The Okanagan valley is known for its dry, hot summers, lakeside lifestyle, and best of all, its wine. So when you travel to the Okanagan for a work retreat, you should definitely take advantage of all of these things (when in Rome…). The SRA team and a few of our ESP colleagues enjoyed a two-day retreat on the Okanagan campus from July 6th to July 7th.
The retreat consisted of several critical training sessions on advising for Aboriginal students, new programs and opportunities on the Okanagan campus, and presentation skills for the fall recruitment trips. From September to November, the SRA staff and ESPs combine forces to make one big recruitment team. This team will travel far and wide across Canada, to connect with prospective high school students. They are the (extremely good looking) faces of UBC (see photos below for more evidence). This retreat was a great opportunity for SRA and ESP colleagues to collaborate, learn more about the programs and services available to students, and to explore the Okanagan campus. What better way to explore the campus, than with a fun (and not at all competitive) photo scavenger hunt! Here are a few of the highlights:
We made the most of the retreat by doing what any good Okanagan local would do (do as the Romans do)… enjoying the sunshine with a glass of Okanagan wine and a view of the lake. The crew headed up to Leanne Isaak’s beautiful home on the Wednesday for a relaxing evening of food and friends.
After August, the SRA team will be losing one team member and gaining another. Parasto Sadeghi has decided to transition from staff to student, and will be joining UBC’s MBA program. After two years of hard work and dedication to her recruitment role, it’s certainly sad to see her go, but the SRA team will be cheering her on as she tackles her Master’s degree.
We’re also excited to announce that we will have a new team member joining SRA! Chloe Erlendson, a UBC alum with her BA in First Nations Studies, will be taking on the role of Associate Recruiter Advisor, Aboriginal Students. Stay tuned for her Staff Spotlight in next month’s blog.