Tejinder is an international student from India who started his Business Management program during the pandemic. His student orientation, classes, and networking were all done virtually and for the first few months he was unable to travel to Canada, so he was studying on the other side of the world. It was only when he came across volunteer opportunities with VOLT that he really started to feel like part of the Langara community.
“In September I came across Langara Connects, which is a very popular virtual event for new students. I was so fascinated about the how open everyone was. They were all just talking to each other and playing games and weren’t nervous that this was the first time they were meeting. Then I learned about Clubs Day and about the VOLT program. I went to the VOLT Volunteer Fair and learned that students can volunteer according to their interests.”
That’s where Tejinder met Clauzi from the Office for Student Engagement. Clauzi encouraged Tejinder to sign up for the E-Team because that was the group who helped run the Langara Connects events.
“I started with the E-Team last September it's been a great experience. I joined because I wanted to find some connections and this team also taught me how to manage my time and deadlines. Now I want to learn how to lead, how to express my thoughts and how to work on a team in the Canadian context.”
The E-team gave Tejinder the opportunity to take initiative. He was able to turn his ideas into real events for students. Plus, he has been able to make strong connections and life-long friends. “E-team has allowed me to build a lot of professional connections but when I look back, I see that I made a number of friends who I talk to daily.”
When Tejinder started at Langara, he was nervous and unsure of his decision to move to a new country during a pandemic. “I didn’t know what I would do and I didn’t know many people. Volunteering helped me feel at home. I knew there were other international students who were feeling the same way and by volunteering, I knew that I could positively impact them as well. One of my main drivers was to help international students feel connected.”
This year for National Volunteer Week, the theme is the value of one, the power of many. When asked what that means, Tejinder says, “one person can have an idea, but a team can contribute and expand your idea into something very special. A team helps lift up your morale and confidence and lets you know you’re not alone.
Tejinder plans to volunteer even after he is done studying at Langara. “Each student should try volunteering at least once in their lifetime. If I had to describe volunteering in one word, it would be phenomenal.”