Media Releases >  Media Releases Archive  > Longer road north to degree pays off

Document Tools

Contact:
Carol Thorbes, Media & PR, 604.291.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca

Matthew Schum was close to finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota three years ago when a trip north put him on a longer road to his goal at Simon Fraser University. A trip to Portland to visit a friend turned into a side trip north where Schum, a Minneapolis, Minnesota resident, says he "fell in love with Vancouver." An exchange program between SFU and the University of Minnesota became Schum’s ticket to study in Vancouver.

Schum fell much further into education-related debt than he had planned and weathered what he calls "a consistent barrage of anti-American sentiment in Canada." Coming from an average income family, he worried constantly about how he would support himself. As an international student, he wasn’t eligible for work off campus. Now graduating with a Baccalaureate of Arts in art and culture studies, Schum is philosophical.

"The extra challenges paid off," says Schum because of "some of SFU’s excellent teachers and opportunities to grow at SFU and in Vancouver." Schum credits Denise Oleksijczuk, assistant professor of art history, and Paymen Vahabzadeh, adjunct professor of sociology, with helping him crystallize his views. Schum learned, through Oleksijczuk, that the history of western culture is encoded in contemporary art. Vahabzadeh, a national award winning doctoral graduate of SFU’s sociology department, taught Schum the challenges of social change. "Their creative thinking helped me clarify what I would like to contribute as a student of contemporary culture," adds Schum, whose grades went up and stayed above 4.0, during the last year.

Outside the classroom, Schum immersed himself in cultural and artistic endeavors. As the features editor for SFU’s student newspaper, Schum encouraged gritty analysis of controversial and alternative arts and cultural issues. Schum co-hosted a weekly music program on campus radio, played drums in a touring local band and helped found the Collective for Art and Culture Studies students at SFU. Schum also worked as a teaching assistant, a job usually reserved for graduates, and as a tour guide at the Vancouver Art gallery. He is off to New York for the summer as a curatorial intern at The Museum of Modern Art.

—30—