{"id":1162,"date":"2025-09-11T14:16:53","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T21:16:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/?p=1162"},"modified":"2025-12-01T15:59:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T23:59:09","slug":"from-ufv-to-oxford-two-friends-take-their-next-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/from-ufv-to-oxford-two-friends-take-their-next-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"From UFV to Oxford: two friends take their next steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Adam<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Adam Dizon and Will Alva\u2019s friendship began back in elementary school, but neither could have guessed it would one day take them from the same hometown hallways all the way to Oxford University. This summer, the two recent UFV kinesiology graduates are packing their bags as they prepare to pursue their master\u2019s degrees at one of the world\u2019s most prestigious universities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though they stayed in touch, their post-high school paths diverged. But then both ended up at UFV, where their academic journeys began to converge again. They found a place where professors knew their names, opportunities were within reach, and growth happened in unexpected ways.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have a set direction when I started at UFV,\u201d Adam says, \u201cbut the combination of classes, labs, and my practicum really showed me where I wanted to go.\u201d His practicum working directly in a physiotherapy setting was a turning point: \u201cSeeing physiotherapy in action helped me realize \u2018This is what I want to do.\u2019\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will\u2019s journey took a different route, but his goals were taking shape in the same field. \u201cI didn\u2019t always have a clear career path in mind, but I knew I wanted to help people and work in health,\u201d he says. \u201cUFV gave me space to figure that out: you can try things, make mistakes, and still have support around you.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both grads point to UFV\u2019s supportive faculty members as a defining part of their journey. \u201cThe professors here actually know you,\u201d Adam says. \u201cYou can ask questions, get feedback, and build relationships that carry beyond the classroom.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn bigger universities, you can be just a number,\u201d Will adds. \u201cHere, I had professors who knew my strengths, and how to push me further. The hands-on labs and detailed feedback from instructors built my confidence in my skills, and now I feel ready to take on the challenge of Oxford.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When they each received their Oxford acceptances, the excitement doubled. \u201cIt was a shock \u2014 in the best way \u2014 to realize we\u2019d both be making the move,\u201d Adam says. \u201cIt made the whole thing less intimidating, knowing a friend would be going through it too.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam\u2019s acceptance came with a twist: \u201cI thought my application was done when I got the waitlist email\u2026 then I got the acceptance out of nowhere. It was a whirlwind.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Will, the offer was surreal: \u201cOxford had always been one of those \u2018dream\u2019 names, and now I\u2019m going.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Oxford, both will dive deeper into health sciences while navigating life in a new country. \u201cI\u2019m excited for the independence, the chance to live in a new country, and to meet people from all over the world,\u201d Will says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adam is looking forward to bringing his skills back to BC: \u201cI\u2019d like to bridge my credentials when I come back, work here, and then maybe see what opportunities are out there internationally.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their advice to future UFV students? Adam sums it up simply: \u201cEverything will make sense eventually. Even if you don\u2019t know the end goal yet.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For these two friends, that end goal turned out to be the same \u2014 and it\u2019s taking them from UFV all the way to Oxford.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Adam Dizon and Will Alva\u2019s friendship began back in elementary school, but neither could have guessed it would one day take them from the same hometown hallways all the way to Oxford University. This summer, the two recent UFV kinesiology graduates are packing their bags as they prepare to pursue their master\u2019s degrees at one … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":278,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/278"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1162"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1269,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1162\/revisions\/1269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ufv.ca\/health\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}