Being a part of a club or society is a great way to get the most out of your time here at UW. Getting involved can be a fun way to spend some of your free time, learn new skills and establish connections. I know many students at UW are in the Co-op program, which can make it difficult to make friends if you have to move every 4 months. Joining a club or society can help resolve some of this stress by introducing you to students with the same goals and interests as you!
As a 4A student in the Arts & Business program, I have been impressed with the revamping of The ARBUS Society over the last 2 years. They have put on numerous events that have helped draw attention to the program and have benefitted students in countless ways. I recently spoke with two members of the executive team, Brahmi Sathyandran and Laryssa Li, in order to find out more about them and The ARBUS Society.
Meet: Brahmi Sathyandran, HR executive
Program: Arts & Business – Sociology major
Hometown: Markham, ON
Motto: Take any opportunity to help someone through the momentary worries they are facing.
How did you get involved in The ARBUS Society? My friend Laryssa was originally part of the society so I applied when the positions became available.
What inspired you to join? I wasn’t really part of clubs and societies beforehand and I always wanted to get involved in extra-curricular and being part of something associated with my program made sense.
How can others get involved? Students can attend our events if they are in ARBUS or they can apply for a position when applications open at the end of the semester. Our positions range from HR, finance, events coordinators, marketing, and presidential roles.
What are your goals for this term? Honestly, it’s to give lower year students technical workshops and solid advice in terms of co-op and help them out in any way possible.
What advice would you give a student looking to take on a leadership role? Do your best to help those around you without compromising your own values.
Meet: Laryssa Li, Co-President
Program: Arts & Business – Psychology major
Hometown: Markham, ON
Motto: Everything happens for a reason! Don’t dwell on something for too long.
What inspired you to join? I joined the team in my 2A term because I wanted to become more connected within the ARBUS community. Since all of us have our specific majors, it’s really hard to become connected within ARBUS, so I decided to join the team!
How can others get involved? Follow us on our social media to find out when we’re hiring! We love new faces!
What are your goals for this term? Our goals for this term are to, hopefully, put on some cool events that will benefit our students, and that our students are able to take away something from each event that we host (Figuratively and literally).
What advice would you give a student looking to take on a leadership role? If you’re looking at taking a leadership role, start small! Take a leadership role within your group project! Then start looking at joining club/societies, where you can start developing and work on your leadership roles in those clubs/societies. Joining Orientation is a great way to develop leadership skills, as you’ll be able to work with and lead over 90+ first-year students!
Clubs and societies are always looking for new members, so be sure to keep an eye out for any opportunities to get involved!
CONTACT INFO
Email: arbussociety@gmail.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/uwarbussociety/
*Photos provided courtesy of the ARBUS Society