My Life at the University of Windsor

First off, I felt I should say what I did at the University of Windsor, and a little bit about the University itself.

Many students I’ve met don’t like Windsor too much. They say it’s not as “happening” as a big city like Toronto. But that is just some people stating the bleeding obvious. I LOVED Windsor! Having come from a big city (Colombo, Sri Lanka) where meeting up with friends living way across a wide area, Windsor was a blessing. Almost all my friends lived within a walking distance of the main campus. And I cannot still recall meeting any Windsorite who treated me like an outsider. Whether it was at a supermarket, a restaurant or at the U of W, Windsor is a very friendly place to be.

View of the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit, from the Windsor Riverside

The University of Windsor (U of W, for short) is located in the Southwestern town of Windsor, Ontario. It is located across the Detroit river, which separates Detroit, Michigan in the united States. Though famous for its Engineering faculty as well as automotive research, the Odette School of Business has provided me with an excellent educational support. I have met some brilliant professors, and some not-so-brilliant ones (hey, it’s the same in every college!) but my overall experience at the Odette was amazing.

But the most enlightening experience I had at the U of W, was being part of a volunteer student group called (appropriately) The “VOLUNTEER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ASSISTANCE” or V.I.S.A. for short. V.I.S.A. and in particular, the people I met and worked with through the group have changed my life for the better. I have learned so much about diversity, acceptance, friendship, support, leadership, the importance of volunteering I feel that I need a whole blog to talk about it! It is really, that big of a deal.

V.I.S.A. Logo

I started out with V.I.S.A. as a reluctant volunteer at first, in the winter of 2007 (my first semester at the U of W). But little by little, I was encouraged to be more involved, and V.I.S.A.’s Coordinator at the time Abu Arif (Currently the International Student Advisor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan) pushed me to join the V.I.S.A. Executive Committee, which deals with the running of the group. I will never be happier someone took as much an interest in my abilities, ever again. Thanks to Arif, I was accepted as a member of the Executive team for Events, and I did not look back since.

I eventually moved up to Executive for Events under the new Coordinator, Mallika Padmanabhan. When she graduated in December 2008, I was again promoted to the position of Assistant Coordinator under the new Coordinator, Laura Prada. Finally, when Laura graduated and left the team in August 2009, I was moved up to the Coordinator of the group. I stayed on as Coordinator till the end of the 2009-2010 school year in April 2010.

During my time with V.I.S.A. I met students from all continents, and hundreds of countries. I had the chance to work with, and provide leadership to diverse groups of students. I also had the opportunity to work with staff, faculty and many business establishments at the U of W and around Windsor. Of course, I also met some amazing friends who continue to give me happiness, inspiration and company to this day. But most of all, V.I.S.A. made my time at the U of W to be AMAZING. It is truly an experience I feel I will never have again, but others should experience. It will leave you with no regrets.

So, with that little insight we’ll move on to a more detailed look into V.I.S.A.

V.I.S.A. Booth at the Carrousel of the Nations, 2009

Volunteers at the I.S.O., winter 2010