Welcome to Centennial College! I’m Geina, a third-year student in the Accounting program.
We’re so excited to have you at this semester’s orientation!
Now, you’re probably wondering what orientation is all about?
That’s where I come in – let me walk you through it!
So! Orientation is designed to welcome new students and provide a positive transition
for your personal, academic, and social success. We’ve got a tonne of things planned for
you – from virtual webinars to community-building activities and information sessions, we’re
here to help you get started at Centennial College!
We get it - you may be feeling a bit nervous, or excited, or maybe a bit of both, and that’s
totally normal! We’ve been where you're at, but don’t worry, we've got you!
Let me introduce you to our Deans – they can’t wait to congratulate you on taking
this important step towards building your future.
My name is David Ip-Yam and I'm serving as the Dean of Students at Centennial College.
My name is Barry O'Brien and I'm the Dean of The Business School at Centennial College.
I'm Veronique Henry and I'm the Dean of the School of Community and Health Studies.
My name is Alan McClelland and I'm the Dean for Centennial College's School of Transportation.
My name's Damian Goulbourne and I'm the Dean for the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts.
My name is Michelle DeCoste and I am Dean of our Centre for Online Learning and Microcredentials.
My name is Nate Horowitz. I'm the Dean of the School of Communications, Media, Arts
and Design and Campus Principal of the Story Arts Centre.
My name's Patrick Kelly and I'm the Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology and
Applied Science at Centennial College, better known as SETAS.
My name is Carol Roffey and I'm the Dean of the School of Advancement here at Centennial College.
Now that you know who they are, our Deans want to welcome you with some insight and
friendly advice for your Centennial College journey! Deans, do we really need to attend orientation?
What’s in it for us?
There's an old saying, "Begin as you wish to go," which kind of just means start on
the right path, start things off the way you want to continue them, start the way you want
to finish. So I think if you want to finish strong, you should start strong, and orientation
is just jam-packed with so much really crucial information, answers to the questions that
you didn't even know that you had.
It will give you the opportunity to meet your fellow professors, to meet your coordinators,
to meet your chairs, to meet your dean, and to meet fellow students online.
The other thing I think is to really understand what the college overall is about and the
services that are being offered to you. Centennial is renowned for its student services and being
student-focused, so this will help you tremendously.
What about the activities outside the classroom? Is there anything we should know about student
groups or how students can take advantage of program extras?
We're very fortunate in that we have a number of student societies, which students can get
involved with and organize social events, employer activities, and other community events.
Getting involved with opportunities and events inside and outside of the classroom is extremely
important for personal development and preparing yourself for a thriving career after Centennial,
and there's so many opportunities so let's simplify it for you. Two great ways to get
connected with these opportunities is: #1 is to download the Experience Centennial app
and #2 is to actually follow Centennial College on all social media.
Download the Experience Centennial app and follow us on social media – we want you
to take advantage of all there is to offer!
And on that note, let’s talk about balance. Deans, how do we make it all work, especially
during a pandemic?
I work very hard at trying to detach from my work; there's a point where work has to
stop and your private life has to begin, and that's the same advice I would give to a student.
You can't be on your device or working all the time. I think that getting enough sleep
is important, I think that getting good food is important, and I think that exercise is
extremely important for work-life balance.
What’s the best way to find balance while we’re enrolled in online learning?
Spend some quality time with your friends. I still have the same friends from high school
and university and whether it be through connections on Zoom, or walks (physical distance guidelines
followed), you get to connect with people on a social level and that is really important
to your mental health. Sure, you've got to take care of your physical well-being, but
also your mental health is important so carve out time to be with friends and to support
one another. If you do so, I have a pretty good feeling you're going to have a great
experience at Centennial College.
Don’t forget - virtual hangouts are just as important as virtual work. Before we let
you go, I’m sure new students would love to know what advice you would give to your
younger selves. So, Deans, if you could turn back the clock, what would you say?
What I would tell my younger self is that the courses and subject areas that I struggled
with the most were the ones where I grew the most and where the most rewards came from.
The things that are truly difficult and challenging - if you can overcome those hurdles, that
will set you apart from your peers and so, don't back away or shy away from things that
seem difficult, just lean right into them and get as much as you can out of those subjects.
The one piece of advice that I would give my younger self is to take a risk, take that
leap and jump off the end of that dock into the unknown. Make fear your friend, align
yourself with it, put yourself outside your comfort zone because that's where the magic happens.
Great advice from our Deans. Well, there you have it, folks! Your journey at Centennial
College begins with orientation. Looking forward to seeing you all here - we can’t wait to meet you!
Welcome to Centennial!
For more information, visit centennialcollege.ca/experience-centennial