Katariina Määttä at Riverside Park in Kamloops, BC
Katariina Määttä is a fourth-year Study Abroad student from Rovaniemi, Finland. She’s currently taking a combination of arts and tourism courses, building on her psychology major from the University of Jyväskylä.
Määttä plans to have a career as an outdoor therapist working with youth groups. “Nature plays such a big part in people’s lives and it will become increasingly important to reconnect with,” she said.
She chose TRU after reading through the course catalogue at home.
“I got a good feeling about this university when selecting my courses in Finland,” said Määttä. She could tell that there is an appreciation for the environment and exploring the outdoors in the TRU community, especially when she went looking for her electives.
“It’s really exciting to be able to take Programming Experiential Activities and Adventure Activities alongside my core arts courses.”
One of Määttä’s favourite classes this semester is Human Sexuality with Denise Weisgerber.
“She’s an amazing lecturer. Yes, the course topics are interesting on their own, but she has opened up a whole new world in psychology for me.”
This Finnish native will be heading home after a BC ski hill tour this January. She’s glad to have spent a semester at TRU and loves that so many people in Kamloops have canoes, mountain bikes and skies strapped to their vehicles. It was a great fit.
Katariina Määttä outside of Old Main on the TRU Campus
What did other Faculty of Arts students have to say when asked what they love about TRU throughout the semester?
Below is a collection of first-year students commenting on what they love about their university experience so far (click the image for full-screen):
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- “That it’s so different from high school. Everyone is here because they want to be.”—Jordy
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- “All of the opportunities. I came here thinking that I knew what I wanted to do and now I don’t. And that’s not a bad thing.”—Morgan
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- “The profs are engaged. Terry Kading is great, his discussions are captivating and he shows us new perspectives about history and politics in Canada.”—Brody
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- “Diversity. There are people from all over the world in my classes.”—Jordan
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- “The people, they are committed to their studies as well as volunteering, playing sports, and following through with their passions.”—Hanna
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- “The multiculturalism, being in class with people from all over the world.” —Zander
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- “All of the opportunities and there is so much to do to keep busy.”—Tsukasa
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- “The instructors are very approachable. If you’re struggling with a concept or have research questions, they’re helpful.”—Jennica
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- “The profs are really engaging. I’m surprised by which courses are my favourite.”—Jaimi
Check out the Faculty of Arts Facebook album, “arts students of TRU” to read more from current students, including advice and their inspirations.
