As students get ready for back to school, many older students are ready to leave the nest and start a new adventure.
This includes Ceanna Fischer and Hannah Webber of Rose Town. Hannah shared a heartfelt goodbye with her family on Friday at University of Regina.
“I’m going to miss them but it’ll be okay,” she said.
She gave her little brother Jacob a big hug before her family drove back home.
“I got really sad about it because I’m not going to see her at home anymore,” Jacob said. “But it’s also exciting because she’s going to move on with her life and I’m happy to see where she goes.”
The girls said the whole moving experience went smoothly.
“There was lots of help and it was pretty fun, also a little nervous,” Fischer said.
The pair are looking forward to meeting new people and watching some Cougars games.
“We’re both volleyball players so that’ll be pretty cool to watch,” Fischer said.
The move-in process was made easy thanks to volunteers at the university.
Bryan Wilson, manager of housing services at the University of Regina, said his favourite about the day is seeing the campus community come together.
“It’s really one opportunity where we really get to come together as a unit and show what the University of Regina pride really means for our students, and get them excited to start their new experience here,” he said.
Hundreds of people come together to help.
“We’ve got about 80 student volunteers today, and about 100 staff, as well as staff from our office as well too,” Wilson said on Friday.
“When students get here, we get them through the parking lot, get them their keys and get them up to the building. We have volunteers here to help them unload, get their stuff all the way into their new home, get it unloaded for them. And then we help them with anything we can from there, directing them to student ID and finding their classes.”
It’s a big day at the University of Regina, it’s move in day! A handful of student ambassadors spent all day helping first year students get settled in. pic.twitter.com/BazY9uyZ0w
— Nicole Garn (@garnnic) August 30, 2024
The big move-in day saw about 500 new students move in, but more will continue throughout the long weekend. In total there will be about 1,100 students living on campus.
Wilson said there are many perks to living at U of R.
“You’re really close to your classes and professors,” he said. “There’s a lot of supports and events. We have a residence life team that plan events, so we have over 50 events exclusive to our housing students.”
Academic advising, student wellness, career guidance and other programs are also offered to students directly on campus.
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Student ambassadors play an important role to campus life.
Jemejane Ogun, a third year computer science student, became an ambassador in her first year of university.
“I feel like it’s a nice experience when you get to be the face of the school and the first contact,” she said. “I do love meeting new people too.”
She loves meeting the new students and making them feel at home on the big day.
Ogun also lives on campus and said it’s a great way to make friends, and avoid waiting at the bus stop in the cold winter months.
“The experience is really nice,” she said. “Especially during the winter. Living off-campus you don’t get to meet as many people as you do on campus. It’s a really nice place to be.”
Her advice to new students is to get to move-in day early.
“My first day I came really late like 2 a.m.,” she said with a laugh. “So I didn’t see anyone. So it’s nice to see a lot of people and their reaction and things like that. It’s a good experience.”
She also encourages students to take care of themselves and have fun!
“Don’t be scared,” Ogun said. “Make friends and say hi. Make mistakes. Just don’t forget to get up when you make a mistake and let it be.”
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