Global Citizenship Cohort - Chase Petruska

The importance of being open-minded. From the books we read, to the stories and perspectives we shared, participating in the GCC made me realize there are many different paths one can take and still arrive at the same answer.

Second-year neuroscience student Chase Petruska chose the University of Lethbridge because this is where the Canadian Centre for Behaviourial Neuroscience (CCBN) is. The new science building and the smaller class sizes were also a draw. Last year, Chase participated in the Global Citizenship Cohort (GCC) in the Challenging Worldviews theme.

What drew you to the Global Citizenship Cohort? Why did you apply?

It seemed like a good way to meet new friends during the first year of university.

What has been your most memorable GCC experience?

Meeting my new friends Kennedy and Natalia.

Why should future students participate in the GCC?

The GCC is a great way to meet new people and ease the first year's stress at university.

Please describe your capstone project for the GCC.

My GCC project is a wheelchair hockey fundraiser for the Calgary Power Hockey League (the CPHL). I am a coach for the CPHL, a wheelchair hockey league where individuals with physical disabilities play hockey. The fundraiser is still delayed due to COVID, but I am optimistic that it will still occur sometime in the future. The fundraiser's original plan was that there would be a wheelchair hockey game, with an ongoing silent auction and a 50/50 draw. Local community members and businesses donated the silent auction items.

Is there someone specific who had an important influence on your uLethbridge experience? This can be a friend, mentor, staff or faculty.

John Harding was a great mentor and helped when it came to planning the CPHL fundraiser. He helped me get started, helped me find the right people to talk to, and helped me with the event's legal issues.

What is the most important lesson you have learned this year in the GCC?

The importance of being open-minded. From the books we read, to the stories and perspectives we shared, participating in the GCC made me realize there are many different paths one can take and still arrive at the same answer.

We are spending a lot more time at home now. What do you do to keep busy? Have you picked up any new hobbies?

It is not a new hobby, but it is a hobby that has changed my life over the past few years, and it's weightlifting. It serves as an amazing escape six days a week and has helped me developed self-confidence and skills that have helped me become the best version of myself.

What advice would you give to students who are about to begin their post-secondary journeys?

Just take it one step at a time and only focus on things in your control. Do the best you can in the moment, and you'll figure it out. Stressing and obsessing does not help; it just inhibits your abilities at the moment.

The Faculty of Arts & Science Global Citizenship Cohort (GCC) offers a unique opportunity for students to connect some first-year courses around a common theme while interacting with a group of like-minded students. Learn more about the GCC.