My name is Raf Bhuyia, and I am in the Health Sciences Stream. I aspire to go to medical school once I finish my degee (fingers crossed). During my spare time I like to play hockey, volunteer at hospitals and give back to the UBC community as a Collegia Advisor. I am also a huge fan of photography and dronography.
I chose to be an Orientation leader in my third year because I was influenced by my orientation leader when I first came to UBC and now understand how much support I received from that person. I believe that you should leave a place better than you had found and I wanted to do so by sharing my experiences and knowledge with new incoming students to UBC.
Leadership isn’t always the person who is in the centre of the room making decisions. A leader is one who pushes others to thrive, one who leads by example and one who can hold a team together. I learned in my role as an OL that I am not just responsible for myself. My actions in the community will influence others, which motivates me to be the best version of myself I can be. My experience as an Orientation Leader has taught me that I am capable of doing many things, and that being a team player and clear communicator are key to the role. As an OL I worked with a diverse group of people for the Kinesiology Transition Program. I learned how to be adapt and adjust my approaches to accommodate difference and atmosphere.
Being an orientation leader has motivated me to do more and to be a leader year-round. I am now a Collegia Advisor, and plan to start my journey as a senior Collegia Advisor next year. This is all thanks to choosing to be and Orientation Leader. I’d recommend that everyone should try to become an OL. Not only does it allow you to be a part of a spectacular moment known as Imagine day, the memories you make in the process are incredible and will stay with you for years to come!