Photo of me in Croatia summer 2011

My name is Caitlyn Erickson. I am a second year student at the University of Alberta in the Animal Health program, majoring in companion and performance animals. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do after this degree. All I know is that whatever I end up doing, it is going to involve animals. I grew up in the country, living on a farm my whole life. Sometimes our pasture is full of my uncle’s cattle but mostly it’s pretty much just cats at our farm, a barn full of them. It’s great to be able to be around animals all the time. I enjoy reading; I actually just finished the Hunger Games series, which is an absolutely great read by the way, definitely check it out. I really love to travel. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a family who likes to vacation a lot. I was even lucky to be able to go on a Europe trip with my high school in Gr. 11 and then again with my best friend just this past summer for a few weeks. People may not be enjoying the weather around this time but I love it (as long as I am bundled and cozy); winter is my favourite season! I love the snow and I love to go skiing. Since probably about Gr. 1, I started figure skating. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to keep up with it too much now that I am going to university but I still really enjoy it. Sychronized skating is my favourite. I did it for quite a few years and hope to start up again next year if I make a team.

Until this class, the only form of social media I really used was Facebook. At first, I was hesitant to get it. I thought, what am I going to use this for? But eventually it grew on me and I started to use it more often. In the summer right after I graduated high school, I got the opportunity to go on a GYLC (Global Young Leaders Conference) trip to China. All by myself, halfway around the world, surrounded by people I didn’t know, I was a bit nervous but having Facebook helped me to be okay, knowing I still had a way to talk my family. Two and a half weeks later on the plane back home, I’m thinking off all the amazing people I met from different countries and backgrounds. I loved my roommate that I had for the trip. I was sad, leaving these people. However, Facebook allowed me to continue to talk to them and to know what was going on in their lives. I could connect with my friends from literally all around the world. This opened my eyes to how amazing social media really is. Up until that point, I had only ever used it to check out pictures of the past weekend with my friends, play games, and occasionally have a conversation with someone I would see the next day. Now I can have a conversation with my roommate who I may never see again but can still feel so close to. 

Photo with GYLC in China 2011

 I’ve never really given thought to the idea of social media in a professional way till this class. People use it all the time to connect with friends, share photos, and keep in touch. It can be used to make new connections with people as well. So it makes sense that this way of communication is gaining momentum with the professional world. It’s a whole new way to connect with clients, colleagues, even potential employers. The benefits are numerous. With me being undecided about my future, having all these new ways to gain information and learn about the many opportunities out there, some of which I possibility could not have known about before, it makes it easier for me to make connections and start to build my future. Check out Meaghan’s blog for more thoughts on social media!