Chapter 5: Inquiry for Life

We all joined Dr. MacKinnon’s Curiosity and Inquiry Research Collaboration Lab (affectionately known as “The CIRCL”) wanting answers to the questions we were wrestling with. We found the ability and space to create the questions we needed to ask, and the confidence to ask them even when it’s hard. In this chapter, each of us will share a piece of our story about learning to ask questions in everyday life, outside of academics. We hope you will see yourself in our stories and join us in the challenge of learning to be effective, confident inquirers!

Inquiry is for Everyone, Everywhere – Alissa Cyrino

Having an inquisitive mind is not solely beneficial to reading or to the academic setting. Inquiry can benefit everyone in diverse and unimaginable settings, though it takes courage to begin questioning. For a long time, I lacked the courage. I was never the one to raise my hand when someone asked if anyone had any questions, much less when there was no clear space to seek answers. It took time, patience, and observation for me to finally begin to grasp the importance of questioning. If there is a clear path to follow, why would you take different roads?

The first and most important answer that comes to my mind is: because you can. Have you ever considered how magnificent it is to have choices? Even when you think that one is clearly better than the other? It gives me chills every time I think about shaping my own future. Meanwhile, the lack of space to create and inquire makes the air I breathe feel heavier. Although it was not always like that. I was once fascinated by the idea of a very rigid set of rules. For everything. Before going to museums, theatres, buses, or even restaurants, I had to have some kind of guidelines: where to go, when, how, and why. It was an insurmountable task in such a diverse and unpredictable world. The worst part is that if someone dared not to follow the same set of rules I created in my own mind, I got angry, disappointed, and even bewildered. If I saw online that the line to enter the place was to the right and the information was wrong, I would crack.

Picture this: It is 2:32 pm on a beautiful sunny Saturday. You decide to leave your house and go to a new coffee shop that opened near your house. It’s late spring; you can even smell the fresh-cut grass and hear the birds chirping and playing around. It is one of those days when staying at home seems like a crime. At the coffee shop, only a few people are spread out through the cozy place, making it a perfect environment for some peace and quiet. They have coffee, tea, cake and everything your hungry mind can think of. The barista is friendly and makes your order in the blink of an eye. Now is the time to sit down and enjoy. It sounds like the most straightforward step in the whole operation. You look, choose the most attractive place for your specific needs, and it is done. Why would you ask? It is implied and easy to follow. However, in a split-second decision, you decide to ask anyway. “Where can I sit?” To your surprise, the barista says they have a second level with an amazing balcony. There, you can see the whole downtown area and get some sunlight. That was exactly what happened to me! But I was not the protagonist in that story. I was, in fact, one of the people who watched it happen, who did not ask and was sitting inside on the ground level. I wanted to go enjoy the balcony so badly, but I was already too embarrassed to ask. I even went back another day, only to have that same experience just because of one simple question I imagined was too obvious and stupid to ask. It begged the question: what else have I been missing out on?

Let’s take it a step further. Not only is inquiry for academic learning and exploring the pleasures of being alive, but it can also be vital for survival. Going to the doctor is a great example. How often do we not ask questions, or not know how to figure out what questions to ask? If you’re like me, the answer is most of the time. For example, I once had a procedure done at the doctor’s office, and the pain was so horrible that I started crying. The doctor assured me the pain was normal, and I went quiet. Even though I could feel something was wrong, even when my body was giving me all the signals. I ignored all the symptoms for months, thinking that was the procedure and I had to suck it up. I was too afraid to ask, too afraid to be wrong. It turns out the pain was not normal, as I suspected, and I had to go through another surgery because I had neglected the problem for so long. Asking questions, being curious, and staying on top of things, rather than assuming, can also save your life.

My mother used to tell me that “as long as you have a mouth, you can get to Rome”. I used to roll my eyes and dismiss her “folkloric saying”. However, the more I live, experience and learn, the more I think she might be right. Being inquisitive can open doors. It can open a whole new job market and opportunities that will never reach the general public. That’s part of how I ended up coming to UPEI from Brazil! Not everything is posted online, not every opportunity can be seen on a board, and most importantly, they will not wait for you. Sometimes, it is necessary to carve your own path.

The world will not work at your pace or according to your idea of what is right and wrong, or respect what you would assume should be the norm. So, if you can, you should exercise your right to ask questions; otherwise, those skills tend to get rusty, and we often forget and dismiss things we do not use frequently. If you do not take or own your space, it can reach a point where it no longer exists.

Inquiry for Finances – Destiny Francis

For many of us, university is the first time we’re responsible for managing our own finances. Whether it’s applying for a credit card, taking out student loans, creating a spending plan, or thinking about investing, these decisions can shape our financial future more than we realize. I wanted to know more about how to set myself up for financial security, but I was nervous to ask anyone directly. In one CIRCL meeting, I heard about a financial planner who likes to work particularly with young people, so I reached out, set up a meeting, and settled in to figure out what questions I needed to ask to learn how to take control of my financial life.

When I spoke with financial coach Darren Fairhurst, one message really stuck with me: Always get the facts, not just opinions, before making financial decisions (another good reason to think critically and use your research methods class skills!). Darren explained that many people struggle financially for three main reasons: they don’t have a financial plan, they don’t have the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, or they’re making choices based on misinformation. With so much financial advice on social media, it’s easy to fall into these traps, which is why asking questions and thinking critically is so important. Taking the time to learn from trusted sources and understand your options can help you avoid common financial mistakes and make informed decisions that will benefit you not only throughout university, but for years to come.

