SPORTS

What do you like to do in your free time?

I’ll watch some TV or some YouTube. I just watched Glass Onion last night, it was so good! I do like baking, it’s methodical. You can’t mess it up . . . until you mess it up!

Favourite songs to warm up or run to?

Usually people listen to rap, or hard music, but I listen to R&B. It’s a great tempo to run to, and I find that I zone in if I’m listening to that music.

(Check out Carly’s go-to running playlist: “R&B Favourites” on Spotify!)

If you could compete in any track event with any athlete, who would you pick and why?

Honestly, I’m going to say Jerome Blake because he used to be on the Cheetahs, and I used to train with him. He’s a fun guy — and now he’s an Olympian!

Do you have any rituals or superstitions?

It’s so hard to find a routine that works every time, because each place you go to compete is just so different. You really have to focus on yourself; you can’t let anybody else psych you out.

What are your favourite courses you’ve taken at SFU?

There’s one art course [CA 262] I really loved. It’s called “Practices in Drawing.” I guess I really liked that because it tied into biology in a way, and it was just a really good way to look at things differently. I just took Vertebrate Biology. The course load was intense. We dissected a cat, pigeon, turtle, a fish, and a mudpuppy, which is kind of like an axolotl.

(Fun fact: a mudpuppy is NOT an actual dog.)

Do you have any go-to restaurant recommendations?

I really love burgers, so Romers is really good. They actually have good gluten-free buns. Red Robins has really good flavoured burgers. There’s one sushi place in Maple Ridge called Wasabi Grill, and half of their menu is gluten-free.

What’s your favourite track memory?

BC Summer Games in 2016. I was elected for high jump, long jump, and hurdles. I didn’t win anything, but I got a personal best in high jump. My personal best at the time was 1m 55cm; my mom told me to “get over 160.” I think it was my third attempt. I just barely skimmed it.

Once athletes achieve a certain level of performance, those who continue to progress and become great do so in their heads, not on the field.

JORDAN THORSEN

MEN’S SOCCER GOALKEEPER

1. Go around campus on Halloween week

Well, if you want something sweet, then get it on Halloween week. No matter where your grades are at, you’ll find sweet rewards everywhere. Who cares if it’s unrelated to academics? If you can satisfy your sweet tooth, then your job is done.

2. Showing up to class is already a W

There are so many things that could’ve stopped you . . . sleeping through your alarm, missing your bus, realizing your assignment failed to upload on Canvas the night before, or simply lacking the motivation to go. By attending class, you are proving how responsible you are as a young adult. This is something to be proud of.

3. Lower your expectations

This is probably the most valuable life hack. Why do people feel the need to achieve success at such a high level when they can achieve success at a low level? You save time, energy, effort, coffee, phone battery . . . you name it. Just make an easy goal and reach it! Grab the “meeting expectations” line on the grade spectrum and drag it wherever you want. In the immortal words of DJ Snake, “Get low.”

4. Lie about your grades

Let’s say you and your classmates are chatting and you tell them you got 98% on your final paper. The benefits! They will be so impressed and compliment you, wishing they could be as successful as you. This will (fakely) boost your self-esteem. The risks! What if the professor announces that the highest mark in the class was 95%? What if you leave your laptop unattended for a minute and your classmate sees your mark? What if you’re a bad liar? They’ll know you’re lying. Oh well! Then you’ll learn to grow as a person, and all is good!

5. Present yourself professionally

By having a professional appearance every day, your instructors and peers will assume you’re a highly qualified student. You know the kind of students who dress maturely, sit at the front of every class to interact with the professor more, always prepares a ton of notes, and walks around campus carrying a textbook or two. Be like them and maybe that’ll help! You know what they say: fake it until you make a Beedie student proud.

6. Change your meaning of academic validation

I don’t know what academic validation means to you. Maybe it means receiving academic-related compliments, feeling proud of yourself, or simply being enrolled as an SFU student and having an ID card for proof. Or maybe it’s just a popularity contest to see who’s the most favourited in the class. I advise you to tweak the definition of sweet academic validation and make it your own.

7. Show progression — start bad, end great

If your effort level remains the same throughout the semester, no one will notice your progression. However, if you start the term as a problematic student who struggles with school and later show how smart you actually are, then everyone will be surprised and impressed by your fast and incredible progress. We all love a comeback story!

8. DIY validation

Here’s an at-home DIY validation grabbing method: Ask your trusted siblings if they would say great things about your work in exchange for chocolate. This fake validation will eventually give you the courage to push through the schoolwork!

9. Just be a hardworking individual and gain respect from that

Look, if people notice that you’re at least trying to get the answers right in class and attending office hours to get extra help, they will have respect for you no matter where your grades are at. As long as you haven’t been a jerk during your time at SFU.

10. Get outstanding grades

In reality, receiving sweet, sweet academic validation is not complicated. You only need these five words: Ace every exam and assignment. Then you’re all set! Stop wasting time looking for ways to avoid work. Instead, study harder! Clearly, your efforts are what you’ve been missing all along! [Runs away into sweet validation valley.]