Fourth Year Pathogens
Jeff Park
Hometown: Hamilton
Mary Keyes
Wildtype
Electives: PSYCH 1X03, ANTHRO 1AA3, HLTH AGE 1AA3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
My hobbies include listening to Kpop, playing softball, late-night swimming, and doing some curls with my 10lb dumbbells in my room. I enjoy making quick trips to downtown Toronto or Mississauga mostly for the city night ambience :) One of the the most interesting things I got involved here at McMaster was working for the phone centre, where I had the chance to speak to so many of our alumni as I fundraised for bursaries and scholarships. Another fun fact is that I've been trying to figure out how to do a barre chord for almost three years!
Greatest struggle in first year:
Measuring myself against others and figuring out what I should be doing next. I felt a huge rush to get involved in many activities, and to have everything together as soon as possible. I think I was mostly uncertain about what was coming next which made me feel pretty insecure. I was very fortunate to get to know many upper year friends that could empathize with my struggles. What was crucial was understanding that we walk different paths and we all have separate mountains to climb!
Satyam Choudhuri
Hometown: North York
Les Prince
Wildtype
Electives: FRENCH 1A06, HTH SCI 1DT3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
Playing soccer, reading and meditating. My mom and I have the same birthday!
Greatest struggle in first year:
Comparing my achievements to others and not being proud of myself as a result. Learned to just always be the best version of me and that there is no 'perfect health sci'
Angus Lee
Hometown: Hamilton
Mary Keyes
Wildtype
Electives: PSYCH 1X03, MATH 1AZ3/1BZ3/1CZ3, PHYSICS 1D03/1E03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I love singing & playing instruments, going to the gym, sports, and reading books.
Greatest struggle in first year:
I'm a transfer student from engineering, so I didn't take first year health sci (went directly into second year). My biggest struggle was the heavy course-load, and staying in to do work while most of my friends went out. I dealt with this by sucking it up and suffering :)
Jermin Shinuda
Hometown: Mississauga
Matthews Hall
Wildtype
Electives: FRENCH 1A06, HTH SCI 1DT3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
J'aime le français et j'ai un jumeau! (Google Translate this if you wanna)
Greatest struggle in first year:
Looking back, it was hard to distinguish when I was "at school" versus when I was "at home" because I lived on campus and it always felt like I should be doing work. Having a good schedule to manage work and fun is the way to go! :) Have lots of fun in first year and explore yourself and your surroundings. These next years will be some of the best.
Alessandra Ceccacci
Hometown: Oldcaste
Mary Keyes
Wildtype
Electives: FRENCH 1A06, MATH 1LS3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I am from a small town outside of Windsor, and when I was in high school (my high school is actually in the middle of a corn field), I had friends who used to drive tractors to school! Also, if you love Disney, come find me! DisneyWorld is one of my favourite places to visit, and I could talk about Disney movies for hours.....
Greatest struggle in first year:
One of my greatest struggles in first year was finding a way to balance all of my commitments. I had a difficult time adjusting to the style of the academic work, while trying to get involved in extracurriculars and to meet new people. At times, I was overwhelmed with everything going on, and I wasn't quite sure how to handle my stress. I was so fortunate that I reached out to others about how I was feeling. Upper years shared their own experiences with me and gave me advice on how they dealt with situations, and sharing my struggles with other peers also made me realize I was not alone. Never be afraid to reach out to others!
Ashley Lam
Hometown: Markham
Les Prince
Wildtype
Electives: MATH 1A03, ENG 1A03, ANTHRO 1AA3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
Hi! I’m Ashley, and I love all shades of blue, summer thunderstorms, and am a big believer in the Oxford comma. I also like extending metaphors way past their original intent (s/o to Gus Waters). This year, I seem to be allergic to literally everything, so if you find yourself needing Reactine (or just a shoulder to sneeze on) this Welcome Week, I’m your girl. :) Can’t wait to meet you and hear about your own hobbies and fun facts!
