afric v 2013

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013

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Welcome Back EditionMessage from the advisorMs. Oluronke Taiwo

I take this opportunity to

congratulate each one of you for

your choice to continue your

education here at Dalhousie/

Kings University and a special

welcome to those who are new.

The Black Student Advising

Centre is a small and welcoming

environment where many services

are offered in a friendly and

loving manner.

Coming to the centre gives

you the opportunity to meet

friends, relax, and get assistance

with the many challenges that you

might face in the upcoming year.

You may feel overwhelmed about

the year ahead and what will be

required of you. We will do what

we can to support your success

and you can do the same by:

Coming prepared to work hard

Making use of all resources at

your disposal

Not being shy to ask for help when it is required

Not giving up when things are tough.

According to Obama, 2008,

“Hope is not blind optimism. [It]

is that thing inside us that insists

something better waits if we have

the courage to reach for it, work

for it, and fight for it.”

Thank you as we all join

hands to walk the walk and run

the race together until everyone

achieves their goals. For our

students at the AC campus in

Truro, I am available to you as

well anytime through e mail,

Skype or phone anytime you have

any problems. You only need to

go on BSAC website www.dal.ca/

bsac and all my numbers are

available. Always watch out for

great and interesting Events and

News from BSAC.

Chioma Nwasike

A second year biologystudent, payingattention to a talk atthe BSAC welcomeparty.

BSAC AFRICVOICE OCT 2013

http://www.dal.ca/bsac




7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


Left

Odette Gbeve Africvoice Assistant Event Coordinator/ Receptionist Black Student AdvisingCentre Year

Right

Ibimina KokoGraphic Designer, Black Student Advising Centre

I am currently in my fourth year pursuing a

Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology

and Social Anthropology and a minor in Law and

Society. This is my third year working at the Black

Student Advising Centre (BSAC) and I am

enthusiastic about beginning a productive semesterhere. This academic year, I am continuing with my

position as the First Year Peer Support Coordinator.

The aim of my position is to ensure first year

students a smooth transition into university and aid

in bridging students with relevant resources when

necessary.

I look forward to meeting all of you- if I haven’t

already, and helping you achieve the success you’ve

come to accomplish. I hope to be a body of

encouragement through the duration of your time at

Dal and a support system during times of personal

and academic development.

I would like to encourage all students to truly

put in the hard work and dedication needed to push

through and meet your goals. Remember, that we

are all in this journey together! During the

celebratory times and the difficult times, BSAC is

here to lend you a place of support and love. Please

don’t hesitate to ever contact me personally to look

over class schedules, help to bridge you with other

support resources, book you an appointment or if

you’re just in need of some comforting words and

support.

I pray that the semester has begun on a good

note for everyone and that classes have been going well. I have high hopes that the remainder of the

school year will follow suit. To conclude, I’d like to

welcome everybody back and send love and blessings

your way! Hope to see you at the BSAC soon!!

By Kareem Wallace

Greetings to all. My name is Kareem Wallace

and I am a second year international student from

the Bahamas studying Community design and

Sustainability at Dalhousie University. This is my

second year attending Dalhousie and I am pleased to

say that I am enjoying my time here and the people

I’ve met along the way. This year, I will be taking on

an active role in the Dalhousie Caribbean

Connection as we look to continue flourish the

campus and the community with good vibes and

healthy relationships. This year, I will also be a part

of the Black Student Advising Center’s (BSAC) team

as I take on a helping role at the front desk. All new

and old students should feel free to come into the

Centre whenever they need assistance with anything.

Over the course of this past summer, I went

home, the Bahamas, for four months to spend time

with my family and also do my part in my fraternity.

I am a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity

incorporated Beta Beta Lambda Chapter and have

been for the past year and 9 months. This November

I will mark two years in the fraternity. My fraternity

is a nonprofit organization that reaches out to the

community to help make a different where it

Welcome notesBy Fenessa Williams

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

Above

Ms. Oluronke TaiwoThe Black Student

Advisor, Black Student Advising Center

Left

Fenessa WilliamsFirst Year Peer Support Coordinator

Right

Kareem Wallace

Receptionist, Black Student AdvisingCentre

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


By Kyiaisha Benton

Hi, I am from Lower Sackville, Nova

Scotia. I am currently in my second year

at Dalhousie, studying Arts. After I finish

my undergraduate degree, my hope is toperuse a career in Social Work.

