Life at The University of Calgary has been a real change for me. I came here having a rough idea of what to expect but time after time, I was proved wrong. This new atmosphere and new way of living encouraged me to engage all of my senses. It pushed me to become more efficient in my work and to become improve my time management skills. Living on residence taught me the essentials of living on my own. I have never received a full dose of the university life until now.
The first few weeks started off quite overwhelmingly. First was Orientation week, where I had no clue where I was on campus and had to constantly check my U of C map every few minutes, although I can say that now I have gotten much better at navigating my way around campus. Next came frosh week where I got a chance to see the size of the engineering community and experience the joys of being a Schulich engineer. As time passed, I also learned what it meant to be a Schulich Engineer.
During these past few months, I have opened myself up to many opportunities. I was lucky enough to have joined U of C Engineers without Border’s FairTrade Team, “Light up the World Foundation” and the Emerging Leader’s Program. I was also honored to have gotten invited to join Scholars Academy. One thing I got out of joining these clubs was the chance to meet people who share the same interests and views as I do. Getting to know these people and reaching out to others, letting them know the hidden issues in the world is very enlightening. Also, I feel good knowing that my involvement in these clubs will have an international impact for people on the other side of the globe. It has been hard trying to balance both school and extracurricular. I found that putting school work as priority may not always be the best decision, because sometimes getting involved in extracurricular events are equally as important and fulfilling.
Within the vast population of the university I have gained many new perspectives and I have met many incredibly diverse people. To be honest, first year engineering has its tough times but it’s my friends that have helped me through it. I couldn’t have asked to have met a better and more interesting group of people.