Student Leadership Showcase: Joely Brown

Joely Brown, Second-year Communication and Digital Media Studies.

Joely was selected as the Peer Leader of the month for September 2019.

How did you get involved with the Peer Leader Program?

I knew that I wanted to be a Peer Leader when I went to my own Orientation. It was a lot of fun and I really like helping people. I did know that I wanted to get involved from the beginning because I didn’t know too many people at university. I became an Ambassador in September of my first year and I was able to do a lot of volunteering at Open House and other events. Once the Peer Leader applications became available, I applied right away! 

What do you enjoy most about being a Peer Leader?

Being able to give my mentees advice and tips really helped me during my first year. I had a really good first year and that was one of my main goals as a Peer Leader for my mentees. I have really enjoyed getting to know my mentees and talking to them on a more personal level. My mentees and I have been to some events and have had the chance to talk with them over email or text messages. It’s good to make those connections. 

Are you involved in anything outside of the Peer Leader program?

I am an Ambassador and a Writing Tutor. I work in the Writing Room three times a week and as a writing tutor, I am there to help out any students that need help writing papers, starting the brainstorming process, formatting, grammar, etc. 

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned during your time in university thus far?

The two greatest lessons that I’ve learned so far would be the following:

Plan out all of your assignments and studying. 

I started out having a simple planner where I would put my school to-do list and the general events outside of school. Sometimes it was tough to see that all together and so when I had my first test coming up, at first I was like “Oh I’m going to study” and then it came to the point where I was like “Oh my goodness, where am I going to get the time to study with all the other things I have going on?” My mom taught me to backward plan to make sure that I am prioritizing my school work and making sure I am getting everything done before the due date, so I make an Excel sheet strictly for studying and use that to backward plan.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

I think I have grown up being very self-critical and I have learned to now tell myself that I just need to do my best and that’s all that matters. It is not the end of the world if I don’t do the greatest on one assignment or test. I think that this kind of mindset is how I have been able to handle my stress. 

What do you like to do to de-stress?

I really love watching TV. My favourite genre is sitcoms and just getting a good laugh. I really liked the “Big Bang Theory” but now I like “Young Sheldon”. There are so many sitcoms! I also like to go for walks, if it’s a nice day out. I have found that going for walks makes me feel better and it releases endorphins too! I also do some meditation to start off my day and to end my day feeling more confident. 

What would you say to someone who is looking to get involved?

I would definitely encourage you to get involved! Not only would you find an activity or interest that you really enjoy and are passionate about, but you’ll also be able to meet new people and friends who also have that same passion. 

If someone is looking to get involved, what they can do is if they want to be an Ambassador, for example, they can register on the Student Life website. The Student Union website also has a full list of clubs that you can join. I think I even saw a quiz on the Digital Community that students can take and can find clubs based on their interests. I think getting involved would be a great way for anyone to make university more enjoyable and not focus too much on school and still be able to expand their social life.