Have you ever wondered what our alumni do after they leave Riverside for the wider world? The Eddy has investigated the journey of one such alumni, Anika Green, who graduated from Riverside in 2014. The SFU student has had a life-changing experience in Africa over the last year while working as a safari guide showing people the majesty of the continent’s unique animal life.
“I decided to become a safari guide because African conservation methods are much more effective than what we have in Canada, and I wanted to learn about them, so I could bring that knowledge back home to Canada and try to improve our methods,” said Green. “I have always had a passion for animals and nature, and I wanted to do something that would make an actual difference. For a while I thought about working in a zoo, but animals in captivity make me sad and I think that the beauty of nature comes not only from the wildness of it, but from the unpredictability,” said Green.
Green is currently studying Resource and Environmental Management with a minor in Archaeology at SFU. Green said that attending Riverside has really helped her in her studies: “Riverside helped me learn how to learn. In high school you get a lot of assignments and you have homework almost every night, you must prioritize and work with what you can. I learned that it’s alright to fail sometimes and it’s not shameful to ask for help.”
Green said that her experience as a safari guide was life-changing, and helped her see herself differently. “When you are in the bush and you have no electricity, limited water and are living out of a tent or under the stars, you really focus in on what is important to you,” she said. Green says she learned to enjoy the moment, and take everything in, without worrying about what was going to happen tomorrow or what happened yesterday.
“To the 2018 grads, I would say follow your passions,” said Green. “Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do. If you do what you love, and follow your heart you can’t go wrong. My heart took me halfway across the world, to a place I’d never been, to spend months with people I’d never met before. Sometimes life is about leaps of faith. Its ok to be scared to jump, but don’t let that fear stop you.”
