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I define personal, academic, and professional success as a combination of growth, balance, and purpose. Personally, success means maintaining well-being, building meaningful relationships, and feeling confident in who I am. Academically, success involves not only achieving strong grades but also developing a deep understanding of course material. Professionally, success means being a competent and compassionate educator who creates an inclusive and engaging learning environment for all students, as well as a staff member that my superiors can rely on and trust.

Personally I'm pretty hard on myself so I am not sure I will ever feel fully successful, however I also do believe that success is not a final destination and that it is an ongoing journey throughout life.

To support my growth this term, I have created the following SMART goal:

SMART Goal APA 7 Formatting:
By the end of this term,

Specific: I will improve my use of APA 7 formatting and citations.

Measurable: I will achieve this by making no more than two formatting errors per assignment as through instructor feedback.

Achievable: I will review the APA guidelines and apply them to all written assignments. I will go over my references and in text citations multiple times before submission.

Relevant: By strengthening these skills it will help me become a better student and deepen my attention to detail skills.

Time Bound: I will achieve this by the end of the semester

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For me, success is not just about grades or completing tasks, it’s about balance, growth, and feeling capable in the different roles I have in my life. Personally, success means taking care of my well-being and being present for my family. Academically, it means understanding what I am learning, improving my skills, and meeting expectations in my program. Professionally, success is about continuing to grow as an educator, building confidence in my abilities, and developing practices that support all learners.

I don’t think success is something that is fully “achieved” once and then finished. Instead, it is something I am continuously working toward.

SMART Goals for This Term

1. Writing and Academic Confidence Goal
Specific: I will improve my confidence in writing and my ability to properly cite academic sources.
Measurable: I will aim to earn at least 75% or higher on assignments and submit all work on time.
Achievable: I will dedicate 4–5 hours per week to coursework, complete module content before tutorials, and break tasks into smaller steps.
Relevant: Strengthening these skills is important for my success in my program and future career as an educator.
Time-Bound: I will achieve this by the end of the semester.

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Success is a word that has different meanings to different people. I believe that success is reaching the goals you set for yourself. Some goals may be short-term and others long-term. Success is reaching your goals and learning with the challenges along the way. I have always been someone to create goals for myself but then along the way sometimes those goals get put on the back burner. This year I set goals that I hope to stick to and achieve them successfully! Success is keeping myself accountable where I slacked off and need to get back on track.

SMART Goals

1. Personal- I will commit myself to focusing on making better, healthier choices, such as incorporating protein, vegetables and a carb (balanced meals) and making lunches and dinners or doing yoga twice a week. This will help me feel strong and energized through healthy eating, but also successful in taking care of myself and my body,

2. Academic- I will attend my classes as well as participate, I will ask for help when I am uncertain about a topic to reach my full understanding, but also enjoy the learning process. I will do my best to stay on track by using time management. I will also dedicate at least an hour a day on doing school work and focus on one course a day so it doesn’t become overwhelming. Taking these steps will bring me closer to completing my studies with a good average but also a set of skills to carry with me when I apply for the B. ed program. When I graduate, I will have a sense of accomplishment and success

3. Professionally- currently, I am taking my learning experiences from my courses and sharing brief ideas with my colleagues to best support our students. In the future, I will implement my past experiences as well as new concepts I have learned and will continue to learn into my teaching practices. One thing I have learned and will continue to learn more about is accessibility for students/individuals, from the perspective of someone who works with students who have diverse learning.

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For me, success is whatever brings me genuine happiness and a sense of fulfillment.
On a personal level, success looks like small moments when I cook something my kids love, or when a seed I planted finally sprouts. These moments remind me that effort and care matter.

Academically, I feel successful when I work hard and see that reflected in strong grades and a deeper understanding of my courses.

Professionally, success is when my employer appreciates my work and when I can see real growth, confidence, or progress in the children I work with. Knowing I’ve made a positive impact means more to me than titles or recognition. SMART Goals for This Term
By the end of this term, I will maintain a minimum A- average by completing all assignments at least two days before the deadline and reviewing instructor feedback weekly.

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Personally, I define success as achieving the goals I set for myself academically, physically, emotionally, and mentally. This goal, by the way, is not achieved through only one plan, but through different paths, trying them all until the end. Reaching this point makes me feel successful.

Academically, success is related to the learning process, not mainly to the results. I always care about what I am learning and how it affects the way that I am thinking, and for sure, the grades reflect that learning at the end.

Professionally, success means taking steps toward my main goal: graduating from the program and pursuing additional certificate programs to strengthen the skills needed to be a teacher.

SMART Goals

1.    Personal goal: Practice exercise for 30 minutes, 3 days a week, at home throughout the year.

2.    Academic goal: Read all course content, complete assignments on time, and grasp the information to earn an A grade by the end of the semester.

3.    Professional goal: By the end of the term, I will update my résumé and apply to volunteer in schools near me to gain experience from real-life situations.

Mai Mohammed

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Personally, I define success as achieving the goals I set for myself academically, physically, emotionally, and mentally. This goal, by the way, is not achieved through only one plan, but through different paths, trying them all until the end. Reaching this point makes me feel successful.

Academically, success is related to the learning process, not mainly to the results. I always care about what I am learning and how it affects the way that I am thinking, and for sure, the grades reflect that learning at the end.

Professionally, success means taking steps toward my main goal: graduating from the program and pursuing additional certificate programs to strengthen the skills needed to be a teacher.

SMART Goals

1.    Personal goal: Practice exercise for 30 minutes, 3 days a week, at home throughout the year.

2.    Academic goal: Read all course content, complete assignments on time, and grasp the information to earn an A grade by the end of the semester.

