![\"Claire](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Claire-Gittins.jpg\")
Claire Gittins, seated front left, joined the Clean Earth Foundation to tidy the trails around the University during her first year at Brock.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cThat was the first day I felt like everything was really happening,\u201d she said. \u201cThey showed you how to pick your courses and find your way around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the Port Colborne native was attending the event with her twin brother, Spencer, the pair parted ways when it came time to tour their chosen residences. This led to a fortuitous meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was the only person who went on the residence tour without a parent or friend,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the tour guide made sure to learn my name and get to know me. On moving day, she was there to give me my keys and it felt like I was moving home because I already knew someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
After settling in, Gittins embraced the activities of Orientation Week with the same open mind she had brought to Smart Start, and her attitude led to positive interactions with other members of the Brock community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went to an A-Z Learning Services clinic during my first week and learned how to take great notes, which has been really helpful,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd my English professor actually personally showed me how to look for literary criticisms in the library.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other highlights followed as the year progressed and Gittins took on the task of living on her own for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving in residence has been awesome,\u201d she said. \u201cMy don puts on lots of fun activities in Vallee and I have made a lot of friendships that will carry on well after we have moved out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The wealth of new experiences Gittins enjoyed in her first year also extended beyond campus.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had also never been to see live basketball before I went to Brock\u2019s big games against Carleton at the Meridian Centre,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can see why we are known to have the best fans in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
To round out her busy schedule, Gittins has also joined several clubs, including the Creative Writing Club and English Students\u2019 Association, which provided a taste of the inclusive atmosphere that the University provides.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are welcome anywhere in any group,\u201d she said. \u201cClubs interact with other clubs, and there is something here for everyone on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having made the most of her first year, Gittins felt she was qualified to provide a similarly seamless transition to the one she had enjoyed during Smart Start the previous summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew that I could share about my own awesome experience,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I loved going on the tours, coming to Open House and going over all of the information as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only challenge Gittins faces in preparing for the role is the desire to get started right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I see a group of students going on a tour, I have to resist the urge to jump in and interact with them,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting for them, and I can\u2019t wait to share all of the great things Brock offers when I am the tour guide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luckily, on her visits home, Gittins has been able to review her talking points with a captive audience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have practised my new Smart Start speeches on my cousin, and he is going to come here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
As she prepares to start her new role this summer, Gittins has focused on one point most of all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I talked to friends from other schools they usually said their \u2018university is great, but,\u2019 and then made reference to something they thought could be better,\u201d she said. \u201cAt Brock, almost everyone seems to say \u2018Brock is great, because,\u2019 and then describes all of the things they like. The positivity and inclusivity that this attitude shows was one of the main reasons I came here, and I can\u2019t wait to share that with everyone this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Registration is now open for all three of Brock\u2019s summer orientation programs \u2014 Smart Start, LEAP and BaseCamp. To learn more about each program or to register to participate, visit the Discover Brock website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Claire Gittins is ready to take on a new role that\u2019s been a year in the making. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":50718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[40,1,4],"tags":[6549,351,194,5597],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50717"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50720,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50717\/revisions\/50720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}