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Between Classes: Dave Guedes
Associate of Arts, Psychology
Dave Guedes
is having a roaring good time.
Education:
Associate of Arts, Psychology, 2009
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology (Douglas/UFV joint degree), 2011
Currently:
World-famous writing tutor at the Douglas College Learning Centre, New Westminster Campus
Career goals:
Psychotherapist or medical doctor, maybe teaching at the college level on the side.
Personal goals:
Travel the world. Have a long dirt driveway flanked by Lombardy Poplars. Own my own hot tub.
Favourite website:
hfboards.com, a hockey message board. A must read if you want to know all the latest news and rumours about any hockey league at any level.
Time to set some goals
In August 2006, I was wandering the forest outside of Val-d'Or, Quebec and I realized that after traveling around Canada and Western Europe for the better part of 15 months without a permanent job, it was time that I get some sort of qualification so that I could continue to travel in the future and have a job to come home to. I really had no idea of where to start.
Sound family advice
My sister and mother both graduated from Douglas, so they answered my questions. My final choice to come here was made based on their knowledge of the school coupled with the affordability of Douglas.
Removing the fright factor
When I started out, I didn’t really know what I was going to pursue in school. The Associate Degree sounded like a good option because it keeps doors open for the future and is a really short-term goal. It makes working towards a bachelor’s degree a lot less scary!
Moving on up
Not only did the associate degree cut the intimidation factor of the BA in half, but having to fill the requirements of the associate has enabled me to not stress about having the right prerequisites or breadth requirements.
Craziest in-class moment?
I really think you should ask my classmates for this one. I seem to keep people sitting around me quite entertained. Of the hijinks I can recall, I would have to say having pizza delivered to me in class was pretty crazy.
Inspiring teachers
It’s hard to pick one favourite, but the honour must go to the first instructor I had at Douglas, Jillian Hull. As far as I’ve come in the last two years, I still feel I owe a lot to her and what I learned in her class. She taught me how to be a college student and she was the one who referred me to both the Student Ambassador Program and the Learning Centre, the two entities I’ve identified most with in my time at Douglas.
The most important lesson
You get what you give. You can come to school, go to class and go home, or you can come to school, go to class, volunteer, get a job, make friends, study, hang out, and eventually go home. The amount of effort that you put in to your college experience is a good predictor of how good of an experience you will have.
College spirit
Since getting involved as an ambassador, the invisible doors to the college community have swung open and I’ve become quite involved in the College. Being a student ambassador has really allowed me to be part of something bigger.
