Theresa Decius Timothée - Social Science Graduate 2021 : At Vanier she found a community where she felt included

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Theresa Decius Timothée chose to come to Vanier because she was impressed with the college's excellent reputation in education and with its diversity. Did she find what she wanted? "Yes. I felt comfortable from the very start and I found it easy to make friends. I had one close friend who knew some people and that helped break the ice, but I immediately felt welcome at Vanier."

Why did she choose her program?

"Social Science was not my first choice. It was Health Science, but as it turns out Social Science is much more in line with what I want for my future. I'd like to study Political Science at university then become a professor or work for the government." Theresa says that career choice might not have happened without Vanier. "Career-wise, without Vanier I might not have decided to go in that direction. One teacher told me what to do to go into political science, and at Vanier I met students with the same interests as me. Vanier changed my life in terms of what to do."

What was school like during the Pandemic?

Most of Theresa's courses were online from the second half of her second semester through to her final fourth semester. Only some gym classes were given in person. So meeting people was more difficult. "There was not a lot of possibility to interact with other students, but if I was part of a group, like a workshop, or a panel, then it was easier to meet and talk with other students online. I participated in a panel on intersectionality during International Women's Week that made connecting with others easy because we were all focused on one topic."

"Attending classes online was definitely more challenging. It's harder to pay attention. As well, I was in the environment of my bedroom, not of school. But I feel I may be better prepared for university because I learned new methods of organization for online learning as well as discipline and time management skills."

Creating a podcast

Because of the pandemic, Theresa did not get to see her sister very often. Even though they live in the same house, both were students with very different schedules and both were focused on their studies. They saw and interacted with each other more during the quarantine, which is how the podcast came to be.

"I created a monthly podcast with my sister where we speak about the intersectionality of being Black women. It was made to spread awareness and start conversions about race, gender, and discrimination. In 2020, Black Lives Matter came to the fore, and we were having so many conversations in our house about being Black and being Black women the podcast seemed a good idea."

What kind of feedback has the podcast generated?

"The interesting thing is that we have gotten feedback from people who are not Black, but who are immigrants. We did a podcast on not feeling we were Black enough because we grew up in a White environment. That generated a lot of comments from people in the Asian community who have the same experience of not feeling they know enough about the culture of their community. So they don't feel Asian enough. That was a surprise to me. I never realized that other groups could have similar feelings. We always try to end our podcast on a positive note, maybe with a solution, or just exploring why things are this way. Just saying things out loud makes me feel O.K."

Advice for new students

"Students should make a priority list if they choose to be successful. Some choose a program based on their study or career goals. However, they should also look at what they want in the community because all Cegeps have a different community. They should speak to people who attended each Cegep they are looking at, and ask about the community because you want to go to school where you feel included. I made the right choice because I definitely had my expectations met at Vanier!"

Get involved

"Don't be afraid to get involved in workshops, activities, clubs or sports. I should have done more outside of class, because it's often outside of class that I enjoyed myself. Activities can be underrated but they are truly important and they can make Cegep more enjoyable and more fun."

Where is Theresa now?

Following her dream and studying Political Science at McGill University.