3.    Professional goal: By the end of the term, I will update my résumé and apply to volunteer in schools near me to gain experience from real-life situations.

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What is success? Sounds like a simple enough question, yet there can be so many differing opinions, thoughts and logic to it, even within oneself. To me it carries many meanings and it can apply to different aspects of my life, but I will refer to it in general and the one critical component to success is attempt. Attempting IS success. Failure IS success. Persistence IS success. To try and fail is to build character, confidence, and belief in yourself. Success is the impact it has within yourself. This is why I am here. We all have goals, which leads me to touching on my SMART goals; my main one, to complete this program, even at one course a semester. I also want to have the skill to cite, reference, and paraphrase with confidence. My last goal is to achieve high grades in each of my courses.

To me, success is giving yourself the chance to try. Success was not a guaranteed outcome to some of the greatest minds to walk the earth. Thomas Edison attempted to create the lightbulb thousands of times, testing with different materials and finally having breakthrough.

Success is to not give up on what is important to you. No matter what.

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To me success is growth that feels meaningful. It may be something as simple as meeting your fitness goals for the day or week, or something on a larger scale, like returning to University as a mature student and doing well. Success may also look like just showing up to class. Success is finding your voice and not being afraid or ashamed to use it. Success in it's entirety is not just academic, its about becoming more confident, capable, and intentional in how I learn and support and engage with those I am around. For me, success is balancing being a single mother of 3 athletes, being a student, and managing the hectic schedule while balancing the finances....while every day is challenging, everyday also has snipets of success.

If I'm able to finish this semester feeling more confident in my academic writing, digital learning skills, and ability to connect theory to real life experience or classroom practice....then that will be wonderful success!!

SMART goals for this term:

1. Academic writing and confidence by the end of this semester. I aim to improve by using at least two different feedback strategies on every assignment that requires one.

2. Time management and balance: To maintain balance as a mature student and busy sports mom, I will follow a weekly study routine that includes 1-2 hours of focused study per course, five days per week, while setting clear boundaries to protect family time, me time and avoid burnout.

I look forward to learning a lot in this course on how to improve my writing skills, and becoming a better learner overall. It's me vs. me....and I'm betting on me!

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Success, to me, is not about perfection or constantly being busy. It means working smarter, not harder, while still showing up fully in my learning. Success looks like staying organized, managing my time well and truly understanding what I am learning rather than just completing tasks. It also means protecting my mental and physical health and making time for my family and for living my life outside of school. I believe success is about balance being present in the moment while also working toward long term goals. When I look back, I want to feel proud of the path I chose, the effort I put in and the way I stayed true to myself along the way.

Goal 2 (Academic Performance & Engagement):

By the end of the term, I will maintain a minimum average of 90% or higher in each class by actively participating in all course materials and synchronous classes.

How I plan to do this:

I will attend and engage in all synchronous sessions, take notes during lectures, and participate in discussions. I will review feedback carefully and apply it to future assignments.

Goal 3 (Skill Development & Well-Being):

Throughout the term, I will dedicate 1 hour each day to my mental and physical health while improving my writing, citation skills, and overall flow of ideas.

How I plan to do this:

I will schedule daily self-care time, use course resources and examples to strengthen my writing, and intentionally practice in-text citations in every major assignment. I will also reread my work to improve clarity and fluency in my thinking.

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Success to me means creating a healthy balance between my personal goals, education, work, and family life. It looks like staying consistent with my fitness routine so I feel strong, energized, and mentally focused, even with a busy schedule. Success also means completing my university degree and becoming a teacher, knowing that I worked hard, stayed organized, and did not give up when things felt overwhelming. Most importantly, success is being present for my family while still making progress toward my goals. It is not about being perfect, but about showing up, staying committed, and growing step by step in all areas of my life.

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To me success is achieving small goals that eventually lead to a bigger end goal. It’s about me feeling confident in myself and being proud of everything I do. Personal success means taking care of my well being, and taking the time I need to enjoy things in life, no matter how small they are. Academic success to me, is being able to understand what is happening within my courses and being able to finish assignments in a timely manner. Lastly is Professional success. To me this is being able to further myself within my career but growing my skills and abilities. It also is feeling stronger in your current role. Always be proud of the work you are doing!!

SMART Goals

1. Academic Goals: I will aim for an 80% in all of my courses by staying organized, asking questions and completing assignments on time.

2. Professional Goal: I will ask for support within my job when tough situations arise to help understand how to solve them on my own.

3. Personal Goal:  I will be setting aside 3-4 hours per week for myself to read, play games or watch tv, to help relax and maintain a healthy mental state.

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For me, success isn’t just measured by grades earned or diplomas received (although I would put a pretty high importance on it). I want my success to be found in the learning that happens along the way. Each experience challenges me to shed ignorance, question assumptions, and deepen my understanding. As an educator for young children, growth is a continuous process, shaped by curiosity, reflection, and critical thinking that I do along with them. True success is committing to learn alongside others and evolving to better serve the children I work with and my craft.

One of my smart goals for this term is:

By the end of this term, I will achieve an overall average of 70% by attending all scheduled classes, dedicating study hours per week, submitting assignments on time. I will track my progress by reviewing grades and feedback after each assessment and adjust my study strategies as needed to stay on target.

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Success to me is learning and continuous learning, no matter the obstacles.

Success blooms from failures along the journey.“Learn to fail, or fail to learn.” —Thomas Edison (Psychology Today, Come).

