Between classes: Shawn Barry

Associate of Arts Degree (Environmental Studies)

Valedictorian Shawn Barry

Name of your program and graduating class:

 Associate of Arts Degree with a specialization in environmental studies, 2010

Up next:

I’ll be heading to SFU in the Fall semester and looking for part-time work within the environmental field.

Career goals:

To use my degrees I obtain from college and university to get a position as an environmental planner, consultant or other related profession.

Personal goals:

To help make positive changes in relation to how people view themselves and the natural environment around them.

My role models are:

David Suzuki and Al Gore.

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 17-year-old self?

Focus on the task at hand and try as hard at something as you can because when you put in the required effort you achieve great things and your hard work is rewarded.

Finding his place:

I really liked Geography in high school and the uniqueness of planet earth.  I understand the harm we are causing to the planet and the transition from Geography to Environmental Studies was easy. There are a lot of connections between the two subjects.

What was the best thing about college?

The best thing about college is the challenge of it and always being able to learn more and interesting things.

What was the hardest thing about college?

The hardest thing would be adjusting to the new and larger surroundings when compared to high school. 

What was the most important and/or interesting thing you learned at college?

I learned a vast amount of theories regarding how society views itself and the environment, how and why we are destroying the natural environment and what that means for the future.

What advice do you have for your fellow grads?
Work as hard as you can and success will follow.

Links

Information Sessions
Associate of Arts Degree
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Published June 10, 2010