This week’s Campus Celebrity is Bavenjit Cheema. She is a third year Kinesiology student who has managed to find the time and commitment to join the Make Your Mark campaign as well as volunteering for several causes such as the Canuck Place, Vancouver Street Soccer, and the clinical research gym for breast cancer patients. Keep reading to hear more about Bavenjit and how she does more than her part on campus and in the community while balancing school!
Tell us about the “Make Your Mark” Campaign and Research Involvement.
The Make Your Mark Campaign is a student-led initiative aiming to pass a referendum in the upcoming election to secure funding for a new space for kinesiology students on campus. I got involved with the project this past summer when I heard about it through Kinesiology’s Special Projects Coordinator, Robyn Freiheit. I was drawn to the project because being a kinesiology student I have learned that we don’t really have our own “space” on campus. Being one of the newer and smaller faculties on campus, we are spread throughout a few different buildings. A lot of people think that the kinesiology students have classes in the War Memorial gym or Osborne, but the truth is that those are mainly gym spaces. It is very exciting to know that I can be part of the student group that started the momentum to give kineseology students the space they deserve on campus.
What role do you play?
I sit on what is known as the “Action Committee”, more specifically on the Public Engagement team. Our job within the campaign is to create events that physically engage the students on campus to make them aware of the initiative and the purpose behind Make Your Mark. Last semester we held a Student Forum that hosted just about 100 students and we are currently planning a few different events for the upcoming semester.
What does “Make Your Mark” mean to you?
I think this project has meant more and more to me as it has progressed from its beginning stages. When we started, we were not sure how we would go about presenting this campaign. It was actually kind of daunting to bring this project to life. You are never sure how others will receive it, if they will understand the message you are trying to get across, and if you will succeed in your goal. What I can say for sure though, is that once you persevere through the tough roadblocks, the end will give you results that you are proud of. To me, this campaign represents the power of student initiative and community. Seeing the passion everyone has towards the space kinesiology deserves, and the creative ideas on how to make a campaign successful, has definitely made the experience that much more enjoyable.
What sort of research are you involved in?
For the past year, I have been involved with the Clinical Exercise Physiology Lab at UBC, which has been an amazing learning experience! I first started with the lab by helping at their Clinical Research Gym for breast cancer patients. Basically, it was a research study taking place in a gym that was only open to women with breast cancer who had enrolled in the study. My job was to provide support for the women as they completed their workouts and to help with various data collection (like Blood pressures, and heart rates). This was amazing because I got to combine the knowledge I learned in classes to a real clinical population.I can’t put into words how in awe I was of the women: their ability to be so kind even during such a tough part in their life, their willingness to be so open, and their perseverance to get through workouts even when they were not feeling well. I truly believe in connecting with other people and learning about where they have come from, the experiences they have had, and getting to know them on a deeper level.
What other extracurricular are you involved in?
Another on of my involvements is volunteering at Canuck Place, which is a children’s hospice. This is hands down one of my favourite places to be. I basically act as a friend to the children in the house and play various games with them.
I also love playing soccer and have recently started volunteering with the Vancouver Street Soccer league which is volunteer-run organization that reaches out to individuals who have been homeless, are currently homeless, or are at risk of homelessness, as well as individuals who feel marginalized within their communities, or are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions. We address the issue of homelessness, marginalization, and addiction through inclusivity and soccer.
How do you balance these commitments with school?
I have to say that when I look back at a week and think about the amount of hours I spend doing “non academic work”, it seems to be a little crazy. But for some reason, during the week it all seems to balance out. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at buckling down and doing school work when I need to and making sure I make myself do a little bit everyday. In some ways though, the different involvements I have are almost like downtime because I spend this time working with amazing individuals who really make it feel like a social event. I think it’s about stepping back and making sure you enjoy what you are doing. And if you’re not, to be able to recognize that so you don’t feel like you are “wasting” your time at the end of the week. I think it’s important to understand that it’s okay to step away (at a respectable time) from projects that are overwhelming you or not fitting the types of goals you want to achieve. I think you should be passionate about everything that you invest your time into.