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I define success as pursuing my education effectively, focusing on understanding and mastering what I learn, not just achieving superficial results. What's most important to me is enjoying the learning process so it doesn't become a burden or a source of stress. This is achieved through balanced time management that ensures my studies align with my other priorities, such as motherhood and my personal goals, without one aspect overshadowing another. I consider myself successful when I can learn efficiently, apply what I learn in my daily life, and maintain a healthy balance between my various roles.

SMART goals:

1. During this semester, I will create and implement a clear daily/weekly time management plan that ensures I complete at least 90% of all my academic and personal tasks efficiently.

2. By the end of this semester, I will ensure I have mastered the material I learn through regular review and practical application, directly applying what I learn to my daily life, especially in raising my children.

3. By the end of this course, I aim to finish the class with a more efficient and organized mindset than at the beginning, by improving my thinking, time management, and problem-solving skills, and measuring this by my ability to learn with greater confidence.

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I define success as feeling motivated while making meaningful, consistent progress toward my goals, with a focus on the process and growth rather than just the end result.

SMART Goals:

1. I will keep track of my classes, deadlines, and responsibilities using an assignment tracker and check or update it at least three times a week to stay organized.

2. I will spend at least 20 minutes every day on activities that help me manage stress, such as exercising or journaling.

- Qanitah

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When I was younger and more active with my theatre passion, success to me looked like crying... STAY WITH ME. When I was on stage and could fully dive into the character, my payoff was having an audience member become moved to tears. I knew that I had done something good. Now, when I think about academic success, it is similar; if I can submit something that I feel confident and proud of, and someone gives me feedback where they are impressed, I call that a win.

Some SMART goals that I would like to complete this term

1. Give credit to smaller goals: I find that I look at the bigger picture and what the entire thing needs to look like. By taking the smaller tasks as finishing a goal, I can give myself more credit for what I'm doing. I can like my assignments from the beginning, not just the end.

2. Change my perspective on others' opinions: Before I have completed something, I can sometimes feel threatened by someone giving me feedback. To me, they do not understand where I want to get to. This trait of mine takes away being able to take in their opinion. If I can allow myself to incorporate others' ideas, I can grow and learn more!

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I personally believe that success is feeling like you have accomplished something in your life for anything (academic, professional, personal, etc) and it makes you and others around you feel proud of yourself. In terms of academic success, it involves achieving good grades and being a diligent student. Professional success is about how successful someone is at their professional job. Lastly, personal success is about how well someone behaves in their personal life to their family and friends.

SMART Goals: A personal SMART goal is I want to start learning how to cook food so I can start cooking for my family and make them proud of my cooking skills. In terms of an academic SMART goal, I want to get atleast A in all my classes so I can get a good GPA.

How will I Achieve Those GOALS?

Personal GOAL: To achieve cooking food, I would ask my parents about how they started cooking, so I can understand how their experience was when starting to cook, and I would pay attention to how they cook food. I would also watch online videos so I can understand more about cooking food. I would do a practise run where I will cook a food and after that, I would have my family write a reflection about my cooking and writing, what went wrong, what was good, and how I can improve next time so I can succeed next time I cook.

Academic GOAL: To achieve good grades, I would create an academic calendar highlighting all the work I have to do throughout my entire term and do the work I have to do according to the calendar. I would also not procrastinate on my work and do it immediately so I do not have to do work last minute.

To conclude, success is the feeling of accomplishing something in your life, and my personal GOAL is learning how to cook food, and my academic GOAL is getting good grades for academic success.

By: Paavanen Paransothy

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Success, to me, is sustained alignment. It is building a life where values, effort, and outcomes reinforce each other rather than compete. Success is not constant productivity or visible achievement. It is clarity, consistency, and progress that does not require burnout or self-betrayal.

At its core, success is discernment. Knowing what deserves attention and structuring my time and energy accordingly. When my systems reduce chaos, my thinking sharpens and my work gains weight. Progress becomes intentional rather than reactive.

This orientation directly supports my academic and professional goals. In academia, alignment enables disciplined research, ethical information use, and precise writing. Because my life systems prioritize clarity, I can synthesize information effectively and communicate with confidence. In my career and business, the same principles support sustainability, strategic decision-making, and long-term growth. Success, for me, is growth that compounds rather than collapses under pressure.

SMART Goal: Life + Academia

From now until the end of the academic term, I will maintain a weekly rhythm that includes 10 focused study hours and two intentional business blocks, allowing me to submit all academic work on time while making weekly progress toward long-term professional goals, tracked in one planning system that keeps me organized, (I get overwhelmed!).

SMART Goal: Writing & Information Literacy

By the end of this course, I will use writing and information literacy as a power move. I will complete all major assignments using at least 2 peer-reviewed sources, cite them cleanly in APA 7, and synthesize ideas clearly and ethically, with no citation or integrity errors, as confirmed by feedback and grades.

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I define success as seeing progress in confidence and capability towards setting specific goals. To me, personal success is about putting consistent effort into your work, developing better studying habits, and believing in yourself. There are days when the work ethic may not be perfect, but just a reminder to always believe you can achieve anything as long as effort is being shown.

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Success for me means doing my best while staying true to myself . It is being a caring educator who helps children learn and feel confident. It is growing in my career while also giving time and love to my family. Success is feeling peace in my heart, being grateful, and knowing that I am trying my best every day, even when things are not perfect.

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Success to me, in personal academic terms, is making meaningful progress towards your learning goals while growing as a student. Some things I need to do in my personal academics to consider myself successful are to put consistent effort into my assignments and develop better studying habits.