In the summer I took two summer

courses, one in May and one in June. I

also worked full time during July and

August. I love playing basketball and was

scouted to play for Kings College last

year, but I unfortunately tore my ACL

and was forced to take the year off.

Aside from working at the Black Student

Advisory Centre I am currently

employed at Subway as a Sandwich

Artist.

My first year of university was not

easy because I felt unprepared for school

which caused stress and led me to

procrastinate. The staff and students atBSAC provided me with useful

assistance. They offered me several

helpful resources which led to me

finishing my first year with some good

grades.

If you ever need help, with anything

don't ever be afraid to reach out to our

BSAC team because we are always here

to help you.

matters. This summer we hosted a Step

show and came out on top for the

second straight victory of the year in

step shows. My summer also comprised

of some internships where I got a

chance to work in some architecture

firms and learning a few trick to the

trade.

The highlight of my summer however

had to be the endless hours of practicewith my brothers and all the fighting and

conflict resolution we went through. I

welcome everyone to the new semester

and home to see you around in the Black

Student Advising Centre soon.

By Ijay Nnabuo

My name is Ijay Nnabuo and I am

a second year student in Master of

Public Administration. Although I was

born in Canada, I spent most of my

childhood and teenage years in Nigeria.

I did my undergraduate degree in

Lethbridge, Alberta and after working for

two years I decided to pursue a graduate

degree. I chose Dalhousie because of its

renowned reputation in Public

Administration and also because of its

location in a culturally rich city, Halifax. I

like to welcome everyone back to a new

semester. With the hustle and bustle of a

new semester, comes the pressure of

meeting assignment and projectdeadlines. The life of a student seems to

revolve around group meetings and

classrooms but every student should take

the time to relax, make friends and enjoy

school. BSAC is a place for all three. I

hope that you will find time to access the

resources provided to you at BSAC. As

the new project coordinator at BSAC, I

will be responsible for administering

some activities and events at BSAC and

hope to reach out to all students in the

process. I still recall my first year at

Dalhousie. I was new to the city and to

the university and had no idea where to

go for anything. Ms. Oluronke walked up

to me in my first week, introduced herself and enlightened me about accessing

various resources at Dalhousie. Although

I had an extremely busy schedule, I

found time to visit BSAC and in the

process, I met valuable friends. Being a

Master's student in a large university like

Dalhousie can be overwhelming but I am

enjoying my program immensely. In fact,

I am eagerly looking forward to the day I

gain a rewarding career in the public

sector. I hope everyone had a wonderful

summer and I wish you all a successful

semester ahead.

By Odette GbeveGreetings! I am a fourth year

International Development student here

in Dalhousie, and your new BSAC

cont’d on page 4

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

“The life of a student

seems to revolve around

group meetings and

classrooms but every

student should take the

time to relax, make friends

and enjoy school. BSAC is

a place for all three.”

Ijay Nnabuo

Project Coordinator, Black Student

Advising Centre

Kyiaisha Benton

Reception, Black Student Advising Centre

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


Left

Odette Gbeve Africvoice Assistant Event Coordinator/ Receptionist Black Student AdvisingCentre Year

Right

Ibimina KokoGraphic Designer, Black Student Advising Centre

Odette’s welcome note cont’d

assistant event coordinator and receptionist. It is

with great joy and humility that I take this position

to work with you all, because I believe one of my

greatest strengths is working with people from

diverse backgrounds.

I am Togolese by origin and was raised in

Ghana, a beautiful West African country that has

great pride in its production of gold and cocoa.

I would like to use this opportunity to welcome

everyone and hope your summer was graceful and

fun-filled. Mine was a little bit of everything, from

adventurous, to work and studies. I got to visit New

Brunswick and went to the beach a couple times. I

took a trip to Upper Clements Park with friends, one

of the best and most memorable moments of my

summer.