The following Q&A with Darren highlights some important questions that I wish I had asked earlier on as a student but can also learn from now. Turns out it’s easier than you think, but only if you ask the right questions!

Q: If a student is just starting to manage their finances, what should their first financial priority be?

A: Build an emergency fund first. Before you start investing or saving for bigger goals, it’s important to have money set aside for unexpected expenses. An emergency fund gives you a financial safety net and can help you avoid relying on credit cards or loans when life doesn’t go as planned. Once you have that foundation in place, you can start working toward other goals with greater confidence.

Q: What’s the first step in creating a budget?

A: Don’t think of it as a budget; think of it as a spending plan. Every dollar should have a purpose. If you don’t tell your money where to go, your money will decide for you.

Q: What budgeting mistakes do people make most often?

A: They simply don’t pay attention. It’s easy to tap a card without thinking. Financial mindfulness means reviewing your statements regularly and asking yourself whether each purchase is truly a need or simply a want.

Q: What are some of the biggest factors that can affect a person’s finances?

A: Four main factors can impact your money:

• Taxes: Understanding how taxes work can help you legally keep more of the money you earn.
• Inflation: which means the cost of things goes up over time, so your money doesn’t buy as much. I like to compare it to walking on a treadmill: if inflation is moving at a speed of 2.5 and you’re walking slower than that, you’re falling behind.
• Market fluctuations: Investments go up and down, so it’s important to have a long-term plan and not panic when the market changes.
• Yourself: The financial choices you make every day, like spending, saving, and planning, often have the biggest impact on your financial future.

Q: What should students know about credit before getting a credit card?

A: Your credit score is one of the most important financial tools you’ll ever have. Think of it like your health; you can’t neglect it for years and expect it to be strong later. Good credit affects your ability to qualify for mortgages, loans, and even some employment and rental housing opportunities. Monitor it regularly and protect it.

Q: What advice would you give students about managing student loans?

A: Take responsibility for them. Even if interest rates are low, debt is still debt. Develop a repayment plan, automate payments when possible, and make repayment part of your long-term financial strategy.

Q: How should students think about saving and investing for different goals?

A: I like to think of your money in different “buckets” based on when you’ll need it.

• Your short-term bucket is for things like your emergency fund and everyday expenses.
• Your medium-term bucket, usually three to five years, might be for goals like travelling, graduate school, or buying a car.
• Your long-term bucket, which includes retirement savings and investments that can grow over time through compound interest. Matching your savings to your timeline helps you make better financial decisions.

Q: How can small financial decisions today affect the future?

A: Every financial decision compounds (multiplies) over time. Good habits, like saving consistently or paying credit cards on time, create opportunities later. Poor habits can also compound, making future goals more difficult to achieve.

Q: If you could give first-year students one piece of financial advice, what would it be?

A: Start investing as early as you can. Time is one of your greatest financial advantages. The longer your money has to grow through compound interest, the greater the impact on your future.

“The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago. The second best time is today.”

So the bottom line is: Making inquiry a habit, reflecting on your spending habits regularly, and taking ownership of your financial decisions will help you find your path to financial security.  It’s all doable. I’m glad I asked!

Inquiry for the Work World – Keely Stevenson

When we are talking about inquiry in the real world, it is important to consider inquiry and the new possibilities of being a “learner” in the setting of careers. Throughout post-secondary education, the concept of a job is something that many of us think about, whether that is considering future career paths, applying to jobs in order to build a resume, or simply working a job to earn a living and enjoy life in the current stage that you are in. I have personal experience with each one of these categories within the working world and have come to notice that jobs are great outlets for inquiry.

During a workday, it is important to consider the possibility of learning new techniques and information in order to make the job you are doing benefit not only your employer, but yourself by gaining information that can further your experience and pleasure in the working world. When you are searching for a job, inquiry skills are important not only to find a job that fits your interests, but also a job that you can build around your life. I am a waitress, and this job is something that I enjoy in my spare time and view as an opportunity to be both social and earn a wage.

From my experience working as a waitress, inquiry has been used to consider future career paths, build a resume, and work for a wage to support my current lifestyle. For example, I have learned that I enjoy talking to people and listening to customers, providing an empathetic ear for individuals at the bar while learning about the many different paths people explore in life. This is something that has built my interest in working with the public, therefore pushing me to further investigate my future goals and desired career choices. Because of my enjoyment in working with the public and my ability to learn to listen and talk with others, I have found great joy in exploring a career in psychology. Inquiry in the workplace has also aided my educational decisions and resume-building, as I have been given opportunities to learn about customers and networking, which has helped me work towards my goals.

Living inquiry as a lifestyle also allows you to consider jobs that have nothing to do with the parameters of your future career. Sometimes a job is simply just a job; as a university student, we need to afford to pay for school and the lifestyle we want to live. This means that even though you may be in school to become a doctor, nurse, or historian, the job that you currently hold may not reflect your future career aspirations. It’s important to know that this is okay and very common! Now, you may be wondering how you can use inquiry when working even if it does not have a direct correlation to your interests, and the answer is quite simple. Inquiry as a lifestyle focuses on the empowerment of knowledge and the ability to live your life as a learner. When working a job, you are open to many new opportunities and outlets for learning through having time to simply consider life from different perspectives, to hearing different people’s stories, to seeing and working in new spaces with new opportunities. Jobs allow for a different outlet for knowledge and the ability to be a learner in a specific setting that you cannot get anywhere else. While working with inquiry, you are not only saving money to put towards the lifestyle you prefer, but you are also broadening your horizon of education and experience through your workplace. By working mindfully and considering new outcomes and possibilities for learning, you can strengthen your outlook on education and broaden your knowledge to many different disciplines and backgrounds.

