As a first year student, I am in one of the three first year residences on campus, which are Place Vanier, Orchard Commons, and TOTEM PARK! <3 In Totem, I live in həm’ləsəm’ house in a single connected room.

As evident, I have a clear bias for Totem, and that’s because I LOVE living here! Needless to say, I spend most of my time here and most of my friends reside here as well.

I believe Totem, and residence life in general, offers space and time for studying, the comforts of home, and a relaxed atmosphere like no other place on campus. As an international student who combats frequent homesickness, Totem gave me a place to always find someone to walk to class with, talk to, or have dinner with, effortlessly.

Right from Jumpstart to now, I have always found myself engulfed in this amazing, warm sense of community which is always buzzing with activity, to the extent that the Commons Block or one of the 10 other houses is host to a unique event nearly every single day of the academic calendar! These events are central to fellowship, stress-busting, and community-building and can range from low-key karaoke evenings, movie nights to something as fancy as the Yule Ball.

Another thing that makes residence life so enjoyable for me is that it allows me to get as involved as I want. This is because there are opportunities for students to grab of all kinds- leadership, work related as well as volunteering, in various areas of interest such as sustainability, health & safety, dining, outdoor, floor representatives of their respective houses, and so on.

Personally, I am a part of the TPRA (Totem Park Residence Association) House Council and I am a representative of my floor and house alike. Being at the forefront with the rest of the council as far as residence life in our capacity as first year students is concerned is an incredible experience! I have found myself to walk into the dining hall at any given time and never feel alone because I’ll see at least a handful of people I know. Additionally, I have been nurturing my interest in res life in many other ways, such as partaking in the house/ floor events, showing up for residence-wide activities and so on.

Truly, I feel lucky to be a part of a safe, inclusive and enjoyable community at Totem and amidst UBC’s campus in general. Every day I learn something new, whether it’s about sharing a space with over 2000 people or about the traditional lands of the Indigenous peoples.