Zoe Themelis

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I define success as feeling confident, capable, and comfortable in where I stand across my personal, academic, and professional life.

Personal success for me looks like being able to think for myself confidently without over relying on ai or constant external validation. I tend to second guess my ideas because of the pressure of wanting to be good enough, which leads me to cross check with google, others, or ai to make sure my ideas are in the right direction. Feeling confident and comfortable in my own thinking is a big part of what success means to me.

Academic success looks like improving and tweaking the way I write, being able to proofread my own work, and feeling content with it. As a neurodivergent individual, focusing can be challenging for me, so creating a realistic schedule and sticking to it while balancing real life responsibilities is very important to me.

Professional success looks like being able to implement all of this in a classroom and take what I learn throughout my academic progress and apply it meaningfully in the field.

SMART goals:

1. By the end of the term I hhope I will proofread my own writing a few times per assignment before using any ai support, in order to build confidence in my writing skills

2. Throughout this term, I will use a digital weekly planner calendar along with written weekly checklists and review them weekly to help manage my focus and balance academic and personal responsibilities.

3. By the end of the term, I will identify at least two strategies or ideas from this course that I can realistically apply in a classroom setting and write a brief reflection on how I would use them in practice.

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I put a lot of pressure on myself when I consider academic success. The way I measure success from an academic standpoint is high grades, which is interesting because with my students, I'm able to celebrate all of their wins (even the ones that aren't measured formatively) and deem them to be successful. When I consider myself, however, I'm still stuck in the mindset that my own academic success is only measured by my GPA.

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Success, as defined to me, would be to be good enough.

Academic: Growing up, I was always prayed to be smart enough. Being neurodivergent, I was always placed in the lower classes. Being placed in lower classes told me, and everyone around me, that achievement was defined by being smart because being smart came with being accepted.

Once I entered college, which never seemed to be a possibility available to me due to my fixed mindset, I excelled. College proved to me that I could be successful, but only after I became an honour student did I believe I had achieved success. I continue to strive for success by attending university and achieving high grades.

Smart Goals

Goal one:

My first goal is to continue to show up and accomplish my school work even when it's hard, while finishing it before the deadline. To accomplish this Goal I will stay on my personal routine and assignment calendar. I will also do things and make time for myself to stay in a positive mindset and avoid burnout.

Goal two:

My second Goal is to continue to define my craft in writing proper papers and assignments at the university level, while taking into consideration feedback. By taking into account feedback and criticism, I will achieve Level A's in this course, along with being a stronger writer.

Personal: Success is more challenging in my personal life, which looks to me like being in the same stage of life as my peers, which would classify success to me. Success for me is moving at a different pace because in four years I will classify myself as successful due to being at the pace that my peers are currently at, with a home, a strong relationship, finished school, starting a family and a successful career. Accomplishing these aspects is when I will feel successful.

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Success is the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges while achieving goals. It is being persistent and believing in myself and my abilities.

My SMART goals for this term are to maintain good grades, stay on track with my course assignments, and maintain a balanced academic and personal life.

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I define success as ongoing growth in my personal life, studies, and career. Personally, success means staying balanced, healthy, and resilient while handling my responsibilities. Academically, it means engaging with my classes, meeting deadlines, and improving based on feedback instead of striving for perfection. Professionally, success involves developing strong skills, communicating well, and preparing for future career growth.

I am still working toward success and believe it comes from consistent effort, reflection, and adaptability.

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Success is getting sleep after a long day and feeling powered to take on the world the next day.

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Success to me is setting and achieving my personal/professional goals while also being able to relax and have my own time. I would also say success to me is feeling happy and content with my routine while still striving to do a little better each day.

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Success is forward motion, resilience, perseverance through adversity and failure, and resistance to stagnation. "The most important step you can take is the next one." I find that if success isn't obvious in something, if I can identify that I have learned something from an experience, it can't be considered an abject failure. My SMART goal for the term is to leverage how I have scheduled my courses and my reduced course load from last term to better manage my assignments by ensuring all assignments are submitted at least 1 day before the due date.

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Success for me means being able to move at a pace that works for my life while continuing to make steady progress towards my goals. For now, that might be completing one or two courses each semester and understanding the material rather than rushing through or feeling overwhelmed. It also, means being able to balance my responsibilities, including family, school, and work, without sacrificing my well-being.

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Success to me would be to set and achieve my goals, while also maintaining my health and family life. Celebrating my individual growth and small wins. Also to have the ability to learn and accept challenges while reflecting on how to be even better! Not just as a student but a better person in general. a few SMART goals I would like to achieve would be:

Goal 1 - To complete assignments at least two days prior to the due dates for the course of the term.

Goal 2- To use a calendar/schedule consistently to stay on top of my personal life, workload and school expectations for the duration of the term.

Goal 3- To integrate working out back into my routine. I will exercise at least twice a week and track my progress until June, 2026.

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Success to me looks like balance. It means managing school, work, and personal responsibilities without losing myself in the process. It is knowing when to push forward and when to give myself grace. Success also means setting an example for my children. Showing them that perseverance matters, that learning does not stop, and that it is never too late to invest in yourself.

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Success to me is becoming the person I have always dreamed of. It is to live a life with no stress and minimal depression. It is the ability to be kind to myself when things do not work out.

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Success to me is being able to balance school and work, since I have 2 jobs and I'm a full time student. I have many projects in both work and school and I need to be able to put my mind on every project when I need to.

