The Engagement Peers would like to introduce the third Student Of The Week who has demonstrated how important and awesome it is to get engaged on campus!

This week’s Students Of The Week is Shantelle Medel

Studies: Year 4 Health Sciences
Engagement:

Volunteering in the community:

• President of Beneath One Sky

• Catechism Teacher

• Group Fitness Instructor

We asked Shantelle a few questions about how she stays engaged at SFU and now we would like to share her responses with you!

What does "Engagement" mean to you?

To be engaged means to be interactive with the world around you. It means to not only live in society but to pursue change within it and finding unique ways you can contribute.

How does SFU "engage" with you?

SFU engages me through making it a requirement to take classes outside of my discipline. I was able to take an education class that made me fall in love with teaching even more. SFU also offers so many opportunities to engage with the world by offering international trips and through cooperative education in which students experience how they can user their degree after graduation.

What is your favorite part of being "engaged"? What are you gaining from it?

My favorite part about being engaged is that it helps me become a better person everyday and that it gives me the energy to experience what life has to offer. I have grown so much as a person and have discovered talents within myself that I never knew I had before.

Have you taken any classes at SFU which inspired you to become "engaged"? If so, please provide details.

A course that really engaged me was Education 250. It was about educational perspectives in history. It doesn't sound like the most intriguing class, but it was an amazing course as it forced me to look at the impact that the education system has on our society. My professor also encouraged me to develop my own ideals on what an educated person was to me.

What advice would you give to students who want to become "engaged"?

The advice I would give students that want to become engaged is to get involved with their community or any other extracurricular activity because getting involved with others who are engaged will open students up to so much more than school.

Shantelle has stepped outside of the classroom by making an impact in the community. By engaging with the world around her she has discovered more about herself and her passion for volunteering. We encourage you to do the same! And if you already are engaged and would like to be a Student Of The Week then email us (engmt-peers@sfu.ca) and share your SFU story!