Conestoga welcomed new students to its various campus locations from April 29 to May 3 during spring orientation week. Hosted by Student Engagement in collaboration with student service areas, faculty and community partners, orientation week provides a foundation of virtual and in-person events and activities designed to help new students successfully adapt to life at Conestoga.
Spring orientation activities took place across nine campuses and six cities, including the college's Guelph campus.
The week featured over 300 student volunteers across nine campuses and six cities, who were joined by more than 60 student ambassadors as well as Conestoga alumni to welcome new students, answer questions and help run events.
Online academic orientation sessions also helped students prepare for classes and set the stage for a strong start in their programs.
“Orientation is both an exciting time and a key milestone for a successful college transition enhancing a student’s sense of belonging, resourcefulness, culture, purpose, and capability,” said Amy Baird, associate director, Student Engagement.
“To ensure that the onboarding of our newest learners to our community is reflective of student needs, remains relevant and is high impact, the team undertakes a rigorous assessment process each term. Our findings have influenced the spring orientation 2024 schedule.”
Baird also added that orientation activities have consistently earned a satisfaction rate among students of over 80 per cent.
Various orientation events extend beyond the first week of the term that introduce students to support resources and foster a sense of community, including Indigenous 101 Drop-In Session on May 7, Kick-Off FEST on May 16, African, Black and Caribbean (ABC) Welcome on May 30, Consent Awareness Week Information Fair on May 24, and 2SLGBTQ+ Social on June 6. Live online workshops on topics related to student life are also available through the Getting Started Series.
Conestoga's International Office will continue to provide workshops and activities to support the international student journey, which begins the moment students start the application process.
For more information about student resources and services available to enhance and support the college experience, visit Campus life & services.
Conestoga's Student Engagement meets the needs of students through innovative programming designed to achieve goals with learning outcomes-based initiatives, including the Co-Curricular Record; Orientation; equity, diversity and inclusion education and programming; the Leadership Workshop series; and various student volunteer, leadership and committee opportunities.