College is supposed to be a time to make new friends, meet new people and try new things.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been hard for students to meet one another and join groups and clubs.
Some students, including many at Humber, have been working hard to keep their clubs alive, making sure students can still have the social aspect of college while studying online.
Indonesian Student Association
Indonesian Student Association Humber logo.
“Initially, the Indonesian Student Association Humber used to celebrate different occasions and arrange live events that are open to all the Humber community to let them experience Indonesian culture and traditions,” said Angel Salim, a member of the association.
“But since the pandemic restricted us to do on-campus events, we have just been trying our best to ensure new Indonesian students feel welcomed and supported during this uncertain time.”
Although online classes reduced club member exposure to the Humber community, Salim said they were still able to get in contact with most new Indonesian students at Humber, keeping the club going online.
Ukrainian Students’ Club
The Ukrainian Students’ Club is another cultural club at Humber, aiming to bring people together and help integrate them into the broader Ukrainian Canadian community.
The club’s current president Kebrija Leeks-Kottick helped re-establish it during the pandemic, which came with its own unique struggles.
The previous Ukrainian Students’ Club wasn’t registered and unable to secure funding, so Leeks-Kottick stepped up to get it recognized by the college and the Humber student union IGNITE.
“We’ve focused on organizing and representing students of Ukrainian ancestry, as well as students from Ukraine and providing a forum for voicing their mutual concerns and their interests,” Leeks-Kottick said.
After the club was established, it was able to start holding events for students. With the pandemic, most events and meetings had to be online.
Organizers managed to use their funding from IGNITE to have a Lemko Necklace event, allowing the group to come together and create traditional Ukrainian beaded necklaces.
Kebrija Leeks-Kottick wearing a Lemko necklace that was created at the Ukrainian Student Association's necklace event. Photo credit: Kebrija Leeks-Kottick
After that one event, COVID cases rose again and the club returned online.
“We’ve been lucky enough because with the club having been online for the establishment of the club, we were able to really use media platforms such as Instagram and Discord and Telegram and we’ve adapted to those challenges,” Leeks-Kottick said.
Best Buddies
Best Buddies Guelph-Humber logo.
The Best Buddies Club has also had to adapt since the pandemic began.
It was started in 2019 to promote inclusivity, leadership and friendship on campus. The club pairs students with intellectual and developmental disabilities with peer buddies to create friendships through various events.
“The initial goal was to host only in-person events, but due to the pandemic, everything had shifted virtually (mainly over Zoom),” the group said in a statement to Humber News.
“In addition to events, we keep in contact with members through our email newsletter, active social media presence on Instagram and Twitter, and promote our WhatsApp group chat to ensure participation, socialization and connection,” the statement added.
The club has been online since 2020, and will continue in that form through the summer semester. Organizers, however, say they hope to return in person as soon as possible.
Finance Society
Humber Finance Society logo.
Carl Amos from The Humber Finance Society said a lot of people showed up at the beginning of their webinars, but as months of online school continued, attendance slowed.
“When COVID started, like a lot of people were very enthusiastic with the webinars. I think we’ve had like a maximum of like 100 viewers at one point, but this year since you know, there’s been a lot of webinars, the numbers kind of went down. I think the lowest we’ve had was like around 25 or 30,” Amos said.
The club’s main goal is to ensure students interested in pursuing business and finance have good connections upon graduation.
The Embassy and Lakeshore Christian Fellowship
Lakeshore Christian Fellowship logo. The Embassy logo.
Humber News reached out to all clubs on the Humber website. The Embassy and the Lakeshore Christian Fellowship are also still running, and are eager to accept new students.
Despite clubs having to change their delivery, most students highly recommended joining a club to enhance experience at Humber.
“Just do it! You have nothing to lose and only good things to gain. I was blessed to meet my best friend while starting our Best Buddies chapter and have witnessed so many more connections formed since then,” said Lauren Abela, President of the Best Buddies club.
“When you’re joining a club, you’re also joining a smaller portion of a community within the school. And sometimes that helps you get a really good footing and just build better connections for work and for friends,” Leeks-Kottick said.