Meet this week’s campus profile Yostina! She’s in her second year of the Math/Teaching program and pursuing a French minor. She is the vice-president of the Waterloo Christian Orthodox Student Association (COSA) as well as a general member of Waterloo’s Teaching Student Association (TSA).
What is COSA?
It’s a relatively new club on campus and not a lot of people have heard about it. COSA is the Christian Orthodox Student Association, which is a group of orthodox students who have come together to engage in spiritual and social events. We’re pretty much just a group of students trying to cope with the stress of university and who like to spread positivity across campus.
As a religious group on campus, we are very inclusive and welcoming to everyone interested in learning about Orthodox Christianity or even just joining in on the social events.
You mentioned that the club is relatively new. Have you had any struggles trying to get your club up off the ground?
Our main struggle is that not many people know about our club and those who do know about our club are a little reluctant to join because we are a small group. In order to counteract this problem, we’ve been trying to build a foundation such as focusing on spreading more positivity on campus and trying to plan more events which are of interest to our members as well as creating a strong executive team.
Does COSA have anything exciting planned this term?
We’ve started a monthly Bible study for those who are interested in building a fellowship with Christ and learning about Orthodoxy . We also often hand out free hot chocolate and coffee on campus to spread positivity among UW students and inform people of Eastern Christianity, which people have shown great interest in lately! We have also had a few social events such as games night and are planning skating and wings nights soon. Oh and we’re also going to get club hoodies which is very exciting.
What is your biggest accomplishment at UW so far?
My biggest accomplishment would definitely be my contributions to COSA, as in reality, it takes a lot of time and effort, but I know that none of it has ever gone to waste. Every minute I put into planning events and such for this club has been so rewarding as I’ve been a part of this club since it first started and watching it grow since has been an amazing experience. In addition, I really like the environment this club has created as we really emphasize spreading positivity in our club and on campus, to the general student body. And because of this, it gives me the opportunity to make at least one person’s day better, and that to me is a pretty big accomplishment.
How do you think your executive position at COSA will help you in the future?
No matter what club you are a part of, I believe that all executive positions help build leadership and interpersonal skills by conducting weekly meetings and communicating ideas for events on campus. For me in particular, as someone who is pursuing a career in teaching, it is critical that I am able to successfully communicate my ideas with people and lead a group such as this one through the events we plan. On top of building leadership and interpersonal skills, I have also greatly improved my time management skills by constantly keeping my priorities in check and ensuring that everything that needs to get done for the club is done well and on time.
Where do you see COSA one year from now?
During the upcoming year, I hope to see more events taking place on campus, especially the Bible studies and acts of kindness (giving out free drinks and having people write nice comments on the cups for those passing by afterwards). Also, it’s amazing how many new friends I’ve made just by actively being part of this club and I really hope more students – and especially the first years – take advantage of this great community we have on campus.
If you would like to learn more about COSA, check them out on Facebook.