Future Students

Vancouver Island University’s ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins Aboriginal student mentorship program is celebrating its 10^th anniversary in September 2021. In honour of this important milestone, we are sharing the stories of 12 people closely connected with the program – one per month – leading up to the anniversary.

The ‘su’luqw’a’ Community Cousins program builds capacity for mentors to gain leadership and employability skills through outreach and mentoring activities. Students hone skills in self-awareness, communication, leadership, self-care and an exploration of personal values, with an emphasis on “telling one’s story” as a path to self-empowerment through outreach to others.

We are all aware that it isn’t business as usual these days and as BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says, “This isn’t forever, it’s just for now.” So, although we don’t know how long we will be adapting through the pandemic, there are jobs that need to be done during this time and although it may be a bit more challenging to find good jobs, be resilient, adaptable and open. As non-essential businesses and services continue to re-open, more and more opportunities will emerge. Here are a few actions to take to help you work toward your employment goals.

Wow, we’re now in October, which means we’re a few weeks into classes for many programs. What a September it has been! I imagine that for much of the VIU Community, if not all, this September has presented some new challenges and has involved some pretty major adjustments. The shift to this hybrid education model, with so much being online, has meant that we’ve all had to learn new things on top of our usual day-to-day requirements.

Do you find yourself constantly fighting a massive to-do list that never gets smaller or struggling with completing assignments on time? Sharon Kelly, VIU’s Success Coach, says conquering the to-do list starts with first knowing your priorities.

This post is excerpted from Lessons for Decolonizing Post-Secondary Institutions. You can find the full article on The Ripple Effect Project, the Office of Aboriginal Education and Engagement’s blog.

Starting university creates a lot of new. New school, new friends, new classes, and along with all that there’s new lingo to learn! University lingo can be hard to navigate at first, but our fourth-year veterans, Kass and Dayna, have compiled a list of commonly used terms to help get you through!

Alumni

Graduates/former students of the university. They often provide support to current students. Singular: alumnus (male) or alumna (female).

Bachelor’s Degree

A degree given to a student after studying at University for four-years.

VIU President Dr.

Looking for a convenient way to earn a few dollars while building your experience in a flexible environment made for busy students? VIU student employment may be your answer. Every year VIU offers a range of interesting work opportunities for students, allowing you to gain resumé-building career experiences while helping to pay the bills.

Not sure if a VIU student job is for you? Check out these 7 advantages to student employment then learn more about how to find a job that may be right for you.

Like many students, we found the sudden move to online learning last spring to be an overwhelming experience. It was challenging to motivate ourselves to find a routine and finish our classes. But we did it and want to pass on our newfound knowledge to help other students have an easier time.

First, here are our top five bad habits that impacted our productivity when VIU moved to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: 

Our federal and provincial governments have introduced many relief measures for Canadians and British Columbians suffering financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What this has meant for students is that there is more support to help those in need pay for university than ever before for the 2020-21 academic year.

Are you wondering where to get started? From bumps to existing programs, to new measures designed to stimulate the economy and get students back to work and school, here’s a roundup of some funding options: