6 > YOUTHINK PS > FALL 2019
YOUTHINK.CA
645242-XX-10.indd
Get Involved
Extracurricular activities enrich
post-secondary life By Aliya Dossa
T
he life of a university student is busy enough.
The amount of studying, reading and writ-
ing that's required can be overwhelming —
especially when making the transition from
high
school. Considering this, it's easy to see why
there are students who don't prioritize getting in
-
volved in their campus's communities. Still, there
are those students who can't imagine post-sec-
ondary life without being immersed in all sorts
of
extracurricular
clubs and activities. Youthink PS
spoke with three UBC students who are actively
involved on campus to see why.
YTPS: What are some of the benefits of getting
involved on campus?
Wil Longard (fifth-year philosophy major and UBC
recreational sports team member): "To be honest, I
didn't know what involvement was before I got to
university. But when I got to UBC, some friends
asked me to play campus-organized futsal [indoor
football] and volleyball with them. I loved it. I
started to take on more leadership roles. I got out
of my comfort zone and learned so much from it
— things that I couldn't have learned in my class
-
es alone. I realize now that university is so much
more about the people you meet than it is about
the piece of paper you get at the end of it all."
Nirel Marofsky (third-year psychology major
and founder of campus health and nutrition group
VegUBC):
"University is super time-consuming,
to the point where you can forget to take time for
you. Being a part of this community that gets stu
-
dents excited about eating healthy foods is great
for my own well-being. Being involved provides
an almost family-like community where I feel
included and a part of something important. It's
also great for networking, which can open doors
to future career opportunities."
Sepideh Khazei (third-year honours history ma-
jor
and campus theatre actress): "Getting involved
in acting was a completely new experience for
me. University is a great time to try new things
that you would never consider doing otherwise.
It helped me develop skills I would have never
picked up in class. And it actually helped me man
-
age my time better! With more commitments on
my plate, I knew I had to stay on top of things, and
was even more on top of my school work because
of it."
•
Photo
by
Duy
Pham
on
Unsplash
