Heartwarming first-person accounts from UVic students
Illustration by Sona Eidnani.
Student stories have been edited for length and clarity.
American journalist and poet George Elliston summarized the power of kindness in the opening lines of her poem “How Beautiful”:
“How beautiful a day can be / when kindness touches it!”
Almost 100 years later, is kindness still magic? The Martlet asked UVic students — and turns out, it is.
Sarah Roberts – PhD in Art History and Visual Studies
I was heading to school on the bus in November. I was having a bad morning — feeling really down. My brother was not well and he’d been having a hard week, so I was thinking about him. I was trying not to cry, but clearly I wear my emotions on my face. This girl a couple seats away kind of looked over at me and then looked away. Then when she got off the bus, she turned around and dropped this piece of paper. I went to pick it up, thinking maybe she didn’t mean to drop it. It was folded, and it had a heart drawn on the back of it. Inside was written “Whatever you are going through, remember it’s temporary. You are strong and you can do it.” Even though she didn’t know me, she went out of her way to try and cheer me up. It was such a sweet thing to do. I keep the note on my desk at home.
Mya Simpson – Bachelor of Science
I moved to UVic from New Brunswick, and I came here alone because my parents couldn’t really afford to fly out with me. The taxi from the airport dropped me off in front of the SUB. I didn’t really know where my residence building was and I had two suitcases, a carry-on, and a book bag, so I was really struggling. This guy approached me and offered to help. At first, I was hesitant, but his brother offered too, and he was a lot younger — maybe in middle school. They both helped roll my bags all the way down to my residence. I didn’t have any connection to him at all, so it was so sweet. It was kind of a nice reassurance that things are going to be fine, and moving here was part of what I was meant to do.
Idle Abbifd – Civil Engineering graduate
I was at the library about a week ago preparing for a job interview. Around 11:30a.m., I was in a long line for coffee at Biblio. The lady in front of me ordered a coffee. She said she didn’t have her wallet, but she was trying to use her ONECard. It declined. The server was going to give it to her for free, but I was next in line, so I said I’d pay for it. Afterwards, she said, “Next time you come to the library, let me know; I’ll buy you something.” But I wasn’t expecting anything back. I said: “Just do an act of kindness for somebody else.”
Jeddah Wood – Bachelor of Science
A few days after I first came to UVic, I was waiting for the elevator, and there was this girl beside me. I didn’t really know anybody here yet. She said, “Hi” and I think she complimented me on something too, which is really sweet. Then she just invited me over to her dorm. She didn’t know me at all. She just met me there at the elevator for the first time. But she was like, “We’re all painting our nails, and you can totally come with.” That’s how I met Sarah, and we’re still pretty close.
Zaiden – Music
I started experiencing mobility issues that led to me borrowing a wheelchair from the Student Wellness Center. Maybe a week later, I was on my way to class in the Hickman Building. I was going to be very late. I’d already cried multiple times throughout that week and it was a very long, tiring day for me because I didn’t have much arm strength and I wasn’t used to the wheel chair yet. Someone stopped, and I asked if they could give me a little push. They said, “Yeah, I’ll push you to class.” It was very sweet. They made sure I got into my class and settled in. It definitely made my day. That person saw somebody who looked like they needed help and offered to help. I think that type of kindness is rare.