On the other hand, I took some summer classes

and worked with the YMCA Center for Immigrant

programs.

I am currently doing my placement at ISIS

(Immigrant Settlement & Integration Services),where I also work casually as a Youth Life Skill

worker; On that note, if you are a newcomer/

immigrant and are in need of accessing services such

as translation services, employment specialist services

and so on, please do not hesitate to contact me and I

will connect or refer you to the right organization.

I love the quote, “live, laugh and love”. The

thought of it gives me a great zeal for the day and

motivation to be the best person I can to myself and

others.

Our awesome team here at BSAC is looking

forward to meeting you all and serving you the best

way we can.

Once again, welcome back and all the best with

your studies.

By Ibimina Koko

Hi there, I am a fourth year Industrial

Engineering student. It is just exciting getting back

to academics and reuniting with friends after a great

summer. I joined the BSAC staff as a graphic

designer a while ago, and would gladly provide you

with help on making your posters. I’d love to bid

welcome to all students, with special regards to

freshmen! I hope in the midst of meeting deadlines

and pulling all-nighters, we all find success and joy.

To all of us who have been given the rare

opportunity of studying at the prestigious Dalhousie

University, let us maximize every privilege and

always shoot for nothing but the best. God bless you

all!

By Bryanne Evans

Hello beautiful people. My name is Bryanne

Evans and I am 21 years old and a very proud

Bahamian. I am currently a fourth year student

majoring in Biology with a minor in Spanish. I

aspire to further my education at medical school and

eventually practice as a pediatric surgeon. I am the

newest addition to the BSAC team fulfilling the role

as the receptionist. I am extremely excited and

enthusiastic about working at BSAC this semester

and I look forward to meeting new people and

helping others wherever possible.

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

Above

Bryanne EvansReceptionist Black Student

Advising Centre

Left

Odette Gbeve Africvoice Assistant Event Coordinator/ Receptionist Black Student

Advising Centre Year

Right

Ibimina KokoGraphic Designer,Black Student

Advising Centre

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


By Dominique Oliver-Dares

My name is Dominique Oliver-Dares and I'm from

Dartmouth NS. I'm a second year student in theInternational Development program. It feels great to

be back at Dalhousie after a much appreciated

summer vacation. I'm finding this year to be a lot

easier than the last so to all the first year students

remember it gets better. I spent my summer working

for a marketing agency, made couple of trips to

Bermuda. The highlight of my vacation was

undoubtedly lying on the beach in Bermuda with

good friends and cold drinks. I wish you all a

successful semester.

By Ony Kammelu

My name is Ony Kammelu and I am second year

microbiology student here at Dalhousie. My summer

was spent in my homeland Nigeria and it was really

fun. As the saying goes, there is no place like home. I

had a blast, my birthday was also spent in Nigeria

which was one of the best birthdays I have ever

celebrated. My visit also gave me the opportunity to

reconnect with family and old friends after four years

of not seeing them. Indeed my trip was memorable,

fun and successful and I’m looking forward to

visiting home again. Good luck to all new and oldstudents, have a successful year.

By Kalkidan Gebre

Hi, my name is Kalkidan Gebre and I am a first year

science student here at Dalhousie. I love being a Daltiger, to be always greeted by friendly faces and learn

something new every day. I am originally from

Ethiopia, a country known to have 13 months of

sunshine! My summer was great; it was a work hard

play hard summer for me. I had the chance to work

with St Andrews recreation center which allowed me

to save up some money to travel to my home land

Ethiopia. I hope to make this year a spontaneous

and memorable year. I also hope to get inspired by

my surroundings and learn more about myself. Wish

everyone a successful semester.

What did you do last summer?Students’ summer highlights

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

Circle

Ony Kammelu

Left

Dominique Oliver-Dares

Right

Kalkidan Gebre

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


By Myra Beals

Hi my name is Myra Beals and I am

from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I am in

my third year studying Bachelor of Arts

at Dalhousie. While completing my Artprogram, my goal is to pursue Social

work. I have three children and my

summer was spent going to the beach,

watching movies, and playing basketball.

