Hello Everyone! My name is Victoria Perak and I am this year's Director of Events! Throughout this blog post I am going to share a little bit about myself, my journey to BU and my experience thus far.
I was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario- a city about an hour outside of Toronto. I absolutely love the city I grew up in because of the great sense of community. Growing up, I spent a lot of my time as a competitive dancer and also played volleyball and basketball. My high school experience was shaped by extracurriculars. Student government, DECA, sports and volunteering took up most of my time and I can honestly say that these clubs shaped the person I am today. I think getting involved in any school, work or community setting is the key to success.
Growing up in a city with two major universities, Wilfrid Laurier and University of Waterloo, it seemed inevitable that I would end up at one of the two. I had it all planned out, I would join my brother at UW and stay at home for school with all of my friends from high school. However, when I was in Grade 11, a friend who had just accepted her offer to Bishop’s told me I had to check it out. She told me about the tradition, community and opportunities BU has to offer and I was so intrigued. I had never considered leaving home for school, let alone the province but, that summer we drove the 9 hours to BU and I got a tour around campus. I fell in love with this community and knew that this was the school for me. Before then, I had toured 8 schools because I was so indecisive about my future but as soon as I got to little ol’ Lennoxville I had never been more sure that this was the place for me.
I can honestly say that this past year exceeded my expectations. I was nervous to move so far away from home, and knowing absolutely no one in my incoming class. I lived in a mack double last year and was paired with the absolute best roommate. I quickly formed a family of my own at Bishop’s and we all pushed each other to try new things, stay on top of our grades and have some fun on the weekends…. and the occasional Tuesday. A lot of my late night study sessions were in LLC study rooms with my support system. It is so important to find your people - you will all bring out the best in each other and that friendship is irreplaceable.
After finishing first year, I have picked up some tips of advice along the way. Through a lot of trial and error… a lot of error, I have finally found my way at Bishop’s and want to share some of the things I learned along the way.
Go to events
Guest speakers, especially ones hosted in our department, have so much knowledge and wisdom to share that can be so useful and interesting. This is a great opportunity to learn new things, connect with professors and make meaningful relationships. As well, go to fun events like trivia night, two years eve, winterfest and saturday gait night’s - this is where you can let loose, have fun and create memories you will never forget.
Take classes that interest you
Although it is important to make a plan to ensure you take all of your required classes, make sure you use your electives to explore other interests. For example, I took an Environmental Studies class (ESG 100), which made me realize that it definitely wasn’t for me. On the other hand, I took a history class (HIS 109) that I ended up loving and would recommend to anyone. Taking classes in other departments can broaden your understanding of politics and international relations, making your overall goals and focus more clear.
Be in the moment
This is something I struggled with for a long time. I wanted to know what was going to happen every minute of every day and the reality is, life is just too interesting to live that way. If you don’t say yes to new experiences, they will pass you by and this leads into my next piece of advice, time management….
Don't procrastinate
Now, this is definitely one of those tips that is much easier said than done. I am queen of procrastination however, being on top of your work allows for more hours in the day and won’t hold you back from any extra events you want to go to. Also, having free time to just relax is a really important part of the balance to ensuring you don’t burn out half way through the semester.
I am super excited for what is to come this year, we have lots of amazing events coming your way! Please email me at VPERAK19@ubishops.ca if you have any ideas for events, questions about PISA or just want to say hi! Our team has been working hard over the summer and can’t wait to share all of the resources, events and content that we have been working on. Well, that’s a little bit about me and thanks so much for taking the time to read my first blog post.
Thanks for reading,
Vic
