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The DECA Leadership GRIT Conference (DECA GRIT) was more than I expected, not just discussing DECA but also the rest of the business world. It was filled with interesting and informative lectures and workshops, along with hundreds of students networking and talking about their one common interest of DECA. DECA GRIT was held to help further enhance your skills to prepare you for future leadership roles in DECA and beyond, discussing leadership within all aspects of business.

Speaking to strangers or talking in front of a large crowd is often an activity that most individuals dread. “Speak with Impact and Impress them” by Marco Yim was an inspirational workshop that taught me how to step out of my comfort zone and take the next steps in building my networking and public speaking skills.

“Fail to Succeed”, was a session led by four senior AFM students who spoke of their academic journey. They talked about meeting their goals and how those goals changed over time due to either a change in their interests or failing to achieve their original goal.

Too many to choose

When I think of university, I think of all work and no play. That is not the case at the University of Waterloo. At UW, there is a multitude of  extra-curriculars for anyone to take part in.

Never alone

One worry I had when I started to think about residence was whether I would actually like the person/people, I live with. As a very shy person, I am hesitant to live with people I do not know as most residences have shared rooms and there are very few single rooms. After looking into it a little more, I found out that when I am ready to apply for residence, I would have to fill out a form that asks for my likes and dislikes, what kind of person I am, and what it would be like to live with me.

Your home away from home

Movies portrayed living in university residence as one shared room with your best friend, one shared bathroom, and microwaved ramen noodles. After some research, I found out that there is a variety of  residences available to students. Some options are very similar to the movies, which have single and double rooms available, complete with communal floor bathrooms and a residence cafeteria. Those are traditional dorms, where I would also have to get a meal plan.

Where will I live?

A misconception with university is that you have to live in residence in order to attend university. That is simply not true. Residence is not the only option for accommodations while in university and it is up to you to decide where you live. For a lot of students, living at home is a great option. For me, living at home is great because I live close to the university, and I would save a lot of money since I would not have to pay for living expenses.

Current 4^th year AFM students, Bianca and Tiffany spoke with the SAF Communications and External Relations team about their experiences while on an exchange trip. Bianca went on an exchange to Sweden while Tiffany enjoyed a study term in London, UK!

David, Amaris, and Zao took the time to talk to SAF’s Communications and External Relations team about their experiences being on a varsity team. They shared some tips on how they managed their time between academics and sports. In addition to these three student athletes, seven other student athletes from SAF programs were named on the 2018 President’s Academic Honour Roll, making the university proud.

How far I will go