My daughter played for a team called

Mega. I travelled all summer with the

team. They travelled to Boston,

Montreal and their last game they

attended was to Windsor, Ontario to play

in the Children International Game. The

first year I was a student, I did the

Transition Year Program (TYP). I had a

lot of help from the TYP staff and it was

a great help to have their support. My

first year in the Art program was

overwhelming and I felt that I was not

successful. The only thing that gave me

a peace of mind was my trip to theBSAC and they helped me whenever I

needed help. They offered me useful

learning resources and stirred me in the

right direction. Now I am in my third

year of university, second year in the Arts

department, and with a little experience

from the first year and the support of the

BSAC team, I feel that I will be

successful

By Trevor Silver

Hi folks! My name is Trevor Silver. I'm

23 years old and from North Preston. I

graduated from the Transition Year

Program at Dalhousie a few years back.

It was a great opportunity for me and

also for other African Canadians who

are looking to start university. I’ll be

applying for the law schools IB&Mprogram this upcoming February. I have

always been attracted to the legal side of

life and hope to have a constructive

career as a lawyer in the future. In the

meantime, I’ll be working towards my

first degree and taking a broad range of

courses. Over the summer, I spent a lot

of time with my family; we went

swimming, to amusement parks and just

relaxed together. Also, I spent some time

boxing this summer. I began boxing in

August after falling in love with it justafter a few days of training. I found that

it was a great way to improve strength,

coordination, and self-discipline. This

summer, I also attempted to learn to play

the piano with little luck so far - I can

only play “twinkle twinkle little star”. I

enjoy reading all types of books, but

biographies and success store my

favourites. I am currently reading "A Life

of Reinvention" by Manning Marable a

biography of Malcolm X. My goals this

year are to remain balanced, open-

minded, and continue to meet newpeople."

By Manu Nkemta

My name is Manu Nkemta, I’m from

Douala, Cameroon. I am basically in my

last year though I have a degree already

in bachelor of sciences. I had a great

summer. I did not go away to Toronto

like I used too. I decided to stay in

Halifax and look for a job. I was

fortunate to have one which I did all

summer. During my weekends, I will

hang out with friends. We stayed home to

socialize and planned trips to New

Brunswick and PEI. I am happy to be at

Dalhousie University. I have learned so

much and met lots of wonderful people

here who I consider my family. My

objective in my life is to make my mother

proud. Whatever I do as long as she is

happy, I am good. Nelson Mandela once

stated that education is a powerful tool.

The next powerful tool is love. Love is the

only thing that can solve most of what

our society is facing. I welcome all thenew Dalhousie students and wish them a

good academic year. Take note, Work

hard Play hard..................cheers

B S A C

1 4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

“I began boxing in August

after falling in love with it

just after a few days of

training. I found that it was

a great way to improve

strength, coordination, and

self-discipline”

Trevor Silver

Myra Beals

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


By Vickey Atiol

Hi my name is Vickey Atiol, I am originally from

south Sudan and have lived in Halifax for nearly two

decades! Yes, a long time. I am currently in my

second year of Dalhousie university. I am studying

Economics and I’m really enjoying it. I prefer

Dalhousieover any other school in Halifax because of its

great reputation. I have met a lot of great people last

year and i'm hoping to meet many more this year. I

had an amazing summer. I got to spend time with

my extended family in Ottawa, Montreal and

Toronto! Wishing everyone the best of luck this

semester! I am planning to use my education and

knowledge to help develop my newly born country

of South Sudan, the current newest country in the

world!

By Shawna Brown

I have currently been living in the city of Halifax for

the past four and a half years, this being my firsttime away from Toronto for more than an eight

month period. I found that my experience at

Dalhousie has been very pleasant, particularly with

the support and friendships built at the Black

Student Advising Centre office have played a large

role in shaping not only my experience but myself as

a person. It’s a great way to build lasting

foundations.

More summer highlights

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

Left

Vickey Atiol

Right

Shawna Brown

Birthdays at BSAC

Do you have your birthday coming up soon? If you

do we look forward to giving you a birthday card,

share a birthday cake with you and come fun time

with friends. This is a fantastic opportunity to builda good relationship with one another at the Centre.

