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Home / 2013 / August / 26 / Welcome mat rolls out for students new to UBC’s Okanagan campus
Student Life

Welcome mat rolls out for students new to UBC’s Okanagan campus

August 26, 2013

Jess O'Toole and Kate Helmore

Participants such as Jess O’Toole and Kate Helmore (foreground, left to right) are turned into human canvases during Colour Me UBC. Part of Create on Sept. 3, the event outfits students with Tuum Est (“It is up to you”) T-shirts and a colour mixture made from cornstarch and tempera paint powder.

Create, Jump Start and Kick Start orientation events welcome newcomers

Most people remember their first day at a post-secondary school. Sometimes it’s exciting, sometimes it’s daunting. Often it’s both.

That’s why staff, faculty, and student volunteers at UBC’s Okanagan campus go the extra mile to ensure that new incoming students not only experience a warm welcome as they begin their undergraduate journeys, but also feel they are not alone.

Campus Life manager Liz Hilliard says it’s important for new students, and often their parents, to know they are among peers and have plenty of support networks.

“Attending university is a life-changing experience,” says Hilliard. “We want to make sure that all of our new-to-UBC students and their families are confident in the decision they have made, and that they feel welcome as soon as they step foot on the Okanagan campus.”

Create New Student Orientation begins at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 3, and continues throughout the day. During Create, new-to-UBC students meet other first-year classmates and student leaders in their respective areas of study. They can also participate in campus tours, meet the Dean of their faculty, see a showcase of UBC and Kelowna-based resources, and attend an evening concert on the campus Commons.

“Create is a great way for students to become comfortable with new people, get excited about their program, and discover the endless opportunities available to them,” says Create coordinator Alanna Ekkert.

UBC staff also organize Jump Start, from Aug. 25 to Aug. 30, and Kick Start, Aug. 28 to 31 –

week-long activities designed for international and out-of-province (or out-of-region) students, respectively. Participants experience a wide range of off-campus activities while they explore the Okanagan, participate in preparatory workshops, and begin friendships that will last a lifetime.

“Kick Start provided me with a tremendous sense of belonging and the skills necessary for a successful university transition,” says Kelly Panchyshyn, Kick Start Orientation coordinator and former program participant. “I am incredibly excited to offer a similar experience to this year’s participants.”

For 18-year-old Chilliwack student David Pederson, knowing there are several resources and events like Create available to him will make his first move away from home just a little bit easier. Pederson, who participated in a campus tour this summer, chose UBC’s Okanagan campus because he likes the size of the campus, and recognizes it comes with high-calibre study and research opportunities.

“I know that my studies in biochemistry will be demanding, but going on the campus tour and participating in opening-day activities will enable me to be as ready as I can be,” says the incoming Bachelor of Science student. “UBC Okanagan offers exactly what I am looking for – a smaller and more personal setting for academic study, as well as an abundance of facilities and opportunities for me to maintain my active lifestyle.”

This fall, more than 2,900 students are new to their program of study (some may have been registered at UBC before, but in a different program). Most of them are expected to participate in some sort of orientation program.

For Welcome Week event updates and details, check out:

  • Create: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/newtoubc/orientations/create
  • JumpStart: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/newtoubc/orientations/jumpstart
  • Kick Start: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/students/newtoubc/orientations/kickstart
  • Week of welcome: ubcsuo.ca/events/week-of-welcome
Colour Me UBC

Part of Create on Sept. 3, the Colour Me UBC event outfits students with Tuum Est (“it is up to you”) T-shirts and a colour mixture made from cornstarch and tempera paint powder.

–30—

Media Contact

Patty Wellborn
Media Relations Strategist
University Relations

The University of British Columbia
Okanagan campus
Tel: 250 317 0293
E-mail: patty.wellborn@ubc.ca

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About UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan campus is an innovative hub for research and learning founded in partnership with local Indigenous peoples, the Syilx Okanagan Nation, in whose traditional, ancestral and unceded territory the campus resides. The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top five per cent of universities in the world, and among the top three Canadian universities.

The Okanagan campus combines a globally recognized UBC education with a tight-knit and entrepreneurial community that welcomes students and faculty from around the world in British Columbia’s stunning Okanagan Valley. For more visit ok.ubc.ca.

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We respectfully acknowledge the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples, in whose traditional, ancestral, unceded territory UBC Okanagan is situated.

 

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