When you are in your job or career, asking questions and reflecting on the circumstances you are working in can help you identify things that need improvement, updating, or a complete overhaul. Thinking critically and creatively can help you identify exciting new possibilities and opportunities for growth and advancement for you and the organization. The best part is that being actively engaged in your work, using questions and reflection, makes anything you are doing more enjoyable. Whether you are being or becoming curious in that moment, what matters is that you are always on the lookout for ways to make things better for yourself and others.

Every moment holds a learning opportunity. It’s not just about absorbing information, but also taking ownership of your own growth and living with a constant desire to expand your knowledge and skills. Workplaces bring together people with diverse life experiences, creating a rich environment for exploration and education. By embracing these differences, we can develop skills that not only enhance our professional lives but also enrich our personal development. Engaging with diverse perspectives in the workplace helps us examine our beliefs, values, and morals, while continuously discovering new ideas and ways of life. Ultimately, the workplace becomes a space for growth—both intellectually and personally—shaping who we are and how we engage with the world.

Inquiry for Citizenship and Social Justice – Olaoluwatofunmi Moses

If you had asked any adult who had the misfortune of engaging in conversation with 9-year-old Olaoluwatofunmi Olufunke Moses, they would have called her an absolute nuisance.

“What is that?”

“Why are you doing it like that?”

“What does that mean?”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Why can’t I do it this way?”

“Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?”

“You talk too much, Olaolu,” my exasperated father would sigh as I asked him why we closed our eyes to pray. “And you ask too many unnecessary questions.”

“Stop asking me stupid questions. Just do as I say,” my mother would snap as I asked why I had to stay in the kitchen while my brother got to play outside.

“You and your questions,” my grandfather would laugh while not-so-subtly redirecting me to another room to avoid my constant interrogation.

The thing is, though—and this is what I’m going to spend the next few pages trying to make you understand—questions might have quite literally saved my life.

I grew up within a family that I now understand practiced an extreme form of Christian Fundamentalism, rigid even by the standards of an extremely religious Western Nigeria. Girls, especially pastors’ daughters like myself, were prohibited from wearing anything, saying anything, or acting in any way that was considered “worldly”, which simply means I grew up wearing only long, shapeless skirts and high-neck tops, adorned with the veil on my head and the metaphorical chains around my neck. Secular music and media were strongly discouraged, so gospel music, Christian cartoons, and bible study filled my childhood afternoons. Growing up, the rules were clear: authority was to be respected, no questions asked. So I’m sure you can understand how quickly an inquisitive girl like myself became the bane of my parents’ existence.

Maybe you grew up like me, handed a script telling you everything you were allowed to be and all you needed to know to become that person. Maybe you also felt like that wasn’t enough, or that it didn’t quite make sense, questions bouncing around in your head until one popped out and landed you in trouble. Maybe you also began to learn that perhaps it is easier to focus on the script rather than trying to read between the lines. Or maybe you had a normal childhood; what do I know? Either way, your journey has led you here, to these few pages within this handbook, wherein I hope to convince you of one small, radical thing: your curiosity can spark a revolution, and it needs you to fan its flames, not stamp them out.

Ironically, much of my argument will consist of questions. Don’t worry, these are questions you have likely encountered at some point in your life, but they most strongly illuminate…well, the illuminating power of questions. They also help neatly split my argument into three distinct phases: Deconstruction (“What is my unquestioned reality?”), Social Awareness (“Who am I once I release my unquestioned reality?”), and Social Action (“How can I use my reality to make space for others?”).

Phase 1: Deconstruction (“What is my unquestioned reality?”)

When you grow up inside a rigid religious system, obedience is equated with morality. You are taught that the world works a certain way because God, culture, or tradition decreed it, and any other way of thinking, living, or being is blasphemous and heretical. But you cannot arrest a prisoner for looking out the windows of his cell.

It may shock you to know, but my journey to deconstruction did not begin with grand philosophical theories or large history books (though they helped!). It didn’t even begin in the classroom. Instead, the realisation that something wasn’t quite right came to me in a sunlit, sweltering kitchen, and where I would have appreciated a cinematic “Eureka!” moment, complete with a light bulb over my head, all I got was the quiet frustration of hearing my dad and uncles laugh boisterously in the living room overlap the panting of my mother and aunties pounding yams for Christmas dinner.

When she saw my scowl, my mother sighed, “One of these days, Olaolu, you are going to have to accept your reality as a woman.” Fortunately for my mother, that statement would stick with me. Unfortunately for my mother, that statement would stick with me.

You see, up until that moment, my “reality” had remained an unquestioned list of commandments written on unscratched stone tablets. Thou shalt remain quiet and submissive. Thou shalt not be “of the world”. Thou shalt not talk back. Thou shalt not question. Thou most definitely shalt not listen to Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” on your classmate’s borrowed computer after school. I was told this was divine order. I was told this was holiness. Yet, as I stood there in that humid kitchen watching the sweat drag down my mother’s brow, the small question sparked within me anyway: says who?

There is a reason rigid institutions react to questions with such immediate hostility and treat them as acts of insubordination. Injustice relies on blind repetition, which is why it is fragile, and fragile systems do not stand up to interrogation. That process of trusting your instinct when it tells you something isn’t quite right, of picking at the edges of your reality until you can decipher which lies have been sold to you, that is deconstruction. And it relies on (you guessed it) questions.

