This week I’m featuring one of my good friends, Vic Preston. You’ve probably seen her around Kingston, as Vic is super involved in the community. Whether it’s volunteering with the program she co-founded called Big Spoon Lil Spoon, giving campus tours or serving you some dranks at Stages, Vic puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She is truly one of a kind! If you’re in need of some inspiration, get to know Vic and keep reading below.
Name: My name is Vic!
Year and program: I’m in third year health sciences.
Some things I’m involved with on campus are: Big Spoon Lil Spoon, campus tours, Kingston Gets Active, Bobbing Buddies, a tennis instructor at the Kingston Tennis Club, and the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovative Centre (DDQIC) accelerator program.
My favourite club that I’m a part of is: Big Spoon Lil Spoon!! I’m really grateful to have been given the opportunities that I have at Queen’s and to have met some really amazing people. I love all the clubs and activities I’ve done here so far, but I think Big Spoon Lil Spoon would be my favourite. It’s my favourite because I’ve been able to watch the club grow and see the progress we’ve made and the difference it’s making with the Lil spoons.
The best piece of advice I can give: One piece of advice I received from someone close to me was that at the end of the day all that matters is that you tried your best. There will be many times in your life when things don’t go your way or you will be thrown an obstacle you weren’t expecting and that can be really frustrating. But the most important thing is that you’re able to reflect on that experience and be able to say that you gave it your best effort and worked hard. Sometimes your best effort will fluctuate depending on the day. There will be times when you feel drained and can’t commit to giving 100%, and that’s okay. But if you’re able to do what you can and make the most out of situations, then you can find peace in knowing that you gave it your all.
You’ve evidently become super involved on campus and have made an impact in the lives of so many. What would you tell someone who wants to make a difference but isn’t sure how to do so?: I think if someone wants to make a difference but doesn’t know how then they should talk to the people they want to help and listen. A lot of times in our society people try and force solutions without really understanding the problems they are looking to solve. For example, when we first started talking about the idea for Big Spoon Lil Spoon, we met with many parents, spoke to the kids, as well as people in the community and experts in the field. We spent a lot of time thinking about how we wanted to develop the program. I truly believe anyone is capable of implementing positive change in their communities and if they have a desire to do so, then they absolutely should!