Meet Lawrence Lam, a fun-loving and kind person. When he’s not working at the UVic Residence Services Office, he can be found at CARSA avidly enjoying a spin class.
Lawrence’s title as the Coordinator of Community Development and Student Leadership does not even begin to describe the extent of his role. Overseeing student staff training, the judicial process and leadership programs are just a few of the many tasks Lawrence performs in his position within Residence Services. Although Lawrence does a variety of things he has no complaints. He finds his role very rewarding in that he has the opportunity to watch people grow.
Lawrence first started his career in Residence Life and Education at McMaster. While studying biology in his undergraduate years, Lawrence worked as a Residence Advisor (RA). He immediately “fell in love with building community and [the] sense of belonging”. Lawrence found that the skills he gained in his time as an RA at McMaster were becoming more valuable than the learning that was occurring inside the classroom. At times, he felt as if he were going to school to be an RA instead of just going to school for school. This is the reason why when he saw a job positing for a Residence Life Coordinator (RLC) position at UVic he jumped at the chance.
Lawrence had never really thought of Residence Life and Education as a career. When he first held the position of RLC at UVic, he thought he would only be in the west coast for a year before pursuing a career in science. However, he soon realized that a career in Residence Services was one that was important to him. Now, he plays the role of developing programs for students in residence and he loves it .Lawrence has no regrets when it comes to the path he decided to take. He enjoys working with a diverse group of staff, meeting new people and helping students to succeed overall in their time in university. A notable moment for Lawrence is watching student staff graduate because he is able to visibly see the growth that has occurred since their first year on residence or first year as a staff member. Lawrence has found that his time working in Residence Services has provided him with the opportunity to see the direct impact his work has on others.
Currently, Lawrence is working on the Leadership Development Program (LDP). This program offers students across campus the ability to gain transferable skills in a wide range of topics. Students may attend sessions on nutrition, consent, diversity, resumes, cover letters and discover the inner workings of Residence Life and Education. Once six sessions have been completed, a student will receive a certificate and the completion of the LDP will be recorded in the student’s co-curricular record (a transcript of the activities a student has done outside of schoolwork). Lawrence describes the program as a great way “to meet like-minded people” and to gain the confidence to “tackle whatever [your time at university] may bring”.
In the future Lawrence hopes to continue his work in Residence Life and Education on the beautiful island of Hawaii. If you are interested in learning more about the LDP and attending some sessions, click here.