This section paints an extraordinary picture, but your unquestioned reality doesn’t have to look like a strict religious upbringing in Nigeria. It could be the unspoken rules of your workplace, the jokes you make with your friends, or even the material you learn from in the classroom. It could even be the comforts of your childhood—the fact that you’ve never had to sneak a computer to listen to Beyoncé. We all have things we do or think just… because. However, if we are ever to have hope of building a fairer world, we have to summon the courage to look at our own lives, our own histories, our own scripts, and ask the uncomfortable question: “Says who?” Who wrote this rule? Who does it benefit? And what happens if I poke at it a little?

Phase II: Social Awareness (“Who am I once I release my unquestioned reality?”)

It is one thing to realize that the script you were living is just that; it is a terrifyingly different thing to throw that script away. It doesn’t matter if your unquestioned reality was one of sunshine and rainbows, or if you grew up alone in a windowless cell; leaving a familiar way of thinking can feel like falling out of bed into an endless abyss. Where do you go from here? What do you do with this new information? Who on earth even are you now?

Unlearning an identity built on injustice is not something that happens overnight, but rather the messy, sometimes painful process of removing layers of yourself you didn’t even realize you had donned. It feels like betrayal, almost. You may even feel the ghost of your past selves tugging at you with every new thought pattern you create, every new opinion you voice, and every unjust rule you break.

Fortunately, that’s part of the magic. By questioning the rules you stopped realizing you lived by, you learn to differentiate between your authentic self and the self you were assigned. The latter is a fragile self-concept built on someone else’s values and beliefs, handed down to you for their own convenience. But the real, authentic self that reveals itself through the questions? They are allowed to be messy, and loud, and ever-curious. And best of all, they are allowed to change their mind. Deconstruction can be scary, but it also gives you the chance to actually build your own identity.

This is where things get interesting. As your internal curiosity grows, it matures into radical empathy, which births social awareness. Once you recognize that your own “reality” was really just an arbitrary set of rules, you look around and realize that everyone is carrying their own realities with them, everywhere you go. And your curiosity becomes the bridge by which you glimpse into realities different from your own. A curious mind is a mind stripped of the rigidity of dogma, a mind that understands there is no default human experience and that we all view the world through diverse social perspectives. And, spoiler alert, it is by comparing these social perspectives that we uncover injustice.

Phase III: Social Action (“How can I use my reality to make space for others?”)

There is a silent danger in stopping at self-awareness. It feels good to deconstruct old beliefs, congratulate ourselves on being better-minded individuals, wrap this all up and go home. Luckily for us, curiosity is an ever-extending arm and not an intellectual trophy. If your curiosity is born internally and grows into self-awareness, its eventual destination is social action.

We often talk about “social justice” as if it belongs exclusively to activists, academics, or politicians (or weirdos on Twitter). For this reason, this section will focus on social action instead. The difference? Social action can be whatever you want it to be, and is simply what happens when your childlike curiosity is allowed to grow. When you come to the realization that the world is more diverse than the identity you were raised in, your curiosity pushes further. It asks: What is it like to live on the other side of these rules? Who is paying the price for the norm? It is hard to stay still after answering these questions.

Allowing your curiosity to lead you to social action doesn’t always mean channelling your inner Greta Thunberg and flying to the other side of the world on a mission. It actually starts here, in your community, with small intentional choices. For me, it is writing these few pages in this handbook. For you, it might simply be noticing the sexism in your friends’ jokes about women, or being intentional about using your classmates’ correct pronouns.

Allowing yourself to begin a journey of curiosity will quickly lead you to the daily practice of fairness that is social action. Every time you ask yourself why a policy exists or who a standard leaves out, you are using your curiosity to expand your internal worldview, and that is a skill that can be used everywhere. A healthy community relies on people who refuse to blindly accept and repeat unexamined norms. When we stop asking questions, systems become stagnant and outdated, leaving more people out of the conversation. Your willingness to stay curious and keep asking uncomfortable questions may sometimes be the only thing preventing a design from developing a blind spot that could exacerbate someone’s social disadvantage.

I will leave you with a promise: if you decide to live this way, people will still call you a nuisance. Perhaps even more so. Wear that label like a badge of honour. Remember, fragile systems thrive on compliance and crumble under scrutiny. To be a nuisance is to refuse to be the reason an outdated policy lasts another year, choosing to ask the uncomfortable questions so our world can continue to grow.

I was told I talked too much. I was told I was exasperating, naive, and borderline foolish. I kept asking those questions anyway, kept asking until my question marks became scythes to cut myself free of a reality that wasn’t mine to live, and I am all the happier for it. After all, I get to share this experience with you!

Whatever script you were handed, whatever rules you were told to stop challenging, whatever reality you were told to accept, I hope you find the courage to hold it up to the light today. Fan the flames of your curiosity. Question the status quo. Disrupt the silence that keeps unjust systems alive.

Be an absolute nuisance.

Inquiry for Relationships – Tessa Rooseboom

How best do we begin to understand and connect with the people in our lives? By asking questions, of course! Asking questions in our relationships is one of the best ways to get to know those we value and build trust between us. It is also how we develop relationships with new people we meet. Curiosity and inquiry are the baseline skills we need for proper relationship building. Showing you’re curious and asking questions about someone’s world is one of the best ways to show you care about them and their experiences.

Developing new relationships requires us to be curious and inquire. Not only about those around us, but also about ourselves. To learn about others, you must be able to inquire, but you also must be able to be curious about yourself to learn who you are. Believe me, I know coming into university it can feel like you already have your world figured out, but you truly have no idea how much of your life can change in four short years. Asking yourself questions to learn more about who you are and who you are becoming is a crucial step in finding relationships that truly fit you.

