I think the size of campus was overwhelming in the first few days, but it quickly made me realize that everybody else here is in the same boat. And for me building my community, I think the first few steps were finding things in common that I wanted to connect with people on. Finding different small student groups or little volunteer experiences, and then building community off of that I made the whole campus feel so much smaller and more connected. The best thing about the locations campus is just how central it is even in the city. You know, I feel like we're right in the heart of the city, it's really easy to commute here and get around a bus ride and a quick LRT stop, and here I was.
I think that the student body at North Campus is so diverse in terms of the students that are here and the programs that they're in. I have some really close friends and have worked with a lot of students from different countries across the world. And I have learned so much from them and their experiences, and seeing the amazing students that come into the university and interacting with them. And being involved in programs that bring them all together in different ways has been an amazing experience.
The best thing for the location of campus is the proximity to the river valley. So even in my first year living in residence, I would go for walks with friends in the river valley. I started going for runs in it, but it's so beautiful and it's such a nice way to take a break from your studies and just get outside in nature, and just have that like mental health break. These spaces just around campus is another great thing with the location of the University of Alberta. There's a bunch of streets with different coffee shops and food places. So you can get off campus with your friends and I really like how living just off campus connects the University of Alberta but also the greater Edmonton community.
