Author: Nico Cullen McKnight

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About Me

My name is Nico Cullen McKnight and I am a first year student at Capilano University as of 2022. I was born and raised in East Vancouver, B.C. and I am forever grateful to have grown up in such a vibrant and caring community. I try to give back to my community when I can by doing volunteer work at my community center for our family food program. One of the reasons why I have developed an interest in Psychology and chosen it as my major is because I want my future career to allow me to give back to my community and other communities like my own.

 Many people in my community struggle with substance abuse and this has driven me to pursue a future career in addiction/substance abuse therapy. Working towards a future career in psychology has motivated me to work hard and adapt to university. I believe that every person has the power to change their life when provided with the right resources. My attitude towards my future clients is inspired by Humanistic Psychology. This branch of psychology focuses on self-actualisation (reaching one’s full potential) and that self-actualisation cannot be attained if a person’s basic needs are not met. In order for a person to reach their full potential and overcome an addiction, it is important to address the needs that are not being met such as shelter and nutrition. It is my goal to help people reach their full potential and to ultimately help them overcome one of life’s greatest barriers; addiction.

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From Erving Goffman

“The self, then, as a performed character, is not an organic thing that has a specific location, whose fundamental fate is to be born, to mature, and to die; it is a dramatic effect arising diffusely from a scene that is presented, and the characteristic issue, the crucial concern, is whether it will be credited or discredited.” (Goffman,1959). This quote is from Erving Goffman’s book; The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This quote is very powerful and it seems like many people could relate to the feeling of “playing a role” which Goffman often references. Goffman describes the human tendency to perform a version of ourselves in front of others; almost as if we are in a play. 

Goffman also refers to life as a kind of ‘stage’; referring to people as ‘actors’ on the stage of life. We as human beings are performative in an attempt to gain approval and acceptance from the other ‘actors’ around us. Life is like a competition between all of the actors to see who is able to perform the best version of themselves. Human beings seem to be a projection of all of our worldly experiences.

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About ENGL 100

University Writing Styles 100 (or ENGL 100) is the first university level english course that I have ever taken. This course provides students with valuable tools and skills that are applicable to any university writing assignments that may be encountered in a student’s academic career. This course is very focused on developing one’s individual writing skills and helping students develop a sophisticated understanding of university level writing. Although this specific course has been administered online, students are still given the opportunity to work together through peer evaluation assignments.

The skills taught in this course are a part of Capilano’s core requirements for a bachelor of arts degree. This course has been very educational; but not without challenge. University level writing has been an adjustment for me in my first year at university but I feel that I have risen to the challenges of this course. My greatest achievement in this course is the final draft of my essay for this semester. I have worked towards the final copy of my essay for multiple months; starting with my annotated bibliography. The topic that I chose is the benefits of eliminating standardized testing from universities. I am very passionate about advocating for the mental well-being of students and changing outdated ways of teaching; which are key parts of my my final research essay. Foundational English skills are a necessity for academic success in a university environment. This course given students the opportunity to provide multiple drafts of the final essay; which provides opportunity for significant development and feedback from the instructor. Students are then able to use this feedback to improve their final assignment and learn useful tools for future assignments.