Mackenzie Macht
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I began my studies in Sciences and never dreamed I could study arts… but I loved English 110 I got the courage to take English 121 and it just took off from there.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
Doing my arts degree alongside the bright, funny, inspiring faculty and students of the English Honours and Medieval Studies has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I had the space and support to figure out how to really learn.
I use what I learned in my arts degree every day of my life in my work as a midwife as I help folks make sense of their transition to parenthood.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
I came to UBC determined to get good grades, get out, and make a lot of money. Something about being there made me have a change of heart… I decided to delve into my studies and enjoy what I was learning. I developed strong critical thinking skills and this, along with the lifelong friends and mentors I found at UBC, have been essential to my success as a midwife, wife, and parent.
What clubs, programs or opportunities were you involved in at UBC?
I loved everything about English Honours and found lots to do within the program. I got to work on course selection committees and host social events as part of the Honours council. I wrote for UBC’s Journal of Canadian Studies and UBC’s English journal The Garden Statuary. I was also president of Caribou Residence at Vanier. During the summer I worked as a camp counsellor at Shad at UBC, a camp for high school science students.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
After graduating from English Honours and Medieval Studies I worked as a yoga teacher and medical receptionist in my small hometown. I love learning so much I then went to graduate school to do an MA and figure out whether academia was for me. During my MA I decided I wanted to do something more hands on and social and applied on a whim to Midwifery. There were 800 applicants and they accepted 20 of us; I’m sure my strong communication skills and good storytelling, honed in my English Honours degree at UBC, were a reason I stood out.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
My current career path isn’t as prestigious or lucrative as high school me would have hoped; however, I am very, very happy to be a midwife.
The primary challenges facing midwives are political — not enough funding, Hospital privilege caps, misogyny… I find that as midwives we best address these issues when we work together and can assess the political landscape with a clear head. I learned the critical thinking necessary to do this work at UBC.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
Every day I get to work with people during a meaningful part of their life, I get to work with my hands, and I tackle issues that are emotionally, psychologically, physiologically complex. The critical thinking skills honed in my arts degree at UBC have enabled me to do this work with a clear head.
Becoming pregnant, giving birth, and having a baby is often a surreal life event. People use storytelling to make sense of how it all unfolds — that’s just how the human brain works. Storytelling is amazing for morale in labour; it’s very powerful to have a midwife holding space there in your living room or hospital room weaving in stories from your life and your labour — “I know your mom had an unexplained stillbirth and that makes this long labour seem more scary but based on what I’m seeing things are going really, really well and your body knows what to do.”
I tell a short compelling story to an obstetrician when I need something from them, like a vacuum delivery. I have to know that obstetrician’s story as part of my consult, know my audience — what do they look at every day and how will that impact the case I’m suddenly presenting to them?
I learned how to learn through my UBC arts degree — how to relentlessly pursue information, read everything, and distill it down. In midwifery (and parenting) I know who is doing the research, why they are into that subject, what school they are working out of and how this impacts the knowledge they are producing. I am critical of everything and take nothing for granted. I can smell bad practice from miles away even when it’s enshrined in an approved medical algorithm I’m supposed to follow.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
My arts degree has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It cracked my brain open and taught me how to learn and be in the world. In midwifery school, after my arts degree, I found myself in anatomy and physiology classes with students from premed health sciences, nursing, and biomedical engineering. “No problem,” I thought. “I know how to learn.” I graduated with Honours. Later got the job I wanted, at a popular practice in downtown Toronto. “Your cover letter was really, really good,” they told me.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Listen to your heart. It will tell you, for example, if you need to travel to gain experience or if you can grow where you are planted — I have had to do both at different times in my life.
What advice would you give your graduating self?
The critical thinking skills you have honed at UBC will serve you for the rest of your life and make you a better partner, parent, friend, and worker.
Mackenzie Macht
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I began my studies in Sciences and never dreamed I could study arts… but I loved English 110 I got the courage to take English 121 and it just took off from there.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
Doing my arts degree alongside the bright, funny, inspiring faculty and students of the English Honours and Medieval Studies has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. I had the space and support to figure out how to really learn.
I use what I learned in my arts degree every day of my life in my work as a midwife as I help folks make sense of their transition to parenthood.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
I came to UBC determined to get good grades, get out, and make a lot of money. Something about being there made me have a change of heart… I decided to delve into my studies and enjoy what I was learning. I developed strong critical thinking skills and this, along with the lifelong friends and mentors I found at UBC, have been essential to my success as a midwife, wife, and parent.
What clubs, programs or opportunities were you involved in at UBC?
I loved everything about English Honours and found lots to do within the program. I got to work on course selection committees and host social events as part of the Honours council. I wrote for UBC’s Journal of Canadian Studies and UBC’s English journal The Garden Statuary. I was also president of Caribou Residence at Vanier. During the summer I worked as a camp counsellor at Shad at UBC, a camp for high school science students.
What was your first job after graduation and what other jobs did you have before your current position?
After graduating from English Honours and Medieval Studies I worked as a yoga teacher and medical receptionist in my small hometown. I love learning so much I then went to graduate school to do an MA and figure out whether academia was for me. During my MA I decided I wanted to do something more hands on and social and applied on a whim to Midwifery. There were 800 applicants and they accepted 20 of us; I’m sure my strong communication skills and good storytelling, honed in my English Honours degree at UBC, were a reason I stood out.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
My current career path isn’t as prestigious or lucrative as high school me would have hoped; however, I am very, very happy to be a midwife.
The primary challenges facing midwives are political — not enough funding, Hospital privilege caps, misogyny… I find that as midwives we best address these issues when we work together and can assess the political landscape with a clear head. I learned the critical thinking necessary to do this work at UBC.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
Every day I get to work with people during a meaningful part of their life, I get to work with my hands, and I tackle issues that are emotionally, psychologically, physiologically complex. The critical thinking skills honed in my arts degree at UBC have enabled me to do this work with a clear head.
Becoming pregnant, giving birth, and having a baby is often a surreal life event. People use storytelling to make sense of how it all unfolds — that’s just how the human brain works. Storytelling is amazing for morale in labour; it’s very powerful to have a midwife holding space there in your living room or hospital room weaving in stories from your life and your labour — “I know your mom had an unexplained stillbirth and that makes this long labour seem more scary but based on what I’m seeing things are going really, really well and your body knows what to do.”
I tell a short compelling story to an obstetrician when I need something from them, like a vacuum delivery. I have to know that obstetrician’s story as part of my consult, know my audience — what do they look at every day and how will that impact the case I’m suddenly presenting to them?
I learned how to learn through my UBC arts degree — how to relentlessly pursue information, read everything, and distill it down. In midwifery (and parenting) I know who is doing the research, why they are into that subject, what school they are working out of and how this impacts the knowledge they are producing. I am critical of everything and take nothing for granted. I can smell bad practice from miles away even when it’s enshrined in an approved medical algorithm I’m supposed to follow.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
My arts degree has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. It cracked my brain open and taught me how to learn and be in the world. In midwifery school, after my arts degree, I found myself in anatomy and physiology classes with students from premed health sciences, nursing, and biomedical engineering. “No problem,” I thought. “I know how to learn.” I graduated with Honours. Later got the job I wanted, at a popular practice in downtown Toronto. “Your cover letter was really, really good,” they told me.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Listen to your heart. It will tell you, for example, if you need to travel to gain experience or if you can grow where you are planted — I have had to do both at different times in my life.
What advice would you give your graduating self?
The critical thinking skills you have honed at UBC will serve you for the rest of your life and make you a better partner, parent, friend, and worker.