When you’re first beginning university, a new program, or a new school, of course academics are a priority, and the information in this resource can help you with this. However, the skills you learn from this resource can also help you to build relationships in these new spaces. Socialization is an equally important part of the transition to new spaces in the academic world. Building new support systems can help you excel in your new environment. Your inquiry skills built from using the tools in this resource will not only help your academics but your relationships too.

Inquiry for Mental Health – Tessa Rooseboom

Mental health is not a linear thing in anyone’s world, and if we do not stop to acknowledge this journey, then we will not be able to grow and improve. Asking questions and reflecting on our experiences are valuable resources in any state of our mental wellbeing, especially when we are feeling unlike ourselves. Without inquiry, it is hard to realize when we are struggling. If we never question how we are feeling, then we will remain ignorant of potential improvements in our mental health and wellbeing. Asking questions about our emotions, questioning what we need to do to improve our headspace, and utilizing various self-help tools to aid us through difficult situations can all be valuable in ensuring we are caring for our mental health.

If you can properly inquire about your mental health, then you can work towards finding the services and supports that work best for you. It is important that you are able to know how to ask for help and who can best provide that help. Questions like “What services are available to me in this moment? How do I access these services? Is this service the right one for me?” are all important questions when working to improve our mental health. Although it can be hard to know what questions to ask, that is why the Question Formulation Technique was initially made; therefore, there is no reason it cannot be used for our mental health. When we know how to ask the right questions, we can continue on our mental health journey productively. Once we have embarked on a mission to improve our mental wellbeing, it is important to continue checking in on our progress. Making sure we are curious about our mental health means we are more aware of what we need and when we need it.

If I had not been curious about my mental health, I would not be where I am now. This inquiry led me to getting the help I need and improving my quality of life. Because of this, I am now working in the field of mental health like I have always wanted, and I have had countless opportunities to learn more about myself and what I need to succeed. If you too are curious and inquire in your own life, you can learn a lot about yourself.

Inquiry is Good for Your Health – Patience Smith

A traditional assumption of curiosity and inquiry is that we use these tools to help us excel in professional or educational contexts. And while this is certainly true, they can also help carry us much farther than we thought possible in almost every facet of our lives, including both mental (as previously mentioned) and physical health. Now, when thinking about inquiry, physical health is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. After all, asking questions, reflecting on your experiences, and thinking critically seem like mental acts. But these skills are actually vital for leading a healthy life!

We’ve all experienced a random cramp, twitch of pain, or unexplained bruise (especially for the more accident-prone individuals…) that we tend to brush off and move on with our days. But using inquiry in these situations involves taking a moment to really question what’s going on with our bodies and whether something feels off. “Is this a new feeling? Can I attribute this to a cause?” Even something as simple as “Have I been getting enough sleep this week?” can help us tune into our bodies and our health. Asking these questions can even help to make you more aware of the connection between our daily life choices and how we feel physically.

Learning how to utilize inquiry to understand my body and the signals it’s sending me has kept me healthy in a way I don’t think I would be otherwise. Taking the time to recognize how I feel and if anything is “off” has led to countless doctor’s office visits, and several health diagnoses that, if left undiagnosed, could have had a real negative impact on my life and how I function every day. It’s provided a sense of security and comfort about my health that is invaluable.

Inquiry for Purpose and Meaning – Tessa Rooseboom

Purpose is not something we simply know about ourselves from the moment we are born. The purpose and meaning of our lives is something that takes curiosity and inquiry to discover. Take it from me, someone who spent years trying to figure out their purpose and, once they did, latched on and never let go. This may sound incredibly cliché, but it is simply the truth, since a very young age I have always felt incredibly drawn to developing a life that allowed me to help others as much as possible. This was not always something I could put into words, or even something I directly knew about myself. It was more of a feeling drawing me to such work, and through asking questions about myself and what I care about, it was something I came to better understand.

Now, I know I said helping others has always been something I have felt drawn to, but that does not mean the path to get there has always stayed the same. This is where my inquiry skills truly began to make a difference in the life I was living. After deciding to pursue psychology in my 2nd year of high school, I never looked back, and 6 years later I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. It was during my time in this degree that the shifts began for me. I knew psychology was the degree for me, and that helping others live their best lives was my ultimate goal. Like many psychology students, I started my program set on a career in clinical psychology, because what else is there? Turns out there is so much more to this field than that, but this is not something I would have found out if I was not given the chance to explore the field by asking questions. Over the course of my degree, I switched from wanting to practice clinical psychology, to teaching, back to clinical, to social work, to counselling, back to clinical again. And after all of that, I have finally decided to begin my Bachelor of Social Work. If I were not allowed to inquire about myself and what else is out there, this would almost certainly not have been possible.

It can be so easy to get stuck on what we decided to be as children or even at the beginning of university, trust me. And Noah. And Patience. And Dr. Mackinnon. We have all been there. Except you are often not the same person you were during these times in your life, so how can you be expected to care about the same things? The truth is, you can’t. As you change and grow, so can your purpose, what you value, and how you make meaning in the world. You may maintain your purpose but explore a variety of paths to fulfill it, but that is not possible without inquiry. This means you must be curious and ask questions about all that is out there, because you may never truly understand how many opportunities are out there until you ask.

