One earth, many worlds

[rakesh.sadaphule]

I had never realised that there was a world different from the one that I lived in, till the day I walked into St Mary's University, Canada, in 2002. Till then, I had never seen much of India or anywhere else, as I had attended primary and secondary classes at the International Indian Schools, Jubail and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, respectively.

I was initially admitted to a Bachelor's programme in commerce at St Mary's, as part of the typical academic progression, wherein the student refrains from making a conscious choice of subject. But my encounters with discrimination during a visit to India brought me face-to-face with several worlds that were completely different from mine. The simultaneous interface with inequality on the basis of income, caste, religion and gender, bore an overwhelming impact on my psyche and I felt inclined to pursue journalism, as it would allow me to be part of the discourse on such real-life issues.

As an after-thought, I realised that I wanted to understand the cause behind these issues, rather than discuss them; eventually I chose global politics as my area of interest, and will soon graduate from St Mary's with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and international development studies; my electives range from economics and religion to history and geography, to provide me with a holistic understanding in international studies.

Honestly, I did not choose to study in Halifax, since this was where we had migrated. But given the choice, I would have chosen the city for obvious reasons. Firstly, having built its economic base on knowledge industries, Halifax has the highest rate in Canada of a working population with post-secondary education - over 60%; and secondly, for St Mary's University.

Founded in 1802, St Mary's is the oldest English-speaking; Roman Catholic initiated university in Canada. As an institution with a heritage, St Mary's offers a unique university experience, with graduates reminiscing about the community spirit and school pride long after they have moved on. In confirmation with modern perspectives to education, the varsity has a student-faculty ratio of 21:1, with the highest percentages of faculty with PhDs of any university in Atlantic Canada.

But it was St Mary's international character that struck me the most. With students from almost 100 different countries, the varsity has collaborations with over 30 universities across Australia, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Uganda, and the Circumpolar Region. The institution's commitment to academic excellence shows in the over $1.6 million in scholarships available in all areas of study.

For students with non-conventional interests, the university has unique programmes in forensic science, criminology, environmental studies, Atlantic Canada studies, Irish studies, Asian studies, and international development studies, the field that I chose to study. We are also allowed to customise our courses to combine work and study, or even take a course of interest from a different faculty or even another institution.

During my course, I served on the executive board of the political science society, learning to work in interactive and leadership roles within a team, alongside the academic curriculum. I will turn a graduate in October this year and aim to do a Master's in political science or sociology.

Over the years since I joined St Mary's, I have realised that I feel proud of having been part of this world with a conscience. For instance, my university is also pioneering a world-first in making education accessible to students with disabilities, through a $1.2 million programme that uses voice-activated computer technology to deliver classroom lectures. Someday, I hope to make a similar difference to the many worlds around me.