That’s A Wrap

It’s hard to believe that this is my last blog. This year went by so quickly! Between work, blogging, school, pet-sitting, homework, papers, attending events and other extracurriculars, in addition to planning for New Zealand, I turned around and another year of school is under my belt. Although, in the midst of it, it felt never-ending! Joining the Student Life crew and blogging for First Nations House was an awesome opportunity. I’ve always wanted to get into the habit of writing as much as possible, and blogging was a great experience to get into the discipline of meeting deadlines and getting paid to do something I love! In addition, social media guru Hayley was brought in to teach us the tricks of the trade, something I think everyone can benefit from whether for your personal or academic life. Learning how to create engagement, contests, connect with your audience and organizing social media campaigns was a learning experience for someone who is not all that tech-savvy. Truthfully, I’d never even used Snapchat before joining the Student Life crew (lol). Blogging also gave me the reporter’s eye, so I was constantly on the lookout for social media snaps and events to write about. I had the chance to be much more involved than I was in first year and enjoyed working amongst a crew of writers. Here’s a few highlights from this year for events I attended and wrote about:

The Honouring Our Student’s Pow-Wow

SAGE’s Writing Retreat

Indigenous Blanket Exercise

Exploring Indigenous Food in Tkaronto

Indigenous Career Fair

First Nations House 25th Anniversary

Indigenous Education Week

Reflecting on my learning experiences in my Indigenous Language course The Water is Life Talk with Winona LaDuke If you are looking to get more involved in campus life and  looking for a work-study position, I suggest applying to the Student Life Community Crew next year as a way to expand your options and networking opportunities. Having that blogger mentality allowed me to break out of my normally reserved and slightly shy shell and engage with people, ask questions and write about it. I also want to personally thank First Nations House and my supervisor, Susan Blight, who offered me this position last September. It has been something I look forward to weekly as a break from academic writing and allowed me to exercise creative control over content. My first paid writing job! I look forward to travelling abroad this summer and hope everyone has a fantastic break (or summer school, if that’s what you’re doing). See you in the fall!