Greatest struggle in first year:
Feeling inadequate – socially, academically, extra-curricularly – in all ways possible. It took a long time for me to realize that countless others felt the same way; the feeling just went around, unspoken. Little did I know that my peers and upper years didn’t have their lives together, either! First year also taught me about the importance of choice, the importance of saying no. Take risks, try new things, but remember that you always have the right to make decisions for yourself. ALSO, don’t ever think that you’re not good enough for this program; you belong here, just as much as anybody else. You is kind, you is smart, and you is important. Truly :)
David Lee
Hometown: Toronto
Woodstock Hall
Wildtype
Electives: MATH 1LS3, PHYSICS 1L03, ECON 1B03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
My hobbies are sleeping in, rating different kinds of guacamole, and binge watching TV series - very talent oriented hobbies. Also, not a lot of people know that I speak Filipino (Tagalog) fluently.
Greatest struggle in first year:
Sometimes you're your toughest critic. I find that I struggled with being pleased with my accomplishments and giving myself a pat in the back (ie. going to my 8:30 class deserves a pint of ice cream from Centro)
Gian Agtarap
Hometown: Brampton
Off Campus
Wildtype
Electives: HTH SCI 1PA3, COMMERCE 1B03, ECON 1BB3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
Ball is life.
Greatest struggle in first year:
As a broke first year who had his mom pack his lunch all through out high school, my greatest struggle was and still is finding food to eat. Luckily, through the help of excess meal plans and the @nolunchmoney Facebook page, I was able to avoid starvation without blowing my O$AP. Unfortunately, I still managed to spend those loans on other things, but that's a different story.
Jun Park
Hometown: Gimpo, Korea/ Ancaster/Thornhill
Mary Keyes
Global Health
Electives: PSYCH 1X03, HTH SCI 1DT3, MUSIC 1GR3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I like playing basketball / ultimate, playing violin, singing obnoxiously in my room, watching Korean dramas, falling down the YouTube rabbit hole, thinking about the meaning of life, the usual. Fun Fact: I've been part of the HEALTH SCIENCES MUSICAL for the past 3 years! In first year I played violin in the band, and second year I jumped ships to act/dance/sing on stage with the cast. If you're musically inclined (or not) in any way, shape or form, AUDITION!!!!! I promise you won't regret it.
Greatest struggle in first year:
Looking back, I think that my greatest struggle in first year was making sense of my changing world views and beliefs. Spending time away from home, and learning and changing in ways I didn't think I would, I found it difficult to orient myself in the world. What did I care about? Why did I do it? And what if that was all bs? These were some of the questions that ran through my mind, and it was frightening at times, but I'm glad that I went through this process on my own own terms. I think university is definitely the place to get to REALLY know yourself, and I'd encourage everyone to go through this inquiry, even if you come out a completely different person at the other end. I'd recommend things like chasing your curiosity rabbit, taking incremental bits of courage each day, learning to be vulnerable and connecting with other people, finding out what you're good at (and not so good at), etc etc... but these are just words until you learn them for yourself ;) Enjoy the ride!!!
Esai Bishop
Hometown: Hamilton
Commuter
Wildtype
Electives: PHYSICS 1A03, ENG 1AA3, GEO 1HA3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I like to play basketball (poorly), guitar (also poorly), and watching TV (I do that very well). In my spare time I like to find fun places to eat in Hamilton, make fun of my 3 younger sisters , and direct the 2018 Health Sci Musical. FUN FACT! I eat peanut butter for like 4 meals a day. See you around WW :)
Greatest struggle in first year:
I struggled with the hour long bus trip to and from campus every day. I try studying on the bus, but I would usually end up falling asleep. Then I tried reading, but would still end up falling asleep. Then I tried playing 2048 every day, and usually wouldn't fall asleep :P IT was also tough, because I found that I didn't get to make a lot of friends outside of health sci, or from residence. I was happy to be able to move into a house with friends during second year. However, during first year, I was able to find other friends who commuted, and I also relied on friends who did live on campus to share their common rooms or couches during long days at school. The health sci lounge is also a great place to go for commuters - there's couches (for naps), a microwave, and lots of cool people.
