New Grad Students Receive Warm Vancouver Welcome

New master’s students at NYIT-Vancouver spent two days at Fall orientation getting to know each other, their university, and, for many of the new arrivals, Vancouver.

Campus life assistants and orientation leaders led interactive activities for the incoming group, including a workshop on culture shock. Most students in Vancouver come from outside of Canada (the class represents 13 different countries), and getting used to a new country is the first step in their adjustment to NYIT. Orientation leaders also gave tours of the campus and the surrounding areas of downtown Vancouver, including the Vancouver Public Library.

Leaders of the NYIT-Vancouver Graduate Students Association (GSA) also welcomed the students and encouraged them to get connected. “As an officer of the GSA, I explained how we will support them with any concerns or challenges they have while on campus,” said Victor Oluwajuwon Badejo, GSA Communications Officer.

Lead faculty members gave advice about how to approach the first semester of the master’s programs. Representatives from the offices of the Registrar; Career Services and Alumni Relations; the Bursar; Recruitment/Admissions/Study Permits; Academic Support and Campus Life; and the Writing Centre gave short presentations about their services and how new arrivals can best access them. In addition, faculty and staff members were available to answer questions and to get to know their new students.

Gbemisola Oluwabukonla Adgboye, who is starting an M.B.A., said of the activities, “Faculty, staff, and old students graciously shared their experiences. It was the beginning of bonding among us.”

The two-day event culminated in an outing to nearby Canada Place, a major events venue on the Vancouver waterfront. There, the group visited “FlyOver Canada,” a virtual reality flight across the many landscapes, peoples, and cultures of Canada.

Orientation leader Yihan Yang said, “My favorite part of orientation was meeting people from different cultures. You get to see the world through their experiences.”

Photos by NYIT student Miranda Cabiladas.