Inquiry and Mindfulness – Bella Doyle

To really understand and consider mindfulness is deeper and far more complex than just the thought of “am I mindful in my daily life”? This question often leads to an automatic self-reassuring response of something like “well, of course I am, I’m actively mindful right now”, but the true question at hand is: are you exhibiting mindfulness with a purpose? When we think of mindfulness, it’s easy to get confused with awareness, as a common misconception is the idea of mindfulness being solely based on how aware we are. In reality, mindfulness is not as simple as being aware of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours; it involves a purposeful and deep level of intentional attention that allows individuals to directly experience the moment. I too have personally made the mistake of thinking awareness is the same concept as mindfulness, but after learning, understanding, and implementing strategies, I now understand the importance of inquiry within mindfulness.

When looking at mindfulness and how we can implement it into our daily lives, it’s important to highlight the connection of learning that comes with it. When we use mindfulness, we are only scratching the surface of a whole other component. It’s like tying a shoe. When you only bowknot it once, the laces will sometimes fall out and annoy us, but if you double knot it, they don’t tend to fall out as much. This is similar to inquiry within mindfulness, because if we only use mindfulness, yes, we may still be able to connect with our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours on a surface level, but we are left with a troubling lack of true understanding: the why. Why we say, feel, or act the way that we do, and how important that second ‘knot’ truly becomes. When we use inquiry within mindfulness, we are able to dive deep into the understanding of why and what our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours mean. Take my experience as an example. I have often found myself very mindful of my thoughts and emotions, always aware of when I feel anxious and overwhelmed. But using inquiry within mindfulness has allowed me to fully understand the patterns and ask myself, “Why do I feel anxious in this situation?” The inquiry behind mindfulness helps to reveal the underlying causes, which allow for a better understanding of how to use certain strategies within different situations. An example of this includes questioning our emotions, like: “Why do I feel angry in this situation?”, which can help to foster emotional regulation and growth.

Inquiry within mindfulness is helpful in so many situations we experience in our everyday lives, whether it’s school, work, or relationships. In school, mindfulness can be a vital tool for studying, learning, and understanding course material. By adding inquiry into mindfulness, you’re implementing a key component in learning, as being curious and asking questions are both huge factors for absorbing information. When reading course content like textbooks, lecture slides, and notes, how often do you catch yourself noticing that you have no clue what you just read? I would often find myself “studying” and retaining very little information, and a core reason behind this was that I wasn’t implementing strategies of inquiry within mindfulness. Once I started reflecting on whether I was understanding the content that I was reading, it helped me process and store the information better. Through continued practise, mindfulness can be used to change perspectives, problem-solve, and shift your focus to learning how every situation or interaction has value to learn from.

Overall, mindfulness is far more than simply just being aware, and when combined with inquiry, it becomes a powerful tool that allows individuals to not only notice their experiences, but to actively reflect and understand them on a deeper level. Rather than reacting automatically to thoughts and emotions, individuals are able to pause, take a step back, and respond in a controlled manner. It’s a tool that is remarkably valuable to implement in daily life, as mindfulness and inquiry can be applied to many aspects like studying, work, and relationships. In these spaces, they can support stronger focus, improve communication, and shift perspectives. By approaching experiences with curiosity instead of judgement, we are able to learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Mindfulness through inquiry encourages a more intentional way of living, where even the most ordinary moments can become opportunities for growth, reflection, and deeper understanding.

Inquiring for Making Change & Letting Go – Patience Smith

How do we know it’s time to give something up, especially when it has the potential to influence our futures? Rather than relying on instinctive emotions, taking a step back to practice reflection over impulse can make a big difference. When it comes to courses or even jobs, it’s important to evaluate where you are at that point in your life. Will continuing on the same path or changing direction make more sense for you and your future? Framing this as a question rather than emotion is an effective way to guide decisions and is much more effective than relying on reactive thoughts.  Evaluating these decisions under the lens of their long-term effects can provide clarity and direction if you’re faced with a big choice.

Take, for example, a university course that you’re finding harder than anticipated. You aren’t doing well on tests, the material keeps piling up, and studying feels impossible. An immediate reaction to this might be that you aren’t smart enough to do well, or that you’re a total failure. But truthfully, that’s emotion getting in the way of your judgment. Instead of immediately giving up on things that are difficult, utilizing practices like critical thinking can help guide decisions thoughtfully and empirically. Evaluate how the choice to drop the course (or stay in it but try a different approach) could potentially affect you now and in the future. Am I okay with my choice even after knowing the consequences of this decision either way? Will this decision potentially impact the tomorrow I envision for myself? The truth is, sometimes it might, and sometimes it won’t. Academic advisors and guidance counsellors are great resources you can use to answer these questions. It’s also important to know that even if you do decide it’s in your best interest to drop a course, it’s not a failure, and instead can be a wise decision when guided by thoughtful reflections.

One of the most loved, and also hardest courses in the psychology department at UPEI is Drugs and Behaviour. The instructors expect a lot of you; the material is challenging, and it’s rooted heavily in science. People often enroll in the course because of how interesting the concepts covered are, but are later surprised that it ends up being much harder than they anticipated. And yet, it has a low drop rate. How can this be? The truth is, most of the time students stay in the course because it’s engaging, and they change how they approach the material to succeed because they are genuinely interested in it. When you ask yourself if this is something you are willing to put the work into even when it gets hard, and the answer is “YES”, it becomes easier to adapt to what the course requires. When I took Drugs and Behaviour, it took almost failing my first exam to ask myself this very question. And after deciding my answer was yes, I began to make changes to not only how I studied, but how much I studied. To this day, it remains the hardest course I ever took at UPEI, but it is also still my favourite. By changing how I approached my learning, it not only helped me get a good grade, but also provided me with lasting information that I still use today.

