FASS awakens Niko Kulka’s curiosity

If you want to learn how to play the drums, Niko Kulka will be glad to teach you. Two years ago, he might have turned you down, but his three semesters at Simon Fraser University (SFU) have given Kulka the confidence to try new things.

Kulka immersed himself in a broad array of courses that have helped him figure out which subjects he likes to study, which ones he loves to study and which ones to whittle from his timetable. His intended major is psychology.

“By far the biggest personal lesson I've learned at SFU is to put yourself out there,” Kulka says. “It's nothing genius, nothing crazy, but it opens doors you never could have dreamed of. Even just deciding to put up your hand in class. Going to SFU gave me the confidence to do that.”

Whether he’s in a philosophy lecture or a chemistry lab, Kulka always finds someone or something at SFU to blow his mind. Often, those are the professors and teaching assistants whom Kulka finds so interesting that he says he’s left with no choice but to study hard and get good grades.

“Whenever I enroll for a new semester, I never know what to expect. No two courses have ever been alike, and that's a good thing. Whether I'm learning the material by way of memorizing a textbook, or arguing with a classmate, I'm satiating a curiosity that’s reawakened by every course at SFU.”

And then there’s the SFU Jazz Band. Kulka particularly enjoys drumming and playing flute in the band’s concerts at the end of every fall and spring semester. The band is a student society club whose members organize the gigs and book the venues.

“It makes putting on a great show that much more gratifying,” Kulka says. “And I think that transition towards independence is partly what university is all about.”

Kulka has added the co-op program to his growing list of SFU experiences. He’s looking forward (and crossing his fingers) to getting his first co-op job in the spring of 2020.

“My life seems much more exciting with opportunities such as co-op on the horizon.”