Caitlin Farquharson (2015)

 

Caitlin_Farquharson

 

Hometown (Nation): Banff, AB

Graduation Year: May 2015

Degree Specialization: Bachelor of Commerce, FNIS Minor

 

 

 

 

 

1. Why were you drawn to a degree in FNIS?

I took the then year-long FNSP 100 course with Glen Coulthard in my first year at UBC. The course had a major impact on my interest in the FNIS program as a whole. I knew I wanted to be more thoroughly involved in the FNIS community. As a non-Aboriginal commerce student, I felt it was important to learn from students and professors within the program if I was going to one-day work in industries that impact Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

 

2. What was your favourite class with the Program?

  • Representation and Indigenous Cultural Politics FNIS 220
  • Theorizing Indigenous Identity, Decolonizing Methodologies FNIS 310

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    3. What has been your best memory during your enrolment in FNIS?

    It is a remarkable community, students and faculty alike. My best memory would be the authenticity of the discussions that take place in class. The learning environment is unlike others I found at UBC.

     

    4. What kind of career opportunities have you had since graduating from the Program?

    I chose to work in the Financial Services industry post graduation. The FNIS program provided me with a more complete education and an important perspective that has been incredibly valuable to me both in and out of my career.

     

    5. Why should students consider FNIS as a major/minor?

    For me, completing a Minor in the FNIS program was the best decision I made at UBC. It provided me with the knowledge and perspective to be a better student, citizen, and ally.

     

    6. What kind of advice could you offer to current students majoring in FNIS as they enter into their final year and their Research Practicum?

    What I think many students fail to realize is that nowhere else in the world are they going to receive a higher quality education in First
Nation and Indigenous Studies. The faculty are among the best in their field, and university’s location on traditional, unceded, ancestral and occupied land of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking Musqueam people provide an unparalleled opportunity to learn what it means to live in Canada or be Canadian.