If you have not registered your birthday with us,

please contact us about it. Work hard! play hard!

and do not miss out miss out on the fun activities

here at BSAC.

Birthday Celebrations!

September and October birthdays will be

celebrated on October 25, 2013 at 5:00 pm in

Room 224 in the SUB.

Please come out and have fun!

Cross section of summer birthday celebrants at the BSAC

welcome party

7/27/2019 Afric v 2013


All students are encouraged to write a

short article on any interest of their choice

related to life as a student and send it to

[email protected]. All submissions will be

entered for a chance to win a prize.

Upcoming Events:

Professional Career Networking event for

students of African descent will be hostedby BSAC. All students of African descent

are encouraged to attend. See information

below:

Date: October 17, 2013

Time: 6pm-8pm

Location: Room 307, Student Union

Building, Dalhousie University

Light refreshments will be provided

BSAC invites you to join us in celebrating

September and October birthdays on

October 25, 2013 at 5:30PM in Room 307

Tutors: BSAC also provide tutoring

services for students on Tuesdays &

Thursdays. Drop in at our Centre betwe

12pm-2:30pm.

Academic Advising: Special academi

advisor will be at BSAC to help you with

your academic problems on Monday

October 21st, November 18th, and Dec2nd, 2013 from 12pm-2pm.

BSAC invites you to join us in celebratin

September and October birthdays on

October 25, 2013 at 5:30PM in Room 3

Credits:

Oluronke Taiwo-----Editorial Superviso

Ijay Nnabuo----------Chief Editor

Odette Gbeve--------Assistant Editor

Ibimina Koko--------Layout Editor

Advice Corner Academic Pressure –5 Tips on Coping withSchool Stress

1. Take time for self-care.

Taking time to pause from the relentless

pace of everyday life and enjoy creativeactivities that keep you from dwelling on

or stressing over school pressures can go

far in decreasing your stress levels. Get

lots of sleep!

2. Learn to change your thinking.

When you start stressing about not

finishing your project on time, your mind

builds a case for why what you believe is

going to happen will happen -- and this

can be paralyzing. So, when combating

negative thinking patterns, some experts

recommend coming up with specific

examples to counter the stressful

thoughts. Think instead of concrete ways

that you can create the time to work on a

project, and how your previous line of

thinking isn't accurate.

3. Take assignments one baby step

at a time.

If you have an essay to write that's

making you feel anxious, list the

individual steps that lead to the

destination of the essay being finished

(finding sources, creating an outline,

writing an intro), and the task will begin

to feel less daunting.

List what you have going on, and list

how much time each thing is going to

take, Chunking things down makes them

feel more manageable and less anxiety-

inducing.

4. Lower your goals.

No, we're not talking about being a

slacker. According to an

expert, Susan

Stiffelman,

following the truism "Lower your

goals, you'll achieve more," can help to

relieve stress and boost academic success.

Instead of setting your goal to be

getting the highest grade in the class, set

a goal to feel satisfied with your

performance.

5. Stay balanced during examperiods.

The importance of taking breaks and

working in time to relax during your

busiest and most stressful periods can't be

overestimated. Not matter how hard you

push yourself, nobody can maintain

constant focus, and you will burn yoursel

out if you try. Take frequent, short breaks

for fun activities so that you'll be able to

go back to your writing or studying

refreshed.

Do something that, even for 15

minutes,

brings youback to

yourself-

no brain

can work

for 24

hours.

This Article was tak en from,

huffingtonpost.com

Tell us: How do you cope with pressure

at school? Do you think schools have a

responsibility to help their students

manage stress? Share your views and

comments to [email protected]. Your

comment could get a chance to bepublished in our next newsletter.

B S A C 1

4 O c t o b e r , 2 0 1 3

“Education is our passport to the future, for

tomorrow belongs to the people who

prepare for it today.”

―Malcolm X A N N O U N C E M E N T S A N

D

C R E D I T S

mailto:[email protected]





afric v 2013

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