Category E: Volunteer Activities in Canada
In Canada, I’ve been involved in several campus and community volunteering roles, including TRU Alumni events, TRU Sustainability initiatives, MSA volunteering, and local community activities. But the experience that shaped my global competency the most was TRU World Orientation.
Volunteering with TRU World Orientation has been one of the most meaningful ways I’ve developed my global competency in Canada. As an Orientation volunteer, I welcomed new international students on their very first day — students arriving from different cultures, languages, comfort levels, and life stories. I guided them around campus, helped them understand TRU services, and answered the kinds of questions that you only think of when everything feels new and unfamiliar.
What made this experience powerful was the diversity of the students I met. Some were excited, some shy, some overwhelmed, and some still adjusting to a new country. Supporting them taught me how to communicate in ways that felt clear and reassuring across different accents, cultural expectations, and personalities. I learned to listen first, speak gently, and pay attention to the small signs of what someone might need — whether that was information, encouragement, or just a friendly face.
This role directly strengthened my global competency:
- Cultural awareness: Understanding that every student’s background shaped how they asked questions and handled uncertainty.
- Adaptability: Adjusting my communication style to suit students who were anxious, confident, quiet, or curious.
- Empathy: Remembering my own first days in Canada and using that experience to make others feel seen and supported.
- Inclusive communication: Making sure information felt accessible regardless of someone’s language comfort or cultural experience.
In many ways, volunteering at Orientation helped me give back to the same global community that once helped me. It reminded me that global competency isn’t something you “study” — it’s something you practice in real moments of connection, kindness, and understanding. Helping new students feel at home in Kamloops made me feel more rooted too, and it strengthened my belief that small acts of support can create a more inclusive campus for everyone.
Category-E-Volunteer-Activity-final-email