Jaden O'Malley

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To me, personal success means finding happiness in my day-to-day life by being proud of what I have/am accomplishing and maintaining healthy relationships. Academic success, to me, means staying consistent and actually understanding the material, not just passing. Professional/career success to me means being happy in my role and doing something I am passionate about. I don't think I am fully "successful" yet. I am still working toward being consistent, and finding balance. However, this does not mean I'm not proud of how it is going.

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Suceess to me is to be able to be present here in life, after living on trauma since age 15, while almost faced death at age of 24 and I was able to continue life, yes i went through failures along the way, tears along the way but being here where i am now and be able to be given another chance to give my infinity percent to push through in life!

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Personal success means feeling balanced, healthy, and confident in who I am while maintaining strong relationships and well-being. Academic success means understanding course material deeply, meeting deadlines, and consistently improving my skills. Professional/career success means gaining relevant experience, building a strong reputation, and working toward a role that aligns with my passions and values. I would consider myself successful when I am progressing toward my long-term goals, staying motivated, and seeing measurable growth in my knowledge, skills, and confidence.

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Success to me is achieving something and being proud of the outcome and my path that brought me towards the outcome. To achieve success the first steps are always setting end goals and journey goals.

An example of a journey goal would be giving myself excess time to complete assingments to put in the best work I possibly can

An example of an end goal would be compeleting all of my journey goals and completeing the course while being proud of how I worked throughout and proud of my final grade/outcome!

A great example is this image above the end goal to reach the top of the mountain but every obstacle (like the river) is a journey goal where at one point that was the goal at hand while building confidence and resilience towards the mountain top!

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Success to me is about living a life I feel proud of, even when things are hard. It means growing as a person, learning from my mistakes, and never giving up on my goals. It’s about being there for my family, creating a stable and loving home, and finding balance between my responsibilities and my dreams. Success isn’t just money or achievements it’s peace of mind, self-respect, and knowing that I am becoming a better version of myself every day.

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Success to me will be finding a balance between home/work, and school. Being able to show up in all areas and give it my all.

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To me success is achieving something and it varies from person to person. In order to measure success I would have to set a goal for myself.

Examples of SMART goals

Goal 1: For the remainder of the semester I will give myself enough time to complete school work, by starting assignments at least 5 days before they are due

Goal 2: By the end up the course I will finish with a level A. I will do this by completing all of the readings and completing all of the assignments before the deadline.

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Success is getting closer to your desired goal. It involves recognising what you want and taking intentional steps to achieve it. Success is not a fixed point, but a journey or a path toward something greater.

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Success, to me, feels like a warm hug. Just that quiet, comforting feeling that everything is okay.

Success is showing up for the people I love. When my kids feel safe, supported, and loved, I feel successful.

When I can be present, even on the chaotic days, and still give someone the care they need, that’s success.

Success is also feeling grounded in my own life. I’m someone who thrives on structure, routine, and order, so when my day is balanced and my responsibilities are managed, I feel successful.

Erin T.F

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Currently,

success to me personally looks like setting goals for work, school or something for ME and then crushing them!

~ Grow with the flow

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Success for me looks less like a big finish line and more like showing up and finishing small things consistently. When I complete manageable tasks, I feel more in control of my time, my learning, and my confidence. Personally, this helps me stay balanced instead of overwhelmed. Academically, it keeps me engaged and prevents the stress of last-minute work. Over time, these small wins add up, making learning feel both achievable and motivating!

SMART Goal:
This term, I will define success through small completions by intentionally completing at least one academic task per day (such as readings, outlining, drafting, or revising). By working consistently rather than all at once, I aim to stay organized, reduce stress, and produce work I’m proud of before deadlines.

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Personal success means balancing being present for my family while still showing up for myself. Academic success is completing my coursework with integrity, learning from feedback, and not spiraling every time something is challenging. Professional/career success, for me, is becoming an educator who keeps learning, adapts to students’ needs, and doesn’t burn out trying to be “perfect.”

I’ll consider myself successful when I can look back and say I kept going even when things were hard, asked for help when needed, and made steady progress instead of giving up.

SMART Goals for This Term

Goal 1: Successfully complete this term with all assignments submitted on time.

Break assignments into weekly tasks

Use a planner and calendar reminders

Start assignments early (even when I don’t want to)

Goal 2: Improve my confidence in academic writing and participation.

Ask questions during tutorials

Review feedback and apply it to future work

Use available academic supports if needed

Goal 3: Maintain balance between school, family, and well-being.

Set boundaries around study time

Schedule rest intentionally

Remind myself that progress > perfection

Stay Focused and use my noise canceling headphone when completing assignments

Success isn’t flawless! But it is consistent with effort and growth

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Success to me is difficult to describe because I find my yearly goals or resolutions are just to "be better" what that looks like could be learning new creative ways to express, mining more information on any given topic, taking the time to care for myself and rot in bed for an extra day. Achieving success doesn't necessarily mean accomplishing things you think you need for the eyes of society. my goals this term are to achieve and A, ask for help when I need to, and to get my things in without asking.. no begging, for extra time.

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Success is the culmination of learning from experience, failure and setbacks packaged with our strengths to end up at a destination that is reflected in personal, professional or academic growth.

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Success to me is a feeling we get on the inside. It can be something small, like completing a novel, or something bigger, like graduating from university.

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I would describe success as a feeling. It’s that combination of accomplishment from overcoming or completing something, and that feeling of joy from sticking to your goals and proving to yourself that you can do it. For example, when I run on the treadmill to the very end of my workout without giving up, I don’t just feel accomplished; I feel proud and happy. That is what success means to me.

