Tina Kim (she/her) is a second year Political Science (honors) student with a Certificate in Sustainability. Her article “The Canadian Constitution Needs to be Amended in Order for Canada to Fully Embrace Multiculturalism” was recently published in the 2022 edition of the PSUR!
Tina has been part of the City of Edmonton Youth Council (CEYC) for the past 3 years, and her passion for policy and governance has only grown during that time. Tina’s initiative group was able to formulate a food waste and insecurity report to City council and pass a motion for possible implementation of their recommendation. Being part of CEYC has allowed her to apply concepts and ideas she learned in class to real life settings which has been extremely rewarding.
Although Tina hasn’t had the chance to take many Political Science courses as she is still in her second year, her favourite course has been a classic: POL S 101 (Introduction to Political Science). She found the class eye-opening as it introduced her to concepts she had never explored before.
Read further to hear about Tina’s research on Canadian multiculturalism and the ways it was inspired by her own life, and about her experience of learning, realizing, and reflecting during the writing process.
Hi Tina! What inspired you to research the specific topic of your paper?
I have always been interested in multiculturalism because me and my family immigrated to Canada when I was young. My paper specifically discusses how Bilingualism, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, limits the ability of other cultural groups to adjust and live in Canada. I chose this topic as my family and I felt, first-hand, the limitations of not being fluent in English or French. Therefore, my experiences of being an immigrant inspired me to further dive into this topic and what Canada should do in order to accommodate the multicultural populations living in Canada.
What was the most interesting thing you learned from researching/writing your paper?
I can confidently say the most interesting part of my paper is my last argument paragraph. It was the most interesting because I was learning, realizing and reflecting while I was writing this paragraph. It was an exciting and fun process to write this because it was not part of my original planning. It was fascinating as I had come up with this argument as I was writing and reflecting on my previous paragraphs. It was like a light-bulb moment, a new concept I had never seen or read about. It was my idea, my argument. I was proud of it and it became a highlight of my paper.
What made you want to submit to the PSUR?
My TA for my class suggested to me that I should submit my paper. I had never thought that I was capable or that my paper would be up to the standards to be published, but I just gave it a shot and it worked!
What was the submission and peer-review process like for you? And what was the most valuable part?
I think the most valuable part of the process was getting critical feedback from other peers. Since I usually submit my papers without peer feedback, it was helpful to get another perspective.
What would you say to someone who is considering submitting their work to the PSUR?
Just try and don't be afraid of rejection! I submitted my paper without much expectation that it would be accepted. I think that is a reason why I was able to submit multiple papers without fear of rejection. You won't regret it if you try, but you will if you don't give it a shot.
What is a piece of advice that you would give to students as they write papers that they might submit to the PSUR?
Be original. Use your own voice and write about a topic you are passionate about!
You can read Tina’s article in the 2022 edition of the PSUR on our website!