The secret to shaping your student experience

By: Ritz Cruz

I’m so grateful to be a part of the SSU team and attend the Student Life Summit by Canadian Organization of Campus Activities (COCA). As an international student who just spent almost a year living in Canada, I personally hadn’t been anywhere outside of Ontario yet. When I heard that it would be held in British Columbia, I became more excited about this trip! Vancouver was definitely high on my list of places to visit because of its scenic views, popular tourist attractions, wide variety of food, their city planning, and the landscaping and architecture there.

At the COCA Conference, I was able to attend different educational sessions that were beneficial for my position and also got to watch different talent showcases of this year’s featured artists and performers. It was so fun and helped us discover who to possibly book for our upcoming events throughout the year. Some of my personal favourites are: Andre Pettipas and The Giants, Colour Party, Tragedy Ann, Ola Dada, Alex Boyer, Savio Joseph, Melissa Vales and Dynesti. You should check them out, they’re pretty cool! The schedule we followed was pretty stretched throughout the week, but we had some time for breaks in between. Various members of the SSU were able to attend the COCA conference together—including members of our Clubs, Executive, Marketing and Events teams! This trip became an opportunity to do a lot of team-building activities together like touring the city, having brunch at our favourite Chinese restaurant in downtown Vancouver called Happy Noodle House, and playing Uno, where we literally fought for our lives (this team’s made up of very nice but super competitive people when it comes to games! LOL). I will never forget our favourite midnight snack spot—Breka Bakery—for a quick caffeine and dessert fix, or how we were vibing to all the chill songs that played in our hotel elevator.

Networking would be the highlight of the whole conference for me. From Day 1 to the last day, I met wonderful and diverse student leaders and full-time staff from different universities and colleges across Canada. At COCA, I made connections and friendships with a lot of participants, organizers, and presenters. That’s why the Roundtable Sessions were one of the best parts of the conference. During the roundtable, we were given different topics to talk about and share ideas or experiences with our fellow attendees. Some of the topics that I took part in were: Low/No Cost Events, Accessibility in Events, Increasing Diversity in Your Events Calendar, and Steal This Idea: Events and Programming. Luckily, I brought a bunch of business cards with me to give out to people so I didn’t run out. (Special thanks to the Marketing Dept. for having these awesome cards provided to us!)

Attending the COCA Conference was a great opportunity to learn, collaborate, and connect. Our team made sure that we got the most out of this experience and that we’ll be able to bring back what we learned to support Sheridan students. We might operate in different ways within the SSU, but we are all focused on one goal and that is to enhance students’ overall experience within the campus. Honestly,  this was my first time talking to so many people in a week. Learning different perspectives and getting a lot of inspiration made me gain a better understanding on how I can be more effective in performing my duties as the VP of Engagement.

We believe that the best #SheridanLife is one where students have access to opportunities, experiences and tools that help them grow and serve their fellow students.

That’s why the Sheridan Student Union is committed to offering our student leaders career development opportunities and experiences that help them grow and serve the needs of our students. To read more about how your student leaders are working together to advocate for the best #SheridanLife, visit thessu.ca/sheridanlife.