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Success to me means to work hard towards something I would like to achieve while maintaining true to myself. Success is about setting goals, growing through experiences and learning from failure. It is about making to keep putting in efforts in what may be tricky while also being able to balance your responsibilities. Most importantly, it is about self growth, if you are not learning from experiences, try taking a moment to reflect on why something did not work and try something different. As long as you are happy with yourself, even if it accomplishing something small, it means success.

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Success is about being happy in achieving the goals that you have set up for yourself. It is about completing a task, being recognized, growing on a personal and professional level and then celebrating your big and small wins with your loved ones. While pursuing our goals, we go through a process which shapes our learning and sets us up for new challenges. When we achieve those goals, we feel successful, not because we reached our goal but because the process teaches us new exciting things and can open a window to new ideas and opportunities. Whenever I achieve my goals, I celebrate my success by setting up more challenging goals. For example, three years ago I set up a goal to earn my ECE diploma. When I graduated, I celebrated my success by setting up a new goal to continue my education and get my Bachelor's in Arts. My goals for this year also include learning to play some fun songs on the ukulele by summer 2026 and taking a full course load every semester in order to achieve my Bachelor's degree by Winter term next year.

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I describe any type of achievement based on how I feel on the inside. Whether its at work, school or a personal thing, if I feel that I did good on something and that I have achieved a new sense of knowledge or purpose than I feel like I achieved something. I think my body physically tells me when I feel proud of myself or when I feel I achieved something, I always get super tingly and overall just really happy. I think when you feel a sense of comfortability and happiness towards anything, that is an achievement in itself. By the end of this semester, I will achieve an average grade of at least 80% in my courses by creating and following a weekly study schedule that includes at least 1–2 hours of focused study per course, five days a week. I will plan my study time at the beginning of each week, start assignments at least one week before their due dates, and review my progress every Sunday to adjust my schedule if needed.

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Success to me is not measured by perfection or productivity, but by effort and intention. When I lie down at night and reflect on my day, I consider whether I worked toward my goals with the energy I had available. I recognize that my capacity changes from day to day, and I’ve learned to accept that life happens. On a daily basis, I try to manage working, assignments, and a four-year-old, so success means making time to move forward, even in small ways. If I can honestly say that I made an effort to work on my schoolwork, keep everything afloat and continue growing, then I consider that successful.

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Success can mean very different things to different people. To me, I define success by reaching my own level or standard I set out for myself, in educational settings and in personal life. In education, setting goals for myself or effort I want to give or grades I hope to achieve, help keep me motivated and on track while times get stressful. The goals we set, depend on what we deem is important. To me, it would look successful to stay motivated weekly, find time to do my readings and assignments, and complete my work to the best of my ability. Success should be something that makes you feel proud of the work or effort you have completed.

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Success to me is any measurable change. Whether it is something small like finishing the weekend to do list or something larger like being rewarded a new position after you have interviewed. For me being successful in academics would be receiving a 75-80% average in the class. Everyone has their own benchmarks for success and one person's success may be unattainable to some or not enough for others.

A personal SMART goal I have for myself this year is to continue home pilates a minimum of 4 days a week for 12 weeks.

A SMART goal I have for academics this semester is to commit 2-4 days a week to work on assignments in chunks rather then all at once.

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Success is growing as a person. To learn, change and be adaptable. Whether it is emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually. Success can be small (just getting out of bed to start your day) to life changing (graduating from university). As long as you are improving yourself you are succeeding. I like to believe this quote (author unknown) sums it up quite nicely " Success isn't about being the best. It's about always getting better. Keep learning, stay curious, and never stop evolving into the version of yourself you're proud of."

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I feel like success is a personal concept, where you feel you have done your best or achieved what you set out to. The measure of success for different people varies, as it should, because all people are different and have different goals and values.

Personal success for me is when I have taken care of all my son's needs (such as spending time together, paying for lessons, ensuring laundry is done, and buying groceries). Being a good mother is a key part of my personal identity, and the biggest mark of my personal success is a happy and well-cared-for child.

Academic Success for me does entail a high GPA. In college, I had a 4.0 average. I would love to have a 4.0 average in University as well, but it has been a decade since my last formal learning and I can be realistic about my first term. Academic Success is now ensuring I complete prior learning before class, ask questions to clarify and complete assignments to the best of my ability.

Professional Success is about growing each day as an educator through reflective practice.

Before I consider myself successful, I have to assess whether I have done my best, whether I have learned something from the experience, and whether I feel satisfied with what I have done and how I have done it.

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I define success as making progress towards a goal. Small successes add up to reach the big success/goal. Every success, no matter how small, should be celebrated! To consider myself successful, I look at my end goal: I want to be an elementary school teacher. Comparing where I started and where I am now, how close am I to the final goal? I successfully completed the Early Childhood Education program at Durham College while working full-time. I was accepted and completed my first semester of the Ontario Tech Educational Studies program. I have made progress and become closer to my end goal. This is why I am successful and continue to pursue further success. My next SMART goal is to complete this semester and maintain my GPA.

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In my opinion, success is when I feel like I have grown in any type of way - mentally, emotionally or even small accomplishments. Also, when I feel at my happiest. I have goals but not all of them are achieved yet. I understand that success is a work in progress, and for me, getting through the day and doing something that pours into my future is success. One of my smart goals that I have is improving my focus and productivity on school work. Now that I worked on a daily schedule and figured out a routine, I feel accomplished and organized. I am going to continue to challenge myself and hold myself accountable to that schedule. Being focused allows me to improve my grades. I'll keep track it throughout the term. Success doesn't have to big - it could be the small steps forward.

