Reasons to volunteer on campus
In honour of National Volunteer Week, I thought I would talk about why I chose to volunteer on campus and why it made my Ontario Tech experience a great one.
To give back
When I was an incoming student, I was truly in awe of the peer leaders on campus. They were knowledgeable, friendly, kind, and so much more. After my own orientation, I thought to myself that I definitely wanted to pay it forward and help other incoming students feel at ease, the same way my peer leaders helped me. It was so rewarding to become a peer leader and then a senior peer leader to aid in the mentorship process.
To network and make connections
Naturally, I found it easiest to make friends with people in my program. However, volunteering through various Student Life initiatives allowed me to network with students in different faculties. This was enriching to learn about different programs, workloads, interests, etc.
By volunteering with the Digital Community I got to collaborate with students and staff of various backgrounds. This experience and being able to network was a stepping stone to applying through the University Works program to work as a Digital Community Assistant.
To enhance your skills
I didn’t realize how much volunteering would positively enhance my skill set. For example, I’m not particularly fond of public speaking or presentations but I was given so many opportunities to build my confidence and improve. Volunteering is truly a team effort, and I was able to collaborate, problem-solve, enhance my communication skills, and so much more. All of the skills and experiences I gained as a volunteer were great to mention in job interviews and have continued to help me to this day.
Overall, volunteering on campus only brought value to my student experience. I encourage anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer on campus to do it! It was truly one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience. Even after graduating I can’t help but continue to come back to the Digital Community to see what our amazing content creators (who graciously volunteer their time to write articles) are up to.
Thank you, volunteers!
Latest Digital Community Blog
- Moving Up and Moving Out: Balancing Personal Needs While Sharing a SpaceConsidering a roommate? This article is a must-read for people who have roommates or thinking of getting one! Read for all steps needed for a comfortable living situation.
- Study Secrets For SuccessWant to know the best ways to study? Read this article to get tips and techniques for the best grades!
- How to Email Your Professor and TANeed some help on where and how to email your professors/TAs? This article shows you the etiquette and methods to email effectively!
- Five natural stress relief methods that actually workGet rid of your stress the natural way with this helpful guide
- Your Ultimate Guide to ScholarshipsAs students, we could all use some extra cash, and I’ve got a guide to the jackpot.
- Unique Things To Do This SummerAre you bored of the same old activities this summer? Let me give you activities you probably haven't done before for a more exciting summer!
