NAIT held their first Black, Caribbean and African student orientation, hosted by the Black Excellence Employee Network. Students gathered in the NAITrium on Jan. 7 to connect with community and learn about the services offered at NAIT.
“A lot of students and individuals from that kind of ethnic background come from a different kind of worldview, where things are a lot more community focused,” said Gifty Amakye, Manager of Learning Services and one of the event organizers. “We wanted to host it to demonstrate our commitment to welcoming students into the NAIT community in a way that felt very culturally aligned.”
“Seeing other students, seeing other staff just lets them know, like, ‘Hey, we’re also here.’ We may be in different spaces and places and campuses, but we’re here to welcome you as well.”
The event featured speakers from various departments at NAIT explaining their services and experiences in their own post-secondary journey. Bisi Alawode, Manager of International Recruitment, told a story about being an international student in a small town and the culture shock he experienced when members of his church invited him to lunch.
“I ordered the least expensive item on the menu, and when we were done, they passed the bill to all of us. And you could see the expression of shock on my face,” he said. “You told me to come for lunch. That means you are paying for it, because I’m Nigerian. That was the first time I learned the word ‘going dutch.'”
Three-time Olympian Neville Wright also spoke to the crowd about the challenges he’s faced throughout his athletic career, including being one of the only Black athletes in the Olympic Village.
This was the first large-scale event hosted by NAIT’s Black Excellence Employee Network, and they are excited for more to come, including programming for Black History Month in February. Students can find the full list of events on NAIT’s website.
Photos by Nino Aguilar
LEFT: Bisi Alawode, Manager of NAIT International, shares stories about his time in university as an international student. RIGHT: Ola Odanye, a Community and Belonging Specialist at the Centre for Community and Belonging, addresses the crowd.
Audience members listen to the speeches.