When I enrolled in my first year of university, I was registered under a science degree. But at that point, I was epically failing high school chemistry, and without completing the course, I would have to change my degree. I struggled with the decision to either drop the course and change to an arts degree, or try and push through to only potentially pass the class. Overwhelmed by closing the chapter in my life that was high school while also trying to prepare myself for university was a stressful time, and I began to panic about my decision. I thought if I dropped the course I would be forever labelled a failure, and my future would be in jeopardy. The work kept piling up, and I started to feel worse and worse. But in the midst of all the intrusive thoughts, I learned to take a step back from the noise and ask, “How will this decision affect the future I envision for myself?” “What do I truly feel is best for me right now?” After evaluating the weight of my choice and taking the time to speak with an academic advisor about the changes this would cause to my studies, I made the conscious decision to drop the course. I’ll admit, I thought when I made this choice I would feel like a failure, but I didn’t. Instead, I felt relief. Because the truth is, as long as the decision you make is based on insightful and meaningful contemplation, there is no wrong choice.

After dropping the chemistry course (and wiping the horrific grade off my transcript), I switched from a science degree to an arts degree. It was the right choice for me at the time, and I entered first year with the confidence that I could do well in all my courses. However, by the end of the second semester, I came to the realization that I really did want to finish university with a science degree. Now, you might be thinking that going through all my struggles just to end up where I started was a waste. But you’d be wrong. I understood that when initially faced with this choice, I wasn’t in the right space to continue taking a course I didn’t understand or care about. By waiting until I was ready to take on the challenge, it helped me succeed in ways I hadn’t before. In order to switch (back) to a BSc, I still needed grade 12 chemistry, which meant I had to take an adult education course at Holland College to get it done. It wasn’t easy, but I knew this was something I was now willing to put in the work for, and by the end of the class I had the highest grade! It allowed me to continue my university degree on a science stream, and the experience has left me with continued confidence in both my abilities and judgement.

Moments like these help to remind us that giving something up doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. Instead, strategic quitting is a natural part of life and is part of learning who you are and who you want to be. Being able to understand yourself well enough to know what is and isn’t going to work for you in that moment doesn’t come easily, but there are strategies you can utilize to help in this process. “Have I utilized the resources available to me that might help in this decision?” and “How will this decision affect my future goals, and how does that matter right now?” are great examples of insightful questions that can help guide decision-making. Another great resource is the people closest to you. Reflecting on your options with someone you trust can help to provide clarity and certainty to these decisions. There truly is a time and place for everything; you just have to decide if that time is now.

My Inquiry Story from a Professor’s Perspective – Dr. Stacey MacKinnon

The ideas for this book began during a CIRCL meeting where I was telling everyone the story of my life as a learner. You see, many of them were working on figuring out what courses to take next year, BA or BSc, grad school or not, keep or drop a course, scheduling nightmares, etc… So much stress and worry! I understood how they were feeling but also knew from my years of experience that this was just a small part of a much larger story of their lives. I also knew that so many of my professor colleagues (who at first glance all seem to have had a fully developed life plan since the cradle) had also experienced the same uncertainty. I’d like to share with you now what I told the learners in my lab group: You don’t know what life is going to send your way; you can only be prepared to explore whatever it is.

This is my story. If you told me (and anyone who knew me) back then that I would someday become a university professor and researcher, I’m not sure I’d be done laughing yet. I was not a person who defied authority; I rarely spoke up for myself, and I had no clue what I wanted, only what others wanted for me. I took a long and winding road to finding my purpose, place, and people. Now I am not suggesting you take as long and winding a road as I did (the student loan payments weren’t pretty, but they are finally paid off now), but I am suggesting that you remain open to possibilities outside your comfort zone, inquiring and being reflective as you move forward in life. If you don’t, good things may come your way, but you’ll just sail past them, oblivious to the opportunities.

I was an average high school student in rural Nova Scotia who wanted to become a writer (and a nurse and maybe a teacher…). I took an extra year of part-time high school courses after graduation so I could finally explore some electives. Due to family pressure and my own uncertainty about my purpose, I entered the Nova Scotia Teachers’ College (which no longer exists). I had always loved reading and teaching (in fact, I used to play school all the time with my little brother who was seven years younger than I) and thought maybe that would be my path…Junior High English Teacher. I lasted 1.5 years at NSTC and left because: 1) going to school full time and working two jobs was making me really sick, and 2) I had discovered that teaching in the public school system, with its curricular rigidity and all its restrictions on how to do it, even if it didn’t seem to work for many of my students, wasn’t for me. My parents were somewhat horrified at my giving up the potential stability of finishing a BEd despite #2, but I knew I couldn’t keep doing what I knew wasn’t right for me because it was causing #1.

So I thought, “What’s next?” Well, I moved to Calgary to live with my mom and thought, “I still love reading and writing, so I guess I’ll be an English major!” I transferred all my NSTC credits and started taking courses through Athabasca University back in the days when distance learning meant you got a huge box in the mail with your textbooks, study guide and any materials, and a 1-800 number to use to do your quizzes over the telephone with your professor! Yes, it was 1992, and we did not yet have the internet. Within months, I realized that critically analyzing my favourite books was slowly decimating my love of reading…unacceptable! So I got a job at the Coles Bookstore (the precursor to Indigo) as the mass market book buyer for their flagship store. Surrounded daily by books with a 30% employee discount and first dibs on all the new releases was heavenly! BUT…

