From coordinating trips to Newcastle, to organizing Karaoke nights, the GSA is very keen to involve international students in the York experience from the get-go. As GSA President, I really enjoy meeting incoming students and this year's Postgraduate Welcome and International Week were perfect opportunities to brush up on my language skills and to interact with as many international students as possible. Note however, that I can still only say kangaroo in Chinese - dai shu.
Thinking back on that first week of term, I would just like to say thank you to all of the amazing students that I met and had the chance to speak to. I know that integration is sometimes difficult and it is because of this that I hope that your first week here was perceived as welcoming. The University and the GSA have the particular advantage of being truly global in their approach to students and their needs but also incredibly local in the interactions they value. So, from one York student to another, there is no other secret to being here, other than "think global, be local". We encourage you to find who you are and to grow and develop here - don't miss the chance, because I am sure you will not find a second community as interested in your well being as this one.
And because well being cannot miss out on fun and new exciting opportunities: come to the GSA trips to Edinburgh and Oxford, engage in the programmes advertised by the International Relations Office and keep an eye out for new ISA events. And, should you find yourself in trouble - write me or get in touch with International Student Support - we are all here to make your experience as rewarding as you want it to be. I hope you all have a good year and I hope to speak to more of you in the future.
Karin Diaconu, GSA President
The President chairs the GSA Executive Committee, has overall responsibility for co-ordinating all its activities, and represents students on specific university committees, including University Council, Senate and Court. In all of these capacities he or she acts as the chief spokesperson for all students.
No comments:
Post a Comment