2 university students share their excitement for new school year

University students are getting ready for the new school year to begin, and a couple of students from Steinbach are really looking forward to it. 

Chloe Wolf is taking her third year of education studies at the University of Winnipeg. She prepares for post-secondary education differently than she did for high school. 

“I feel like I am a lot more of an organized person now than I was in high school, so I definitely do a lot more prep,” she says. “I have an iPad for my note taking and stuff, so I like to make myself day planners on there. And then I fill it in with all my schedule and everything. I'm kind of crazy about back to school just because it gets me so excited.”

Chloe Wolf is excited to get back into the classroom, studying to become a teacher. (Photo Credit: Chloe Wolf)

Aside from getting organized, Wolf also spends time over the summer making sure she is ready for the material she will be studying. 

“So, if I have classes I know are going to be a bit harder, I will actually go back to last year and go over some of my notes and exams and stuff, just so I don't start the year off feeling behind, which is just crazy,” she says. “I would have never done that in high school.” 

It seems that anything related to school gets her fired up and eager to get into the classroom. 

“Things like that make me feel super prepped and just make me get excited to go back to school,” she says enthusiastically, “and make me excited for getting my degree and the career that I'll have after that.”

Chloe Wolf took her first year of university classes via Zoom and she prefers in person learning, noting that social connections and learning is more enjoyable in person. (Photo Credit: Chloe Wolf)

Wolf is hoping to become a teacher for either kindergarten or high school math. 

“I just love kids,” she says. “I've always loved kids and I've also just always loved school. I did my practicum from last year in a kindergarten class and I had so much fun. And I see people on Instagram and just online teaching kindergarten, and it just looks like something I would love so much.” 

As for why she would also want to teach math in the higher grades, Wolf says she has always enjoyed that subject. 

“I would love to teach it. I just think that would be like fun and I feel like for me, math has always been like kind of like a game. I don't know, it just feels fun to do it.” she says. “I know a lot of people struggle with math, and so I would love to be able to help them get over that. I guess even with my siblings, I help them with their homework all the time and I just find it kind of fun. I'm sure they don't, but I do. And I feel like high school would be a fun age because I know that's kind of the age where you can really have relationships with your students and get to know them better on a personal level.” 

Over at the University of Manitoba, Tahnee Hoff will be going into her first year of studying Law. She went to university for social work and has spent that past number of years in that field. 

“I've worked with St. Amant since graduating and I've been able to work with kids with autism and developmental disabilities and their families, both in urban areas and in First Nations communities. So, being able to travel all over the province and getting to work in First Nations communities and even in urban centers, I was just getting really frustrated and tired of just reacting to a system. And so, I wanted to be part of the larger change that's needed and to be more proactive about it.” 

Hoff says university students have a long list of things to do before they head into the classroom, such as tuition and student loans, getting parking passes and books.

Tahnee Hoff spends some time at the cabin with her dog Harley before she heads off to the University of Manitoba to study Law. (Photo Credit: Tahnee Hoff)

Now that she has those things sorted out, Hoff is preparing her dog, Harley, for a change in their routine. 

She adopted Harley just before the pandemic and has been working from her home since then. Now that she will be in class most days, Hoff is making sure Harley is comfortable in the homes of friends and family. Doggy daycare will also be a place Harley will visit. 

Both Hoff and Wolf are excited about the school year and eager to get into the classroom.

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, SteinbachOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the SteinbachOnline app.