*Vida is on the left. She is wearing the blue Peer Health Educator shirt.
Name: Vida Sosa
Program of Study: Psychology major, Bio & Biomedical Communications minors.
Hometown: Mississauga
Year of Study: Third year
Q: How do you feel about being chosen for campus cutie?
I feel honoured and very flattered! Also not at all surprised, as I am an incorrigible cutie.
Q: Favourite part about your program?
Well, I love all of it, honestly! I’m almost finished with all the psych classes I need for my major, and that’s a bit disappointing because learning about how the brain works is incredibly fascinating to me. I feel like I learn a little bit more about myself after a class, which is pretty cool. I’m sure a lot of people in other fields feel that way too.
I also started my Biomedical Communications minor and I love absolutely everything about it. It’s a fusion of my two favourite things: art and science!
Q: Best thing about attending UTM?
I absolutely love the community here! There are so many opportunities to get involved at UTM and everyone is so welcoming even to drop-ins who just want to see what the place is all about. Every day you meet a ton of people who are all incredibly kind and friendly. I love being able to walk into a building and find somebody I know and can talk to, and those friends just bring more friends! It’s an experience I never would have dreamed of having in high school.
I remember that I was so scared in my first year to join clubs or attend events. I was—and I suppose to a degree I still am—really shy and closed off, and that compounded with my fears that upper year students wouldn’t want to give me the time of day. I had a lot of anxiety because I thought I didn’t have a lot of valuable skills or relevant experience or that there was probably someone better out there that no one would want me to get involved.
Now that I’m an upper year student myself who’s had a little bit more experience under my belt, those fears were mostly unfounded. I mean, yes I didn’t have a whole lot to show for myself at the start. I didn’t join any clubs in high school and I didn’t have a lot of experience volunteering or public speaking. That didn’t matter though because my peers and leaders were very patient in giving me time to learn to foster those abilities on my own. Even basic skills that I thought were too common and plain to be of any use—like being able to write and do research—was enough to help with creating outreach programs or drafting a part of the guide for the Model UTM World Health Organization. And when something was beyond my current abilities, there was always somebody who knew how to do it and was very enthusiastic about showing me how to do it. I’ve found university is a great place to learn all about screwing up because there are such a huge number of people here who are more than happy and willing to help you fix your screw-ups if you ask.
Anyway, nowadays I’m one of the volunteer coordinators for Healthy Campus Crew, a program where students both promote and assist in running health-related events on campus, and I’m also an executive for UTM’s Partners In Health Canada, a student charter of the non-profit organization Partners In Health. I also like to drop in on our Language Exchange Club and go on Sneaker Squad walks whenever I can. (That’d be my second favourite part of UTM, the nature paths!). And I wish I had the time to join even more!
Q: One thing you’re looking forward to this month?
This is going to sound terribly boring, but I’m really excited about the flu clinics happening at UTM on November 23 and 24, 2015! Since I’m the volunteer coordinator for the Healthy Campus Crew, it’s a time for us to help do some serious herd immunizing and it’s a bit different from our usual work of promoting events or services around campus.
Plus, it’s just a lot less work for me. My fellow volunteer coordinator, Danica Post, and I don’t have to come up with activities, write scripts, create promotional material, or book tables for the time being. We can just hang out helping people fill out forms and handing out lollipops.
Runner up event would be UTM Partners In Health’s first big event, Strides In Solidarity on November 18!
Q: Dream job?
My dream job is to work in the mental health field, preferably as a clinical psychiatrist, with a webcomic on the side. I’m very happy that mental health has a strong focus in the University of Toronto, especially since students are subjected to multiple stresses at a vulnerable age, which makes taking care of your mental health right now so important.
Q: Why is it your dream job?
I dream of having my own practice so that I can help others, and bring those ideals of an open and nonjudgmental approach to talking about mental health and mental illness to people who don’t have the benefit of our experience.
And the webcomic is because I also like to dream that at some point I have the organizational skills and motivation to work on my passion projects. I love to draw, I love to write, so maybe one day my story of a space knight who teaches an AI to love will finally grace the Internet.
Q: Favourite place you’ve travelled to?
For all its swamp-like qualities Washington, DC, is still my favourite place I’ve travelled to. Many of the museums and monuments are free to visit and they’re packed full of amazing exhibits. I can’t recall which museum it was anymore, but I remember in one there was a huge floor filled with nothing but model ships and it was pretty cool. Close runner ups are the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the Canadian Badlands outside Calgary.
Q: Dream vacation spot?
It’s so stereotypical but a beach somewhere on a hot day … Or a grotto. Really anywhere with a large body of water that I can take a dive in is fine. I love swimming even if I’m not very good at it, and it’s beyond relaxing to float along the waves. Besides, for me it doesn’t feel like a vacation unless I’m somewhere far away with no obligations or responsibilities.
Q: Favourite holiday?
My favourite holiday is definitely Christmas! It’s like a built-in reward for students to look forward to after working so hard in school. Then, there’s all the snow and presents and eating biscotti.