Student services every NAIT international student needs to know

Support for building a “home away from home”

It was the type of question many students don't have to think about. But that day, soon after she started at NAIT and needed to speak to her instructor, Karen Velasco (Bachelor of Business Administration ’22, Marketing ‘14) felt panic.

"What do I call this person?" she wondered.

“Back home, we call our teachers ma'am and sir,” says Velasco. Before arriving at the polytechnic in 2016, “back home” was the Philippines, where classrooms tend to be more formal. But here, Velasco watched as her classmates called the instructor by name.

“Maybe this is the norm,” she thought, mustering her courage. “I’ll just imitate.”

Now a supervisor with International Student Experience (ISE) at NAIT, Velasco is part of a team that works to address that uncertainty for others who are new to Canada. To help make NAIT feel like home away from home, here are services every student from abroad should know.

A warm welcome

“The International Student Orientation is a really good first step,” for students coming to NAIT from abroad, says ISE manager Heather Nally.

Held three times a year, the session covers everything from the supports available from the team – headquartered at the International and Intercultural Community Centre (IICC) – and other departments, to adjusting to Canadian culture on campus and off.

They’ll even bring in students or alumni who also came from abroad “and let them share their experience,” says Nally.

Throughout the year, the centre holds refresher events as students settle into campus and their studies.

Professionals to talk to

During her studies at NAIT, Velasco had to return to the Philippines due to a death in her family. It continued to have an effect on her in Canada.

“I wasn't sleeping when I came back,” she says. She had only one semester left but wondered about the purpose of it all. “Why am I here?” she thought.

Her friends encouraged her to seek help from NAIT Counselling, a team that helps international and domestic students manage stresses of all kinds.

“That was a really great help for me,” says Velasco.

The experience inspired Velasco to help launch “Spill the Tea,” an event that brings international students together each term to talk about the emotional effects of leaving home.

“We're creating a very safe space for students to talk about mental health and cultural perspectives on well-being,” she says.

Peers to talk to

Each semester, returning international students sign on to help those in their first-year get acquainted with NAIT and life in Edmonton. That can mean sharing where to buy books, how to manage a Prairie winter, or attending events together.

Often, that effort is paid forward.

“The first-year mentees get so much help from their mentors that they then want to be the mentors,” says Carla Lawson, supervisor of international academic advising. “It becomes a cycle of contributing back.”

Understanding the rules

Being an international student can sometimes be complicated, given the rules around immigration and studying.

“That's where my team comes in,” says Lawson.

Lawson’s team has the answers for questions about study permits, work permits, financial support and more. They can also help students navigate the impacts of changing their course loads and what that may mean to their time in Canada.

Opportunities to share

Nally points out that the contributions of NAIT and international students go both ways. While staff work to enrich the experiences of international students, those students also enrich the campus.

DestiNAITion Global showcases a student body that numbers roughly 4,000 people from more than 80 countries. “This is where we celebrate and have fun, and give international students the opportunity to highlight their heritage,” says Nally.

The events of the week “also give [members of] the NAIT community opportunities to learn more about our international students, learn more about different cultures on campus, and to really grow their intercultural competence.”

Open doors, from start to finish

The doors of the IICC are open to international students from the moment they arrive. “We are the landing pad for the international students,” says Velasco. It’s the place where she knows that many people will be “restarting” their lives, much like she did.

That’s why Lawson encourages early and frequent visits for help with any issue. “The earlier you come to the IICC, the better,” she says.

“We are here because we love to support students, and so we love to see students succeed.”