Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Scarlet Stark and I will be the sole writer of this blog (which just happens to be my first personal blog ever!). As a psychology student at Brock University, I'm obviously very busy with classes, homework, essays and readings. But I also like to get involved! I work on campus at Career Services as a Sr. Career Assistant where I help other students find work, update and improve their career documents, show them new ways to job search, help them figure out what they will do with their degree, and assist with graduate school applications. And that's just a handful of things I do in my role!

Aside from this, I am also a Research Assistant in the Forensic Psychology Lab and a Sr. Mentor for the Mentorship Plus Program at Brock - a program which provides senior guidance for incoming first year students. I have also volunteered with the Brock University Student Union as an Advocacy Volunteer, with The Brock Press  as a Contributing Writer, and with the promotions section of Career Services as a Graphic Design and Events Assistant (for more information about my involvement click HERE to view my Linkedin profile). And when I'm not busy with all of this, I enjoy yoga, meditation, exercise, playing with my dog, movies, music and just about anything that gets me moving!

What initially sparked the creation of this blog is my enrollment in a course called Learning in Digital Contexts (ADED 1P32), a course which I am taking as part of gaining my degree. I chose to sign up for this course because I am very interested in understanding the various digital platforms used to support traditional education and why these platforms succeed in enhancing learning. But only a small part of my blog will be about exploring these tools. The focus will be on how students can get more involved in post-secondary education in order to get the most out of their university experience!

I wasn't always an involved student. In fact, in first year, I wasn't involved in anything! I didn't volunteer, was not employed in a field that made me feel empowered and was restless to make a change. This restlessness I felt pushed me into getting more involved at Brock which lead to enormous gains in my confidence, my experience, my knowledge, my network and even my grades!

The goal of this blog will be to show other post-secondary students the importance of getting involved outside the classroom and the skills that practical experience can add to classroom knowledge from a newly involved student's perspective. After all, you can only learn so much from books! The rest comes from volunteering, working and getting involved in activities that you are passionate about. I also encounter many students who are struggling with balancing school and involvement. I think this blog will help shed some light on good time management and organization techniques which can help students get the most out of their post-secondary experience without getting overwhelmed. I encourage my readers to view this blog as a "How-to" for making the most out of your university experience outside the classroom!

I can't wait to share more of my experiences, thoughts, and tips for other students to utilize and look forward to future posts!

Scarlet Stark