Julie Neufeld, BA in Sociology (2022)
My pathway to an undergraduate degree hasn't been a straight line from high school to my BA. As a mature student, I returned to KPU a few years ago determined to get a university degree but I had no idea what I wanted to do or what courses I wanted to take. I initially took a sociology course as a breadth elective and it changed the entire trajectory of undergraduate experience. I was already benefiting from the smaller class sizes and access to classes across different campuses, but the amazing and passionate professors in the sociology department were game changers for me. Having 1:1 access to our professors that not only know us by name, but actively engage with us, and are invested in our success in the classroom and beyond will forever be the foundation that I build upon as I look towards graduate school.
I have benefited from many professors in our department over the past few years and their support and encouragement have made my experience at KPU all the better. Dr. Yoshizawa seeks to inspire us to be endlessly curious about life and challenges us to reconsider social life in multiple ways for a fuller and more nuanced understanding. Dr. Mitchell fosters class environments that are brave spaces where we can engage in lively class discussions with him and our classmates and helps us wrestle with seemingly intangible concepts by using our sociological imaginations. Professor Ahluwalia pushes us to dig deeper in understanding feminisms, racism, and volunteerism so that we can bring new levels of analysis to our coursework and to our personal lives. Dr. Gatzeva is incredibly dedicated and passionate about her area of expertise and actively seeks to support our success in her class. Dr. Mirfakhraie lays bare how education can simultaneously be fraught with oppressive structures and strategies and also full of liberatory potential. Together the courses I took with them have been enriching and have provided me with an education and opportunities that have far exceeded what I imagined a few years ago when I embarked on this journey. I highly recommend KPU for the quality education that comes from having smaller class sizes and amazing professors, and beyond that I hope that every student has the opportunity to enroll in sociology courses because our department is truly an outstanding one.
Hanisha Dhillon, BA in Sociology (2022)
My time at Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been wonderful and has led me to obtain my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology with a minor in History. Kwantlen has provided me with outstanding opportunities and resources to formulate professional relations with professors in various faculties and has allowed me to seize the knowledge provided by these educators to elevate my career. The various professors I have worked with have shared their genuine passion for their courses and want the best for their students. Smaller class sizes made it exceptionally easy to speak and hold discussions in class. Sociology has provided me with exceptional skills that follow me through my daily life in the forms of communication, research, critical thinking, and theoretical analysis. Kwantlen offers a variety of courses that focus on different fields within Sociology: education, gender, migration, media, race, statistics, theories, and many more. Professors have designed courses to prepare students for their future, such as SOCI 3260: Qualitative Methods in Sociology, where Amir Mirfakhraie prepares students for their Master's thesis, along with SOCI 4325: Sociological Aspect of Community Service, where Seema Ahluwalia offers students with real-life experiences within society. With all this support, I have been lucky to be offered admission and scholarships for the Master's program in Sociology at Carleton, Western, and York.
Amanda Naseri, BA in Sociology (2022)
Much like a lot of you reading this right now, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew that I wanted to help people. I had tried many different disciplines that led me to find Sociology at KPU, which I am so incredibly thankful for. Studying sociology truly allowed me to learn more about the world and the way it works. It has helped to deepen my empathy for others and learn about the role that I have both in my own life - at the micro level, and in society - at the macro level. The Sociology instructors at KPU are some of the most compassionate instructors and have enjoyable classes I have taken in post-secondary. They truly care about their students, not only in the academic world, but at the personal level as well. The small class sizes and polytechnic approach to learning allowed me to dive into topics that I care about and approach topics from many different lenses. I am so grateful to have completed my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at KPU and have begun my MA in Counselling Psychology.
Tara Hallam, BA in Sociology (2021)
My time at Kwantlen was an incredibly memorable experience. I graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and I thoroughly appreciated the smaller class sizes that KPU offers as they provide a welcome space to truly interact with the information that you're learning. The Sociology department itself is full of wonderful professors who have an authentic passion for the content they teach, creating engaging spaces inside and outside of their classrooms. Before, after, or between classes, the Sociology lounge was often full of students who wished to continue conversation, or those who went for academic advising and ended up in deep sociological conversation with both fellow students and professors. This department supports and fosters a safe learning environment where you are encouraged to express your thoughts and develop your perspectives on the world, while gaining practical and useful skills to evaluate the society around us. Sociology is a perfect discipline to pair with Political Science, Criminology, Indigenous Studies, Counselling, and Psychology as many sociological aspects are interrelated with other disciplines that pertain to Western/Northern social structures. Whether you decide to take a major, minor, or a course or two, I would always recommend taking Sociology to experience not only the passion of the department, but to also sharpen and hone your personal perspectives and find a place to relate to others who share the same passions, knowledge, and worldviews. After my degree, I became employed with the Federal Government as a Program Officer for Employment and Social Development Canada. I look forward to continuing working within the public sector in ways that I can bring my sociological education to the forefront of my daily work. I wish all current and future students the best with their studies in Sociology and at KPU!
Sebastian Lora, BA in Sociology (2020)
I'm beyond grateful that I had the opportunity to learn Sociology at Kwantlen and to be able to learn from and connect with a pretty incredible faculty. If you'd have told me five years ago that I would get my first choice Master's program on the first try (let alone at the University of Toronto's OISE - the country's top research facility and institution in the study of education, fourth in the entire world!), I might laugh and say that's crazy - and that is exactly what I said all those years ago every single time my professors insisted I could do whatever I put my mind to and that I could accomplish anything I wanted. Professors like Seema Ahluwalia, Amir Mirfakhraie, Melinda Kachina Bige, and Kyle Mitchell believed in me enough to compensate tenfold in times when I wasn't certain of myself, when I felt unworthy, or when I was settling for less. I have nothing but gratitude to all my professors, to the Sociology and Indigenous Studies faculties and to the school for helping me find my path and giving me the tools to walk it with confidence, and style.
Nicole Green, BA in Sociology (2020)
My name is Nicole Green and I graduated from KPU with a BA in Sociology in 2020 and I am currently completing my MA in Sociology (2022). Studying sociology at KPU broadened my understanding of how society impacts us as individuals and how we as individuals in turn impact society in both minute and large ways. Sociology is unique in that it offers students a taste of almost every other discipline through its intensive look at how our societies operate. The courses are engaging and intriguing, and the professors are knowledgeable and truly passionate about the subjects they teach. A degree in sociology offers many rewarding career paths as well as the opportunity for further education. I am thankful for the well-rounded education I received through the sociology program at KPU and the opportunities it has presented to me.