Hi Badgers! I’m sure the semester is in full swing now and everyone is up to their ears in school work 🙂
Something that I have always enjoyed every semester is my extra-curricular involvement. Getting involved in student clubs was one of the best decisions I made in my university career. Right from first year, I got involved in business clubs like the Business Students Association and a Christian group on campus called Power to Change.
During the next couple of years, I had the opportunity to hold executive positions like the Vice President of External Affairs role with the Goodman Human Resources Management club and the International Assistant role with the Goodman Career Development Office. Now, in my fourth year, I am leading a weekly group meeting with Power to Change, involved in the Brock Conversation Partners program, and representing Brock as an International Student Ambassador. I also enjoy participating in case competitions and have had the chance to win medals at different competitions. All these experiences have taught me so much and have helped develop many skills!
Roles like the International Ambassador and VP of External Affairs helped me develop communication and interpersonal skills. The phrase “practice makes perfect” is quite accurate when it comes to public speaking. Through all the opportunities I have received to present in front of large and small audiences, I have improved my presentation skills. Participating in case competitions and representing the Goodman School of Business at competitions such as DECA U Provincials has helped as well. This past January, our university received 17 medals, and my partner and I placed second in the B2B Marketing category at the provincial DECA competition.
Coming in as a new student to Brock straight out of university, I did not have many experiences that I could showcase on my resume or in a job interview. These extra curricular involvements gave me valuable experiences that I can use in interview conversations to display the different skills that I have developed so far. During my interviews for my co-op terms, I was able to share different work situations that I had faced and described how I solved problems that arose during the course of a business club event, for example.
Apart from the benefits that involvement on campus can do for your professional growth, it does wonders for your personal and relational development too! Getting involved in clubs like Brock Power to Change right from my first year opened doors to a very supportive, loving, fun community of university students. Being new to Canada and not knowing anyone at Brock, I was thrilled to meet like-minded people that I grew very fond of, through the weekly club events and different social activities during the week. Now being in my fourth-year, it’s great to see that most of my closest friends are people I met at a Power to Change event in first year.
I would encourage every Brock student, whether you are in your first year or almost ready to graduate, to get involved in events on campus. Ten or twenty years down the line, it is these experiences that you will remember and cherish, so why not make some more of them? 🙂
