Only a few times in my life can I say that I have ever had lunch with so many interesting people. While enjoying delicious food at Nuba, I caught up with former Barbara Brink Interns—each with a fascinating story to share.
I started off my lunch talking to Paige, the intern from 5 years ago. Paige told me all about her exciting future on the road to becoming a doctor. Having recently finished her undergraduate studies at UBC, she’s now starting her residency. Among the variety of medical procedures Paige has already done, the most shocking was a full body dissection! A shiver ran down my spine when she told me about that. Being a doctor is quite clearly not for the faint-hearted. Luckily, Paige is armed with a strong stomach and a radiant smile.
Another former intern, on her way to becoming a doctor is Gunjan. She is in the Microbiology and Immunology program at UBC. To say the least, she is one of the hardest working and most determined people I have ever met. In her first year, she took all honours courses, including honours calculus and chemistry. She not only managed to pass all those challenging courses, but she received excellent grades in each one. Gunjan is actively involved with the Health Science department at UBC, conducting research alongside staff and gaining invaluable experience. She has an exciting future ahead.
The third and final intern to join us for lunch was Braeden. Coming off his first year at Queen’s University, he told me all about living on the East Coast. He had lots of stories to tell, especially about his engineering courses and freshman week. He even told me about the rivalry with Western University and the pranks that the engineering department at Queen’s pulled. Braeden also talked about his current workplace, a geo-tech company that specializes in slope stability. He decided to specialize in geological engineering and, thanks to his workplace, he’s happy he did so. We also talked about 3D printing and the frustrations that come with it.
While unable to join us for lunch, Thomas, another Queen’s engineering student, dropped by later to give me great insight into the benefits of studying abroad. He did his third year in Durham, England, and loved every minute of it. Admittedly, the subtle differences did take some time to get used to, but Thomas wouldn’t have had it any other way. He offered some great advice on getting around and things to do. We also talked about 3D printing and he looked over my designs.
In all, I had one of the most interesting lunches that I have had in a while. We each had stories to exchange and had a good laugh. I learnt a fair bit about university life, both the pros and cons. I’m excited to see where everyone ends up and what they end up doing and I hope to meet up with both former and future interns again down the road.