“How have you made the most of your Brock Experience? What will you miss when you’ve graduated?”
I am a firm believer that everything is as good as you make it. Coming to a new country was overwhelming to me at first, but Brock has been the best decision I have made. I am usually quick to look at the negatives in a situation and ignore the positives, but my experience here has made it very difficult to be pessimistic. I love every aspect of Brock. I love the professors, the people, the environment, the coaches, the maintenance crew and the whole community in general. That being said, I have taken every opportunity the school has afforded me both athletically and academically.
From the academic aspect, I use all of the resources that are available to me. Many students complain that large schools make it difficult for individual attention, but what they fail to recognize are the resources they actually do have. For example, last semester almost all of my classes were five hundred people, however, I was still able to seek individual attention despite the size. There were a few scenarios that my professors were too busy to meet, but instead of giving up, I turned to other options. I was able to acquire a lot of help from my Macroeconomics TA and the tutors provided to me by Academic Zone Learning Services. As you can see, Brock has all of the tools but it is up to the student whether or not he or she wants to take advantage of them.
From a wrestling aspect, I truly believe that Brock provides me with everything that I need to become my personal best in the sport. Even though athletes at Brock have their own lifting centre, I still take full advantage of the treadmills and ellipticals in the zone to better my cardio. I also take advantage of the small wrestling/ squash room to go over wrestling technique with my coaches in any free time that I have.
Besides wrestling and school, the Brock experience has also welcomed me to a totally new environment. I am from a small town called Blairstown and have never experienced the suburban lifestyle. I am actually getting a little too used to having so much to do and having it only be a five minute car ride away. Recently, I have found a new hobby of thrift shopping. My roommate and I take weekly trips to the Goodwill store and Plato’s closet to find great deals. The city of St. Catherines adds to my Brock experience because there is always a new thing to try or a new place to explore.
Thinking about my life without Brock is a tough one, but I know that there will come a day when my Brock days are concluded. I know this may sound cliché, but I will miss everything about Brock. I will miss being a student athlete. I will miss the professors who love their job and contribute their valuable time to benefit me. I will miss the cage staff that always makes sure the laundry is done and ready for the wrestlers. Simply put, I will miss Brock and its entirety. Thank goodness I am a first year and missing Brock is not in my near future!
