirit is minimal; it can feel inherently hard to achieve a flourishing social life at UFV without putting in a lot of effort. The writers at the paper were able to put my anxiety into words for me, and I found solace in knowing I wasn’t alone.
From then on, I was hooked on the narrative stream that came from the newspapers strewn about while I waited for my bus. I began to recognize names and writing styles. I genuinely looked forward to each issue. I decided I would take the plunge and go from reading to writing. I went on to work for The Cascade as a staff writer (and boy was I proud, even though I was bottom of the rung), then moved to Arts Editor, then climbed to Managing Editor, and at one point was even interim-Editor-in-Chief for a few issues. I went from a scrappy reporter pursuing a passion project to one of the most knowledgeable editors on the board.
I’m not trying to toot my own horn with all this. What I want to say is that with determination, I was able to carve out a place for myself at UFV — and you can too. No one knew who I was when I started working at the newspaper, and there was a clique-like atmosphere that made it hard to make friends with the writers whom I had admired for months. I didn’t let that deter me. I genuinely believe in what we do as a newspaper, and I wanted to contribute to it in any way possible.
The newspaper is my sense of community and culture. We aren’t all interviews, news, and business. We’re also memes, pop culture, and food reviews. We provide a human narrative that often goes overlooked. When you see your name in print, it feels like it means something. You’re making a permanent mark at UFV for all to see. What I want to encourage all readers to do is to find their own ways of getting involved on campus and making a mark. With your degree, you get out what you put in. If you want to contribute to the sense of a commuter campus — go to class, come home, do your homework, and that’s it — you definitely can. But there’s potential for so much more.
I’m fully aware that some UFV students don’t even know we have a newspaper, and it can be discouraging. At the same time, I know that what we do at The Cascade still makes a difference. We’re a legitimate news source for the community; we give people a voice. When making your mark, don’t worry about getting public recognition for it — it may or may not come. The friends you make, the events you attend or put on, the clubs you join, the chances you take, they all matter, even if it’s in a more nebulous, esoteric kind of way.
Image: Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