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Personally, I define success as being at my happiest. It’s when I feel that I’ve done my best work and can be proud of it. For me, success isn’t only measured by academic grades but also by achieving personal life goals. One of my SMART goals is to improve my time management and avoid leaving things until the last minute—a challenge I’ve always struggled with. In the end, I usually get everything done, but it often comes with a lot of stress. I’ve even had times when I left too much work for one day, which led to exhaustion and getting sick, making things much harder. This year, for the first time, I’ve purchased a physical planner, which I believe will help me stay organized.

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I would describe personal success as completing a long-term goal of mine. By completing a goal that I have been wanting to achieve for a while, that to me would be personal success as I would have improved upon myself and desires. Something that would need to happen before I would consider myself successful would have to be personal growth and improvement. Once noticing that areas of my abilities that were once weak have strengthened due to effort and the development of new skills, I would consider myself successful as I would have personal reflected and grown within my abilities.

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I personally define success by how much I enjoy it, and if it brings me further towards working at my passions. If it does, then it's definitely a success.

Being in this program is a success for me, as I've always wanted to pursue higher education past college to be able to work more closely with students.

A SMART goal that I can achieve this semester is getting a 3.0GPA or higher. I can achieve this by continuing to spend 1-2 hours each night after tutorials studying and completing tasks, and also using the chart I created on Google Sheets, which contains a colour-coded list of all of my assignments for each class in chronological order.

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Success to me, cannot be measured with money or materialistic things. When I think of success, personally I think of what I am most proud of in my life, my family. I think how proud I am to own a home, to be married to my partner and that I have the ability to attend post secondary school. I feel pretty darn successful when I think of the life that my family and I have built together.

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Success to me is a simple as setting a goal, and doing all you can to achieve it. However, you have to be open to the fact that it might not go according to plan. Barriers can arise at any given time, which may discourage you from putting in the effort required to meet the finish line. Embracing challenges is the key for me. Just because something unpredictable happens, it doesn't mean you can't overcome it and get back on track. Or as the Gallagher brothers put it in the song attached, you gotta roll with it. - Sean O'Leary

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For me, I would define personal success as being personally happy with your life, being healthy, and being able to enjoy life. I would define academic success as successfully achieving the grade or average for your course or program. You achieve this academic goal through motivation of always wanting to improve your work for that next assignment and with a growth mindset. I would define a career goal as a successful job that helps you live for the rest of your life, as well as a job that you can enjoy doing for the rest of your life, something you are passionate about. I think that in order for me to consider myself successful, I need to be in a career that can help me successfully get through the rest of my life. A SMART goal that I am determined to achieve this term would be to have an 80% or higher average for the entire term.

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Personal success to me is when i have achieved being the best version of myself, academic success is when i have my average at 90% or higher and professional success is completing my schooling and becoming a teacher. i feel as though is order for be to feel successful i need to achieve all the goals and to the best of my ability. goal 1: spend less time in my room and more time with my family. Goal 2: do all my school work as soon as it is given and not procrastinate. goal 3: continue to work my way up at my job

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Personal success to me is when I feel accomplished and have reach my set goals. Success to me is not only about reaching goals but also about the steps that got me there, its a learning process. My three smart goals id like to follow throughout this term are developing more of a growth mindset- for embracing new challenges, a better study routine and find what works for me as well as better my writing skills.

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Academic: Improve my APA 7 formatting and aim for 90%+ on my next major paper by using writing resources and peer feedback.

Professional: Attend 2 education webinars and connect with at least one new person at each to build my network.

Personal: Practice mindfulness by meditating 3 times a week to stay focused and manage stress during busy weeks.

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I define success as accomplishing a goal I've set for myself. Getting to a point in my life where I want to be personally, academically, and professionally. This could mean setting a goal to enhance my academic writing abilities by being concise and backing up my ideas and thoughts with strong/releavant information. I always set new and improved goals to ensure that I'm always growing. Success to me is being able to feel acomplished in the tasks I set for myself and being able to continuously grow by it. I ensure my success by setting reasonable goals for myself and/or I set smaller goals to work towards an ultimate goal.

This term a goal I want to set for myself is being able to write with style. Producing academic writing by being precise in conveying my main points, find substantial evidence to back up my points and struturing my work so that my ideas flow. My courses this semester heavily encourages students to utilize APA style writing and to meet guidelines when submitting our academic manuscripts, therefore this goal is both attainable and relevant because I'll be gaining insight and feedback from 5 different professors, along with many peers which will help me understand which areas I need to improve in and how. By the end of this semester, I hope to produce academic writing that I can look back on, see improvement and also feel proud and shocked to know what my final month of written assignments look like.

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Personal success to me is defined by how much I can do that makes me feel accomplished. Personal success is the biggest part for me as career success, relationship success, and and other success that I have is heavily based on my personal success.

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Success to me is the process of learning and growing. Personal success for me is to appreciate what we have and help others. I feel that if you are happy and working toward your personal goal and learning from your failures in a positive way, you are successful. Academic success from my perspective is a learning process. We learn different aspect of life from our professors, our classmates, and from experiences. Keep focus on your goals while enjoying your learning. Seek help if you needed. Don't hesitate to ask questions and for feedbacks. Also, if things are not in your favour still be optimistic and take a break. Do something you enjoy and love. Failure is not the end of life. Stand back on your feet and start all over again. For professional success is to work what makes you happy. Enjoy what you are doing and be honest.

My goal for this semester is to be focused and manage time accordingly. Put efforts in my learning and while learning new things, I wanted to implement at the same time. I also wanted to balance my personal, profession and my student life as it is also very important. Lastly, taking care of myself mentally and physically is very important and plays a significant role in my life and for my loved ones.

