Looking for different ways to get involved on campus? Meet Zehra! Not only was she one of the SSO FOC for this year’s Orientation Week, but she is currently a Student Ambassador, representing the University and its programs at various recruitment events such as the Ontario University Fair, Fall Open House, and March Break Open House.
1. You’ve been involved with so many different things on campus throughout the years. How do you organize your time each term?
Initially, like most people who wanted to get involved on campus, I joined way too many clubs and stretched myself out too thin (so I have learned my lesson from that). I always make sure that each year I only commit to activities I am really passionate about so I am more motivated to schedule my time beforehand. I am not a planner by nature, so I have had to force myself to plan my days ahead of time to make life easier. I love setting alarms on my ICalendar, carrying an agenda and physically crossing off items on my to do list, and most importantly, scheduling time to spend on things like reading, photography, and time with my family and friends. That way I always have fun things to look forward to on my agenda instead of just work.
2. You are currently a Student Ambassador at the Visitor’s Centre. How did you hear about the opportunity and what made you want to join the team?
It’s funny to reflect back on it now, but I think I’ve always wanted to be a Student Ambassador, even before I started at Waterloo. When I came to Waterloo for my own campus tour I just remember feeling like I finally belong somewhere and felt so sure about my decision to come to Waterloo. I wanted to be able to make other students feel a little less overwhelmed with the big decision of choosing the right University for them. What has motivated me to remain on the team consistently over the years, however, are all the awesome people I work with. I ALWAYS describe the Visitor’s Centre as the Disneyland of UW since it is really the happiest place on campus for me! From our supervisors to all of the lovely ambassadors, it truly is such a positive place to work. Some days (ok – most days) I like drop in into the Visitor’s Centre just to say hello, even if I’m not scheduled to work, because those interactions with my fellow team members immediately put me in an awesome mood! Each of the ambassadors bring very unique experiences to the team and have helped me develop an appreciation for all the amazing work students do on campus from academics to extracurriculars. Their life is an embodiment of their passions, and when they talk about their experiences with prospective students, even if you have heard the same story before, you can’t help but smile when you see their eyes light up and their expressions get so animated. We all want to empower students to pursue their own goals and dreams, no matter how “nerdy” or how “unconventional” that may be! And perhaps the best part about this team of student ambassadors is the authenticity in their interactions; it just makes you feel very honoured to have these people as your friends and colleagues.
3. What does it to mean to be a Student Ambassador and what is your favourite thing about it?
When I initially joined the team, I went in with the idea that I would get to talk about all my amazing experiences at the University in the hopes of inspiring other students to join our community. However, the best part about this role has been learning from the prospective students themselves, and their families, each time they walk through the door. I love listening to the student’s goals and dreams about choosing a program, that not only helps them fulfill their passion, but how they wish to pursue something that also has positive impact on the world. On my luckier days, I even get to hear a parent’s perspective of why they wanted their child to take a look at Waterloo and the sacrifices they’ve made to ensure their children got to live their dreams. For some parents, this included sacrificing their own dreams of studying at Waterloo, because they were unable to, but finally having that dream realized through their children. You get the privilege to hear these unique stories and get so invested in their life that you are compelled to dig deep and find not just the best fit program for them, but also the best residence on campus for their needs, the type of clubs they could join and the activities they could get involved with off-campus to help them feel an important part of the City of Waterloo community. It has helped me realize the importance of actually listening to people and understanding how I can help them, instead of giving them generic advice and hoping something just sticks with me talking about my experiences.
4. You were also a member of the Student Success Office Federation Orientation Committee (SSO FOC), what was that experience like and what is was it like to plan major welcome week events (such as Warrior Welcome)?
Being a FOC was probably one of the most unique experiences I have had on campus. Planning Orientation is a very important process, one that takes a lot of ideas, training, hiring, collaborating, compromising, and ultimately self-improvement. We had the opportunity to work on a team with people with completely different personalities but who had one goal in common – make UWOW16 the best possible week for our incoming students and the only way to get there was to respect the ideas and experiences we each brought to the team. It gave us an opportunity to challenge ourselves and try executing some event ideas differently than we normally would because the end goal was more important than our own goal of how we saw an event running. As SSO FOC we were blessed with the best group of leaders and their enthusiasm and positive attitude is what helped make all of our events possible. It made us excited to come in for early morning training sessions and working on schedules late nights and it just reminded us how lucky we were to have this opportunity, not because we got to don a yellow vest, but because we had these amazing individuals working alongside us making the week possible. ‘Cause let’s be real, who how would we run O-week with just 35 FOC, no leaders, and about 6,000 first year students?
5. What is one thing about the university that you love the most and would want to share with students interested in coming to Waterloo?
Once you get to experience student life at Waterloo, I realized that there is no pressure to become a certain kind of person that the rest of the world idolizes. You can be really into your academics and become best friends with your professors and TAs, or you could becomes involved with student leadership and basically meet 20 new best friends instantly, or you can be a wonder child and do everything you have ever wanted to do when you realize that academics, extracurricular, and a social life are not mutually exclusive. That kind of freedom, to truly have the chance of being your most authentic self is liberating and an opportunity not everyone gets to experience. And once you open yourself up to the chance of becoming the person you have always wanted to be, you give yourself a chance to meet people who have the same goals like you and together you can motivate each other towards self-improvement and cultivate a very positive life for yourself. This is the kind of University campus where students drive each other to be the best versions of them, you just have to find your people.