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Geography graduand finds career inspiration through experiential learning
With a passion for the environment and climate change, Victor Yin began his time at SFU in the Resource and Environmental Management program. Having always thought of geography as simply the study of capital cities and countries, his perspective changed when he discovered the human geography major. Inspired by the components of urban planning and equity within the major, he decided to make the switch. With his new home in geography, Victor took the opportunity to explore everything SFU and the Faculty had to offer.
“Learning about how human systems work across spaces, places, and time, just felt like a much better fit,” said Victor.
If you visited SFU’s Burnaby campus over the course of Victor’s undergraduate years, it is not unlikely you interacted with him at one time or another. Victor lived in residence for his first two years while working as a community advisor. He went on to have other on-campus positions including working as a room inspector, a cashier at the SFU Bookstore, a lab attendant in the French department, and a climbing wall attendant at the SFU climbing wall. Victor also kept busy in the co-op program, completing work terms at The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver and the FENV Dean’s Office. Along with these endeavors, Victor avidly volunteered his time with the Geography Student Union (GSU), SFSS Out On Campus, the SFU Climate Coalition, the SFU Sustainability Office, and the SFSS BIPOC Committee, among many other on-campus initiatives.
While gaining a breadth of experience, Victor also built a large network of friends from his peers on campus. “From roommates to project partners to coworkers, I feel like SFU has such a great community of people and I know I’ve made some life-long friendships,” says Victor.
A pivotal moment for Victor was resoundingly the Semester in Dialogue: Housing Futures program in 2019. Learning about the housing crisis among other passionate students “changed the trajectory of my degree and my career goals,” says Victor.
It comes as no surprise that Victor now works as a program analyst with BC Housing. Having found his passion in an intersectional area, applicable to both his interests and studies, Victor plans to continue working in the housing sector in the future.
Congratulations, Victor!