Hey there, U of T!

Hey there, U of T! My name is Elena, and I’ll be one of the Life @ U of T bloggers this summer.

I have been viewing this school from an entirely new angle for the past few days. I've written my last exam, handed in my final essay, and will never attend a lecture in Sid Smith again. Over the past month, it was easy to forget the fact that I am graduating in the flurry of schoolwork, final club meetings, and planning for the future.

But as the door clicked behind me after my final undergraduate exam, I had a moment of elation mixed with a bit of trepidation. I’m extremely proud to have finished my degree and excited for where it will take me, but it will feel strange to no longer have a home base among these beautiful buildings on campus.

I’ve always been one for setting summer goals (shout out to 2012 when I saw 100 different bands play across the city!), so here is this year’s: to learn about and explore facets of U of T that I haven’t had a chance to experience in the past four years. I want to create some incredible memories about this place to carry forward with me, and I’ll be sharing them with all of you here each week.

Let’s get to know each other, U of T! Here are some things about me:

- I double majored in Chemistry and Psychology, somehow without taking a single course on neurotransmitters or something that could combine the two. In my summers doing research with the Department of Chemistry I pipetted human urine, analyzed mass spectra of illegal drugs, and synthesized a sulphur-based compound (if you don’t know what sulphur smells like, you are a lucky person).

- I want to be a journalist. I’ve struggled with this decision for a while, being in a “practical” scientific program, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I need to try and take a shot at making a living doing what I love, rather than always wondering if it could have worked out. Besides, there’s a great need for people who know how to talk to and write about scientists! I’ll be attending Ryerson for a Master’s degree in journalism in September.

- If you couldn’t guess from my 100-band summer, I’m quite in love with Toronto’s music scene. I write for a couple of blogs, have DJed on occasion (I can call myself a professional DJ if I’ve been paid for it before, right?), and was editor of U of T’s own music magazine, Demo. Exploring the city is one of the best things you can do as a U of T student - most of my exploring has taken the form of listening to synthesizers in off-beat venues.

Tell me some things about yourself, U of T! What are your goals for the summer?