I got appendicitis and needed surgery, so they laid me off (no protections for that kind of thing back then). As I worked on healing, I applied for Unemployment Insurance (what we now call EI) but was told that to qualify, I would need to agree to take a job training course. Fine. They put me in computerized accounting. WHAT?? Fine. I got the highest marks in the course and landed a one-month internship at the head office of a local radio station doing accounts auditing (I also got to sing on several radio commercials, but that’s a story for another time). I did so well that several months later they offered me a job at the radio station itself doing accounts payable (still not my dream work, but it paid the bills, gave me access to a box at the Saddledome for concerts, and doing commercial work was kind of fun…I do a wicked interpretation of Diana Ross singing “Baby Love” in the shower!). A promotion to head office to be a corporate accounting assistant followed with a raise, three weeks paid vacation, a car allowance, AND they were going to pay my way through university to become an accountant! My parents were so proud! So I transferred my university credits from Teachers College and Athabasca University and dug in. BUT…

I hated every minute of it. Great people, but corporate accounting with its little grey offices, no windows, professional dress codes (hard to focus when you’re worried your pantyhose are going to bind you at your knees and cause you to fall flat on your face!), and chasing pennies just wasn’t for me. I wisely left before I could be booted out. Yes, I gave it all up. BUT…

I needed a new plan. And for the first time in my life I thought about what I really wanted, what my real purpose was. Not what other people thought I should do. Not what “made sense”. Not what would pay the most or be the most prestigious. Not even what was free (goodbye accounting). What I really wanted my life to look like.

So I asked myself three questions:

1. What did I most enjoy learning about?
2. What courses had I done the best in over my educational adventures?
3. What was going to make me WANT to get out of bed 80% of the time to go to school/work?

I looked at all my credits which I had transferred from one school to the next and realized the answer was: PSYCHOLOGY.

I had been learning about psychology since elementary school when my teacher took away my book during silent reading time because it was too advanced for me (it was “I’m Okay, You’re Okay,” a popular self-help book in the early 1980s). My only A+ grade over all my courses was in Adolescent Psychology back in Teachers College! Okay, let’s go!

So I transferred all my credits from Teachers College, Athabasca, and Accounting to the University of Calgary and discovered I only had to take two years of psychology courses and one elective to graduate! Woot! And I did just that. FYI, I got a BSc instead of a BA simply because I took “Introduction to Computer Science” as that last elective instead of “Gender Studies”. In my second term at UofC, I took a course in Intimate Relationships, thinking I’d go on to do a Master’s in Counselling. So I did an intensive six-month peer support training program to prepare for this eventuality while I also volunteered as a research assistant for a project on forgiveness (something I knew nothing about but sounded good). I shocked myself to the core when I realized I didn’t actually want to be a counsellor AND I fell in love with doing research!

Thankfully, the story gets shorter and picks up speed from here! Here’s what happens when you find YOUR purpose:

• BSc in Psychology (1998). I couldn’t get into the honours program because I failed gym and piano in Teachers’ College, BUT I did the Canadian Psychology Association Brendan Gail Rule Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research for my “directed studies” research project on forgiveness instead.
• MSc in Experimental Social Psychology (2000). Shifted my research focus to studying risk in romantic relationships. My master’s thesis data showed ABSOLUTELY NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES. Crap. Spent the summer trying to figure out why, when I was replicating and extending my supervisor’s very successful dissertation work. Took six months, but I figured it out by asking a lot of questions, and it became the basis for my PhD. Won the University of Calgary Graduate Studies Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award
• PhD in Experimental Social Psychology (2004). Found lots of significant differences this time around and a new theory of the role of trust and risk in cases of suspected infidelity. Won the New Scholar Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Contribution to Relationship Research from the International Network on Personal Relationships.
• UPEI Professor (2004-present). Got one of only three social psychology professor jobs in Canada and started just days after defending my dissertation.

• • Promoted to Assistant Professor in 2005, got tenure in 2007, promoted to Associate Professor in 2010, promoted to Full Professor in 2024.
  • 2012 UPEI Presidential Recognition Award of Merit for Teaching
  • 2012 UPEI Hessian Award for Excellence in Teaching
  • 2012 Developed “The Curiosity Project” approach to inquiry-based learning
  • 2016 UPEI Student Union Faculty of the Year (nominated every year since 2005)
  • 2020 Published a new theory of Inquiry-based Learning in Higher Education: A Pedagogy of Trust
  • 2022 Janet Pottie Murray Award for Educational Leadership
  • 2022 Published my first book “Reigniting Curiosity and Inquiry in Higher Education: A Realist’s Guide to Getting Started”
  • 2023 Association of Atlantic Universities Anne Marie MacDonald Excellence in Education Leadership Award
  • 2025 Published my second book, “Applying Inquiry-Based Learning Across the Disciplines”
  • 2025 3M National Teaching Fellowship
  • 2026 Nominated for D2L Innovation Award in Teaching and Learning

Now what I want you to do is look behind the accomplishments here to the irony: I was an average high school student. I went to three universities, had four majors, went full-time and part-time and even had to leave mid-semester twice, and finished graduate school faster than undergrad. I have failed courses. I was even a homeless couch surfer for six months when my two jobs weren’t enough to keep a roof over my head or feed myself. Not exactly a recipe for success in most people’s minds.

But here is the reality: Yes, it was very hard, but I kept asking questions. I kept exploring. And while I made a lot of changes, I never gave up on finding my purpose, place, and people. And now here I am, excelling, loving getting out of bed 80% of the time to go to work, and helping other young people find their way. I am not only resilient, but I am a thriver (which is the topic of a book I am writing with Tessa and Patience!). There is nothing special about me, no one who gave me a leg up or paid my bills, no AI to offload my work onto. I just kept going, asking questions, being curious and doing lots of reflection until I found my way. This means you can too.