Andrew: Did you have any special farming jobs? Like, I know some country kids have to wake up at the crack of dawn every day and go and milk the cows. Did you have any special farm chores?
Jade: Well, we actually didn’t have the farm for too long. It was a pretty-short lived hobby, I think, of my parents’. So when I was maybe three until seven was the only years our farm was really that active, so I mean, a three-year-old isn’t that functional as a farmhand. But I did really like helping slaughter the chickens. I don’t know. Does that count?
Andrew: OK. That’s a little strange. Yeah, that definitely counts. That’s part of country life. Right? So I guess I wanna skip forward a little bit now. And when we first met was when we were both living on Vancouver Island, in Victoria. And we both moved there to go to the University of Victoria. This is one of the bigger schools in British Columbia, and a lot of kids from the province actually move to Victoria just to go to UVic, and that’s what happened to both of us. So, what I would like to know is: Why did you choose Victoria? And what did you study at the University of Victoria?
Jade: When I was in my grade-12 year of high school, I challenged a lot of courses, and one of those being English 12, which is mandatory for applying to any university. And so the only university I actually applied to at the time was UBC, because I still wanted to remain relatively close to my family and I also couldn’t afford a huge move across country. And coming from a small town, I don’t know if that was really an interest of mine at the time.
Andrew: OK, So let me hold up here and explain. UBC is the University of British Columbia, which is in Vancouver. And it’s actually the biggest university in British Columbia – in the province. So if you had gone to UBC, it would have been very close to Chilliwack, your hometown.
Jade: Yeah. It would have only been about an hour drive or a two-hour commute by bus. But because I didn’t have an English 12 credit yet, because I hadn’t challenged the provincial exam, my application was deferred and my best friend at the time had applied to UVic, and so she suggested that I apply there just in case I don’t get accepted to UBC. And so I was immediately accepted to UVic, with a pretty substantial entrance scholarship and so I just accepted right away. And then a few weeks later, I was accepted into UBC once my provincial 12 exam came through, and I was also accepted there with another entrance scholarship as well. So to this day, I’m always wondering how my life would have turned out if I had just held off for a little bit and stayed in Vancouver and went to UBC instead. Guess I wouldn’t have met you.
Andrew: OYeah. I guess so. So, now we know why you decided to go to UVic. But what did you study there?
Jade: I switched my major around quite often. I started in the Faculty of Sciences and my focus was on biology and biochemistry. And then I moved from there into social work. And after my second year I moved into political sciences and economics and I ended up finishing with a double major in poli sci and econ.