Meet OC alumni Brayden Zaharia
Hometown: West Kelowna, BC
Program: Associate of Science, Kelowna - 2017
91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ was the perfect stepping stone between high school and the pharmacy program at UBC, allowing me opportunities to practice the materials and think critically about what I learned in ways I never experienced when at a larger institution. The smaller class sizes, dedicated learning centre and easily approachable staff were especially important for me as a student with ADHD, as having these resources gave me an environment where I could flourish. Having completed all my schooling, I can say 91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ was easily the highlight of my educational journey.
Can you tell us how your experience at OC helped shaped the career that you are in?
91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ enabled me to grow as a learner in ways I never could have in a larger institution. I found the small class sizes, hands-on projects, dedicated learning centre and incredibly accessible professors cultivated an environment that rewarded hard work and encouraged critical thinking. And overall, my time at 91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ laid the bedrock foundation for absolutely everything that would later be built upon in pharmacy school.
Why did you choose 91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ for your post-secondary education?
I was always planning on going to 91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ because I had grown up alongside the son of Dr. Roberta Massey, a chemistry professor who’s passion for science left such a profound impact on me that I can still vividly remember her coming to my class in grade 3 to make silly putty with us. Although Bobbi was a huge pull for me even before I graduated, I later learned that UBCO didn’t even offer the right prerequisites for entry into the PharmD program. So even If I wanted to go to a university to complete my undergraduate degree, my only option would have been to move all the way to Vancouver to complete my prerequisites. OC however allowed me to hone my skills in a place that was close to home, affordable and caring. I cannot say how my educational journey would have gone had I not had this so early on in my post secondary experience.
Tell us about a memorable experience or project that made a lasting impact on your learning journey at OC
I will never forget a project I worked on in my Genetics class during my last year at 91´óÏ㽶ȫ¼¯ where we were given free reign to design and conduct our own experiment. Up until this point, every experiment we performed was done so by following step-wise instructions, so after 3 years at the College it felt like a true test to apply all I had learned about the scientific method.
Our experiment was set up as follows: We had a bacteria that would use light as a trigger for synthesis of a certain protein, and we devised an experiment where we would observe if the colour of light had any impact on that proteins production. To test this, we put 6 agar plates at the bottom of a wine-box and cut holes into the lid of the box. These holes were then covered with tissue paper and had lights shone through them to alter the hue of the light passing through, resulting in the paper lighting up in a vibrant reflection of the colour they were filtering.
I cannot remember whether the results from that experiment were at all conclusive, but my memory of that experiment as well as the pride I felt when it all came together will stick with me for the rest of my life.