Meet this afternoon’s Faculty of Science valedictorian
Photo by Brian Zheng.
What emoji best represents you? What is your definition of success? Meet Preethi Anbalagan, the morning valedictorian at the June 14 convocation for the Faculty of Science.
1. Name
Preethi Anbalagan
2. Where is your hometown?
Mississauga, ON.
3. What is the degree & subject are you pursued?
Honours B.Sc. Life Sciences (Co-op)
4. What made you choose McMaster for your higher education career?
I make most decisions on a whim. I didn’t attend May at Mac, or any orientation event prior to making the decision. I attended McMaster once before and it was in the 9th grade when my sister was considering attending. Back then, I picked up an Environmental Sciences brochure and toured Wallingford Hall. I didn’t think three years later, I’d accept that very program and be put in that very residence. I chose Mac for reasons such as how beautiful the campus looks during blooming season and the really nice tour guide I befriended on my visit. In hindsight, choosing which University to attend shouldn’t be decided on a whim but sometimes you just have to listen to your spontaneous impulses.
5. What will you be doing after graduation or see yourself doing?
Generally speaking, I wouldn’t mind living like an Instagram minimalist for the rest of my life. But for the time being, I’ll be working for a bit before heading back to school for an MSc in Environmental Science/Policy.
6. What would you say to your first-year self?
“Life’s always busy – call mom back.”
7. Do you have any advice for current & future students?
I distinctly remember having to write a biology term paper that I had a month to complete but being Queen of the Last Minute, I left it for Sunday night. 2 hours in with 4 words on my paper, my roommate felt the obvious stress in the room and said to me, “bird by bird.” Sounded odd at first but we starting saying it to each other throughout the year and it’s the piece of advice that got me through most of University.
(Reading, “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing & Life,” by Anne Lamott will take the confusion right out of this answer).
8. How has McMaster shaped the person you are today?
I don’t think high school me would’ve easily surrendered to the inevitable mistakes we make in life but my time at McMaster can easily be described as a, “series of tiny fiascos.” The weight of making mistakes didn’t get any lighter but at the very least, became familiar. So after five years (especially this past year), I’ve learned to accept defeats, failures and even succumb to knowing how little I know. It made me value learning and growth as a way forward.
9. What events did you enjoy the most at McMaster/Hamilton?
The Casbah has a special place in my heart – I hosted a music festival there and attended several of their concerts (The Zolas being my favorite). As for McMaster, they brought Bill Nye to campus in my first year and I swooned.
10. What is your definition of success?
I see different versions of success everyday. I used to think it was having some special skill or sublime intelligence but sometimes it’s getting out of bed in the morning, working overtime and enjoying it, or abandoning someone else’s version of success. A general rule of thumb I follow is that everyday should be a happy one and when they are, it’s a default Win.
11. How has McMaster helped you create a brighter world?
The communities I’ve been a part of at Mac have helped me in building a coherent worldview, and a sense of my place in it. From working in the lab, to Welcome Week rep teams, to student governance, it’s always been about making something better than it was before. Immersing myself in these communities have helped me in cultivating a brighter world, alongside my peers.
12. What motivates you to work hard?
This past year, I worked for the Students Union as the Vice-President (Administration) and saw a team of service managers who surprised me every day with work that made me want to be a better manager for and with them. They’ve shown me how important it is to have genuine passion for what you do, and see purpose in what you do to be able to fully invest in the outcome.
13. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? And why?
Super healing would be nice; I’m so accident-prone that getting rid of small injuries (or curing illnesses) in the snap of a finger would be excellent.
14. Who is your favourite professor? Why?
Dr. Gary Warner, he taught within the Arts & Science faculty and I valued how accessible he made his courses (i.e. diversity in assessment, multiple ways of engaging with course material, outlining potential accommodations) without compromising academic rigour. He understood what a barrier-free learning environment was, how conducive it is to a student succeeding, and endeavoured to cultivate it. It just seems such an obvious thing to do, is practise pedagogical accessibility for students to meet the educational outcomes, yet it’s still a work in progress. I’m really grateful for Dr. Warner, and appreciative of all the best lessons he’s instilled in me.
15. What is your best way to de-stress?
Spending time with my housemates/friends always relieved my stress – they’re so weird and impromptu with all their plans. They tried building a fishing pond in our backyard once and it’s hard to feel stressed when you’re sitting around a blow-up pool filled with dollar store plastic fish.
16. What emoji best represents you?
💃 – The Dancing Woman emoji because there’s nothing redeeming about it, yet it thrives.
Learn more about Spring 2018 convocations here: https://registrar.mcmaster.ca/grad/convo-dates/