Nikesh Pandey
Hometown: The 6ix
Bates Hall
Wildtype
Electives: PSYCH 1X03, MATH 1LS3, PHYSICS 1A03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I love to play guitar, listen to music, watch/play sports, or go out with friends, but I think my ultimate life skill is procrastination - I promise I can beat anyone at not studying. Hmu if you want to challenge me.
Greatest struggle in first year:
In first year I really had troubles finding a group of friends I could really relate to - especially when I was so nervous during first term. I felt like I had to be someone I was not while talking to everyone. Honestly, be the real person you are no matter what, and as long as you aren't kanye the right group of friends WILL find you. University will be eventually be so much fun.
Varun Bhardwaj
Hometown: Brampton
Bates Hall
Global Health
Electives: MATH 1LS3, PHYSICS 1A03, MED PHYS 1E03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I like to cook, play basketball and read. Fun Fact: You'll have to ask me in person
Greatest struggle in first year:
Getting used to the university environment. I had never had so much freedom so it took some time transitioning into university. I had to work a lot on my own self-discipline and continuously try new things to see what would/would not work. Everything you don't try is a guaranteed failure.
Andrew Lagrotteria
Hometown: Hamilton
Commuter
Wildtype
Electives: MATH 1LS3, MED PHYS 1E03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
Saxophone, Hockey, Netflix
Greatest struggle in first year:
I started eating poorly due to stress and it compromised my health a bit in first year. Times of high stress are the times you are most likely to get sick, so I take extra care of myself when under various pressures by eating right and getting enough sleep - two of the most important contributors to one's well being. Also realizing that a situation only has to be as hard or stressful as I want it to be helps a lot. Perspective is everything.
Eric Mauti
Hometown: Toronto
Brandon Hall
Wildtype
Electives: HTH SCI 1DT3, ANTHRO 1AA3, MATH 1LS3
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
Making dad jokes, paddling, studying philosophical Hartian legal positivism
Greatest struggle in first year:
Having a mental break down after Centro ran out of kidney beans to put in my pasta. The Rasta Pasta guy told me he couldn't do anything, so I went back to res to get my bike, but unfortunately someone had cut the chain and stolen it. I decided to walk to Shoppers to grab some beans, but to my dismay, it was closed, and I had to walk to Metro in the pouring rain and lightning to buy myself a can of kidney beans. Seeing as it was three in the morning by this point, I grabbed a can off the shelf and started the journey back to Brandon. When I opened it up to pour it in the skillet, I realized that I had bought chick peas instead. I hate chick peas. To this day, I have never gotten over this catastrophe. So now, if you were to visit Arnold St., you'll find that a house on it has a shed that is filled to the brim with emergency kidney bean cans, in order to avoid any future disasters.
Noa Lashevsky
Hometown: Toronto
Bates Hall
Child Health
Electives: FRENCH 1A06, THEATRE AND FILM 1T03
Hobbies/Fun Fact:
I love the arts: I've been dancing for 10 years and am always down for music jams. I love watching movies and musicals with friends. That is why for the past 3 years I've been involved in activities such as Mac One Act (a series of short, student-directed plays), the Health Sciences Musical, and VIE Division (McMaster's competitive hiphop crew). I absolutely love sports: played 4 years on high school basketball team, volleyball and tennis… I also have a huge sweet tooth… a.k.a I'm always down for Yogurty’s and Coco's bubble tea. I love going on nature hikes and last, but certainly not least, if you know me, you know that I have an obsession with the Little Prince. So if you've read it, you've read my soul. Can't wait to meet you all soon!
Greatest struggle in first year:
I came from an arts high school, which allowed me to balance the sciences with my passion for the arts. Moving to a university where performance and dance was no longer part of my daily schedule was a huge challenge. You'll find that it takes time to adjust to the new environment. That's why part way through the year I had to pick back up my hobbies and fit them into my schedule. At days end, these hobbies are what brought me back to my norm, acted as stress-relievers, and made my transition easier as well more fulfilling. Holla at me if you ever wanna chat!