Lindsay Naito
Lindsay Naito graduated with both a B.A. and M.A. in English. In an interview, she mentioned that she was initially drawn to UBCO because she “grew up in Kelowna, and I liked the idea of staying in the Okanagan for university. I come from a family of business majors and had a lot of friends in business school, so, when it was time to choose what I was going to study, I definitely felt a bit of pressure to choose something ‘practical.’ However, I’ve always loved literature, and I’m so glad that I chose the English program at UBCO. While I may not have used my literary knowledge every day since I graduated, my experiences at UBCO definitely laid the groundwork for some fantastic adventures as well as my current career.”
Her experiences on campus were so rewarding that, “when it came to applying for grad school, I applied to a few different universities. However, I had a really great experience in the undergraduate program, so, despite being accepted to other universities in the province, I decided to stay at UBCO. The English MA was a brand new program at the time, and it was really exciting to be a part of its development.” During her Master’s Degree, Lindsay took an active role in the program and Faculty and helped organize the first annual graduate conference at UBCO. “We had some really motivated people leading our team, and UBCO provided us with all of the resources necessary to put on a two-day, interdisciplinary event. We ended up receiving paper submissions from students across Canada and the US, and the whole thing was a huge success.”
Once Lindsay had graduated, she was lucky enough to teach English in rural Japan as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) for four years, and said “it was the very best thing that I have ever done. I really can’t emphasize that enough.” She added, “I was also very lucky that, as a UBCO graduate student, I was able to take first year Japanese courses as I was going through the application process. Furthermore, my research at UBCO focused on issues of cultural identity in Asian-Canadian literature, I think it made me a good fit for JET. During my four years in Japan, I found that, as a JET participant, I was much more of a cultural ambassador than an English teacher, and this is definitely something that the selection committee keeps in mind during the application process.”
Continuing her adventure after her time with JET, Lindsay “left Japan and moved to Hong Kong for a year. In Hong Kong, I taught English to adults at a private language centre.” Lindsay is currently teaching courses in ESL, academic writing, and literature at Dorset College in Vancouver BC.
In closing, Lindsay remarked: “I would really encourage anyone with a passion for literature to consider the English program at UBCO. I was able to take interesting and diverse courses, the faculty was incredibly engaging and supportive, and many of my fellow English majors became lifelong friends.”
This story was written by Brandon Taylor, English major in FCCS. Brandon is a Research Assistant in FCCS, contacting alumni to find out about their experiences here at UBCO.