The 2023 orientation team
Photo courtesy of @sbuorientation on Instagram
BY: BROOKE JOHNPIER, STAFF WRITER
The orientation team at St. Bonaventure University welcomes new students to campus, hoping to make them feel more connected to one another.
Ryan Surmay, a senior strategic communication and digital media major, has been a part of the orientation program for two summers. He says that the orientation team is critical to the new students’ experience.
“The orientation team plays a critical role in the acclimation to college,” said Surmay. “This is the first opportunity incoming students have to meet fellow students and explore the university.”
Keyara Wingate, a junior psychology major, stressed the importance of orientation leaders in the creation of friendships.
“Orientation leaders influence the incoming first-years and [are] the first smiling face they see when they arrive at campus,” said Wingate. “We facilitate friendships with other first-year students as well as help them build relationships with faculty and staff.”
Benjamin Vitale, a sophomore public health major, believes orientation helps build friendships and connections.
“Coming into orientation, many students have little to no idea what to expect when they begin school,” said Vitale. “Orientation gives freshmen a chance to get a feel for the campus, hear from school officials what to expect from school, learn what to do to be successful when August comes, and most importantly, in my opinion, meet friends.”
Diversity among the leaders is important because leaders must be able to relate to the students according to Vitale.
“Diversity is extremely important to have among orientation leaders,” said Vitale. “Leaders must be able to relate to students with what they do now, and where they have come from. If a student of color were to come to orientation and see an all-white orientation team, they may feel that this place is not a fit for them or isn’t conducive to their success.”
Wingate said they work on making the program more diverse so everyone has someone they can relate to.
“We work on making our program strong by learning about our fellow leaders and their cultures,” said Wingate. “We want first-year students to be able to come to campus and see someone that they resonate with.”
Orientation leaders arrive a week before the students do to train and bond with their teammates, according to Wingate.
“Leaders help bring freshmen through activities and locations at orientation,” said Vitale. “Orientation leaders are there to help incoming students start to feel comfortable at school. Leaders help students make connections and friends, and are able to talk about their personal experiences at school to give students a personal feel for what being at school is like.”
Wingate said she wouldn’t have made the friends she has now without joining three summers ago.
“I have become a different person since I joined the Orientation Team,” said Wingate. “I have found my best friends, learned professional skills, connected with faculty and staff and connected with many students. I do feel that I have made an impact on this campus, even if it was a small one. I’m not sure I would have met or become friends with [people] if it wasn’t for the Orientation Team.”
Vitale said that joining the team helped him develop as a leader.
“I gained lots of valuable experience from being an orientation leader,” said Vitale. “The biggest one for me [was] gaining confidence behind myself. I learned I could have positive impacts on people around me through leadership. I also helped to spark friendships that made students feel like they were not alone once they were dropped off on campus for their first semester. I know that many of these friendships are still strong and important to this day.”
The orientation team is actively looking for new recruits and the application closes today. Anyone interested in applying can do so on Handshake, the website the university uses for on-campus jobs.
johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu