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I define personal, academic, and career success by whether or not I am meeting my standards set out by my higher ups and my own personal goals. Most of the time these goals and standards are not something I need to remind myself of or achieved only once. For example, being an honours student is something I expect of myself routinely and is expected by my educators. I feel successful when I am setting myself up for better future opportunities and not holding myself back (by meeting my goals).

Some goals I have this semester:

Personal: to max out my savings accounts by the end of August.

Career: work full time (40 hours) for the entirety of the golf season.

Academic: achieve 80% or above (honours) in all courses ending August 5th.

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I will complete two semesters of the Educational Studies undergraduate degree program with a cumulative GPA of 80% or higher by December 2025.

I will complete the construction of my house by November 2025 while successfully attending and passing all courses in the Educational Studies program during that time. - Kelsey Macklem

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Success means accomplishing a goal that you had set. Being successful means to me that you have worked hard, putting time and effort into a certain task.

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To me success means peace of mind, knowing that I have or am achieving my goals. I am happy with my life choices. Moving to Canada at a very young age and raised by a single parent I have learned a lot of responsibility early in life. This has put me in an advantage where I have becoming a hardworking person who knows in order to achieve my goals I have to work for them. I am very proud of the family I have raised my young adult children have cheered me on as I take on this decision to go back to school. I believe that stressing over things will not bring you success. I am learning with my peers to be successful in this course. The goal I have set for myself is to stay on top of my work and not fall behind. To do this I am going to stay focused on the prize that working hard will pay off in the end.

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To me, success means maintaining current responsibilities and maintaining things in your life that are important to you while also working towards your goals. I currently have a job within the school board where I need and want to maintain my work responsibilities. However I am still recovering from/dealing with a work injury. During this recovery time self-care became a very important part of my life. I would feel most successful when I have created a balance of work and self-care time, while working towards my goals and aspirations. Returning to university, to get a BA and then go into the BEd program,with the aspiration of becoming a special Education teacher.

My SMART Goal is; To balance school and work life with my self-care routine. Working out is a major part of my self-care routine. My goal is to work out three to four times a week. I plan to wake up earlier and workout before I go to work. This way once I return home from work I can focus and allot my time to school work tasks.

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Success for me is very personal. I define personal success as a balance between self-growth and well-being, academic success as the acquisition and application of learned knowledge for meaningful impact, and professional success as the final product of both personal and professional accomplishments. A few things that need to happen before considering myself successful are the ability to feel confident in myself and competent in my role. I should be able to have a sense of purpose from the work that I do. I should be an expert in my field and be able to mentor others. One personal goal for me is to continue my well-being practice from “The How of Happiness.” I studied this book in a course called the Psychology of Happiness and found it to be very helpful. I follow the proposed activities from the book 3 times per week to support my personal growth and stress management. One academic goal I have is to ensure I complete all assignments on time and to the best of my ability. I want to maintain grades above 85%, and so I have dedicated most (if not all) of my free time to reviewing the content of my course materials.

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To me, success means always being well-prepared in advance. I believe I have already succeeded by becoming an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) at a college lab school. This success comes from having confidence in myself and always making plans before taking action. When opportunities come, I am ready to take them seriously and do my best. I’m also proud that I can balance both work and study. After working for several years, returning to school wasn’t easy, but I made it!!!

Here are my 3 SMART goals:

1. Academic Goal: Achieve a satisfying grade in every course and complete my degree.

2. Time Management Goal: Set a weekly schedule that includes fixed time blocks for studying, assignments, and self-care to maintain balance between work and school.

3. Professional Growth Goal: Attend at least one professional development workshop or networking event this term to improve my skills and build stronger connections in the ECE field.

--Sandy Cao

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I define success as maintaining a healthy balance between my personal life, academic responsibilities, and professional role. As someone working full-time, studying part-time, and supporting a family, I aim to show up fully in each area without burning out. Academic success means completing my coursework on time and staying engaged with my learning. Personal success means making time for rest, movement, and quality time with my family. Professional success means contributing meaningfully to my team and continuing to grow in my role. I will consider this semester a success if I stay on top of my deadlines, participate regularly in discussions, and follow a routine that supports both my learning and well-being.

SMART Goals for This Term

1. Stick to a Weekly Study Routine:
I will schedule three 2-hour study blocks each week: Tuesday (7 to 9 p.m.), Thursday (7 to 9 p.m.), and Sunday (3 to 5 p.m.) to complete readings, discussion posts, and assignments for my two Educational Studies courses. I will follow this routine from May to August, and reassess the first week of June to make sure it fits with my work and family responsibilities.

2. Move for Mental Health:
I will exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, by walking outside, going to the gym, or doing a home workout. I will track my activity on my Apple watch from May to August and aim to complete 20 sessions each month to support my mental health and boost my energy.

Janis Li

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To me, success means growing step by step both personally and professionally. As someone who moved to Canada and returned to school later in life, success isn’t just about grades. It’s about building confidence, becoming more comfortable with academic tools, and balancing my education with my role as a full-time RECE, wife, and mother. I will feel successful when I can manage my assignments without getting overwhelmed, and when I see progress in my communication, writing, and time management.

I bring with me many years of experience, but I’ve come to realize that experience doesn’t mean I know everything. Instead, it’s about how I use that experience to grow. Now that I’m living in a new country, there are so many new things to learn, from academic expectations to digital tools to cultural norms. My goal is to stay open, keep learning, and be gentle through the process.

Tuba Fiskin