This week I had the pleasure of interviewing a good friend of mine, Olga Tsyruk. We delve into her time here at McGill and her selfless involvement as Co-president of Beyond Me.
Claire Butler for HerCampus (HC): Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Olga: My name is Olga. I came to Montreal from Toronto to study Anatomy and Cell Biology and am currently in my last semester. I am originally from Belarus and immigrated to Canada when I was 12 years old. English is actually my third language.
HC: What drew you to McGill? Why did you decide to come here?
Olga: I decided to come to McGill because upon visiting Montreal for the first time in high school, I fell in love with the city. I was always interested in improving and maintaining my French. Although I speak more English than French now, I nevertheless think it was a great experience to adapt to life in a different city. Anatomy and Cell Biology is also a unique program and not offered in any universities in Ontario.
HC: You are graduating this year, what is one thing you wish had known first year?
Olga: I wish I had known it was not necessary to buy textbooks for all my classes. I bought so many books that I never used and still have some of them.
HC: I know you are involved in several clubs, how has that shaped your time here at McGill?
Olga: Ever since I first came to McGill, I was always seeking to get involved. Being part of several clubs has allowed me to be an advocate for important issues as well as meet and become friends with so many great people. Not only was it a good break from school work, but it allowed me to grow as a person.
HC: What is Beyond Me? What is its mission?
Olga: Beyond Me is a non-profit student organization that pairs McGill students with a child with a disability for one-on-one mentorship, tutoring or social activities. We also organize monthly events, such as Biodome visits, for all the mentors and children to come together and socialize. We also plan disability advocacy projects to create a more inclusive campus.
HC: What is the most rewarding part of being involved with Beyond Me?
Olga: I think the most rewarding part of being with Beyond Me for the third year now is to see children grow and improve in so many aspects. Many mentors do such amazing work and although the kids may struggle at first, they work hard and accomplish so much. I also love interacting with children and seeing the smiles on their faces.
HC: Have there been any challenges?
Olga: There have been some challenges but we always strive to overcome them. Because Beyond Me has expanded so much since 2011 when it was first founded, we sometimes run into shortage of French speaking mentors. However, we do our best to advertise and recruit enough mentors for all the children.
HC: How can someone get involved in their community or with Beyond Me in particular?
Olga: Beyond Me provides 100% volunteer mentorship service. If anyone is interested in becoming a mentor, we are actually recruiting right now and you can apply here: https://mailchi.mp/c65c06a8b597/fall-2018-recruitment. The process involves filling the application form, attending a training session and a short interview.
Images Obtained from Interviewee