This week’s profile is featuring the wonderful Alexis Fladmark, and she is a real gem of a person. Having been in a class with her for the past semester has made me appreciate her wit and wonderful sense of humor. If you see her around campus, stop and say hi!
What year are you in?
I am wrapping up my fourth year.
What is your major?
I am an English major, but I also have a double minor in Psychology and Counselling & Human Development.
Where is your hometown?
My hometown is Fort Langley, BC.
Exams are almost upon us. How do you deal with exam stress?
Hmm… I cope with stress by relying pretty heavily on my boyfriend. He helps me get out of my head with snuggles and long walks. He has quelled many nervous breakdowns in the past four years.
What is more bearable for you: writing exams or writing papers, and why?
I prefer papers, hands down. Being in English, all my exams typically include multiple essays. I would much rather have the time to prep and edit them than make one up and just go on the spot.
What is one book that you have read in class that you would recommend to everyone?
I love so many books, but I actually believe that the world would be a better place if everyone had at least a slight grasp on basically principles of psychology. I think we would be a lot nicer to each other knowing this. That being said, I think everyone should have to read a Psych 101 textbook or something along those lines.
Any exciting plans for the summer?
Work and more classes…bleck! But I do have a Vancouver Island cabin on a sunny beach reserved for the end of August, so that is something lovely to look forward to.
If you could be best friends with any fictional character, who would it be?
That is a really tricky question and it took me a while to decide. I’m still waiting for my Hogwarts letter (it is eleven years late) but I think I would be fast friends with Hermione Granger. We have a similar penchant for books, not breaking rules, and loyalty.
Favorite class so far in university, and why?
That is a lot of classes to think back on….I would say the best so far was Archaeology 131: Human Origins. The professor was so cool and was pretty much a Canadian Indiana Jones. I really appreciated getting this amazing depiction of the progression of human evolution and it has been a foundation I have taken with me throughout the rest of my studies. He showed us personal photos of dig sites and we got to handle fossils that were hundreds of thousands of years old. It was a fantastic perspective on my place in this huge span of time and a reminder that there are bigger things than a final exam.
If you could be an animal, what animal would you be?
I would be a wolf. I love the idea of running endlessly though a dense forest. There are amazing wolves in BC that actually live right on the coast and hunt for fish in the ocean. That would be the perfect habitat for me. The ocean and the trees create a perfect serenity for me.
If you were an alcoholic mixed beverage, what would you be?
I would definitely be a martini. They are classy, but also kind of sexy and you can get them in a multitude of flavours.