I never thought I would be here; doing what I’m doing and living how I’m living.
October 1, 2020
To: PLAR Department/Susan Forseille and Assessors
Department BC Centre for Open Learning,
4th Floor 805 TRU Way Kamloops, BC, Canada V2C 0C8
PLAR Credit Request: The maximum allowed number (30) of credits towards my Bachelor of General Studies Degree.
On my site you will find my full PLAR portfolio application. I have tried my best to cover all main categories of learning within my post-secondary years.
The main categories of my learning I’ve identified are as follows:
1) Spirituality
2) Volunteer Work
3) Education/Training
4) Intercultural
5) Language
For my evidence, I have compiled different video and photo materials. I have (mainly) complied a mix of videos and photos into slideshows, which I have uploaded as youtube videos for easier access. I have linked them all in the evidence section of my WordPress website. As for the Table of Contents for this website; I have encoded each link for easier site navigation. For example, if one clicks on the appendix link 5.1 New Baby Spreadsheet, it will take you exactly to this piece of evidence on the Evidence page. Each listing of evidence on the Categorization of Learning and the Discussion of Learning pages are also linked to their listing on the evidence page, so if one clicks on the link, it will go to the piece of evidence directly.
I never thought I would be here, returning to University to get my bachelor’s degree. But I’ve always known that higher education is something I’d like to have under my belt. When I finished highschool, I enrolled into a 2-year design program far away from home (my home being: St.Catharines, Ontario), in the big city of Vancouver. At 17 years old, when I was unsure what I really wanted in life, and knew next-to-nothing about the world, I leapt from my small town in Ontario to the big city of Vancouver. After nearly two years of somehow surviving on my own for the first time, while studying 40 hours a week, and working part-time for 20, I was physically and mentally exhausted and decided to leave my two-year diploma program at VCAD (the Visual College of Art and Design of Vancouver).
What ensued after this was a great journey, adventure, and learning experience, which I am still on. I suppose one could call it the journey of life and lifetime learning.
When I was younger I could have never predicted the events of my adult life so far: living in Montreal, learning to speak French, doing serious meditation and scriptural study (especially in a path as foreign to my home as Hinduism!), following my Guruji and teachers around the world, getting lost in London, experimenting with work and getting found again through marriage (to a Ukrainian guy!), starting a career as an ESL teacher, and many other things I would have never thought could happen to me.
I am happy to be here, compiling this PLAR portfolio. It has been a fun learning experience, and my friends and family also appreciate the hard work I have done on this portfolio. Beyond PLAR, I hope I can use this portfolio to show the interests and achievements of my adult life to whomever may be interested. It’s been a slow and steady work process for me, due to some things in my personal life (such as being pregnant and also dealing with communication setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic). Overall, I am satisfied with the work I have done on this portfolio. I hope others can appreciate it as well.
All the best,
Alexandra
T00664293