Personal Statement

A community is not only formed from a group of students all in the same building attending classes together and studying together. A community is built from positive relationships built between individuals where one person can feel as though they belong. But in order to create a sense of belonging, each diverse person needs to find their place; the place that is unique to each individual. However, finding this place can be complicated, and my goal is to not only find my own place at U of A, but to help other individuals discover where they fit. By me myself personally joining clubs and advocating for them, I hope to help others experience community by stepping out of their studious bubbles to feel relief. I will promote the clubs that I am

Upon looking into various clubs around campus, I have specifically been drawn to the Contemporary Dance Club (Mod) and the University of Alberta Women in Science and Engineering (UA-WiSE). I am a dancer and continuing dancing throughout university would definitely be an excellent fit for me, and since I’ll be a minority of being a female studying Engineering, I’d be interested in advocating for other individuals who are underrepresented in their fields. Once I find my place at the U of A outside of my studies, I work to grow these social associations and finding others who will find their place where I have also found mine. I am aware that although communities involve individuals with certain similar characteristics, they also contain an extensive variety of people, and not all people will fit where I belong. The act of others finding their place is pivotal because community requires an overall positive school-wide dynamic. Although stress consumes a multitude of this dynamic, that has to be overcome by personal relationships with other students built on campus, and I feel that finding the people one coheres best with by joining clubs is an exceptional way to come about

However, this should not be the mindset. I think that people would rather look back on university and remember all the connections and memories they’ve made than only on the long hours they spent studying and being alone. It is crucial to someone’s mental happiness to experience relaxation and have some enjoyment along with being successful in their faculties. The quality of life of individuals is vital to their prosperity, and a simple step to improvement in this area would be joining a small positive community where they feel as though they belong. Although being a member in clubs will impact the community in itself, I hope that my contribution does not stop there. I want to reach out to people who I wouldn’t originally be associate with, people who aren’t in my everyday Engineering classes and clubs. The clubs fair provides an opportunity for individuals to look into the various clubs existing at the U of A and would be an exceptional method for me to advocate of the clubs I identify with as well as encouraging students to find the club where they can thrive and develop