NEWS PHOTO JEREMY APPEL
Mankirat Khangura hits the books on Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, the first day of his second and final year at Medicine Hat College's business administration program.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Students and faculty returned to Medicine Hat College on Wednesday for the first day of the 2019-2020 school year.
Mankirat Khangura, an international student from Punjab, India, who’s entering his second and final year of the business administration program, says his English communication abilities have improved significantly since the start of his first year.
“I can easily understand what people want to convey,” Khangura explained.
He credits MHC’s ESL program for improving his English language skills.
Khangura said he’s seen the community of students from India grow in his time at MHC.
Although he’s enjoying his time in the Hat, he is excited to return home and see his family after next semester, whom he hasn’t seen since he moved to Canada.
“It’s been a long time for me,” said Khangura.
Second-year finance student Sydney Campbell doubles as the vice president internal of the Medicine Hat College Students Association.
In addition to her studies, she works with other students to ensure their academic success.
“I ran for the election last year in March not fully knowing what I was getting into, and I have to say it’s really awesome because the job is to engage with students, learn about students, provide services to students,” she said.
“Since I am a student, it’s a bit easier to make that connection.”
Since she works on the academic side, she also has to establish relationships with faculty.
“I get to talk to everybody in the college as part of my job,” said Campbell.
Tuesday was orientation for first-year students, which Campbell found exciting because she got to be on the other side of it this year, going on stage and presenting.
“Today, the first day, has been a little quiet to begin with,” she said, predicting that the pace will pick up next week once classes get into their course material.
At the end of the week, the Student Association-organized Frosh Fest is taking place at the Crave restaurant on campus, with games, live music and the opportunity for first-years to make new friends.
On the faculty side, education program co-ordinator Lorelei Boschman says it’s always exciting to see the next generation begin their first year. She says there’s about 80 first-year students enrolled in education for 2019-2020.
“We take on their statement of fulfilling their post-secondary goals and getting into their chosen careers,” said Boschman.
The program is a joint initiative with Mount Royal University in Calgary, where students complete a four-year education degree at MHC.
“All of our theory is supported with practical experiences, so the students do practicums each term of their four-year degree. We think that’s very important to give them practice and have the theory come alive,” Boschman said. “It tends to be one of the students’ favourite parts of the program.”
To cap off the first week of classes, the program is taking its third-year students for a retreat at Elkwater today and Friday, where they will discuss teaching strategies. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the same students spent time at their practicum classrooms to get comfortable teaching.
Business instructor Tara Williams calls the size of MHC a “sweet spot,” which allows students to pursue hands-on learning opportunities in the community, whether it’s partnering with local businesses or non-profits.
As Boschman put it, “We’re very fortunate to have a community we can partner with for the experiential learning and practical areas.”
Williams says she finds it interesting to observe freshmen on their first day.
“I had three classes of first-year students coming in, which is a really different dynamic than my afternoon class of third-year students, just seeing them navigate the new college, find their classrooms, navigate relationships and find a group they’re going to move forward with,” said Williams.
She said she jokes to her first-years that they’re learning “adulting 101.”
“No one wants to do it, but we have all have to, and we’re having to manage all these tasks and our own lives at home, and they have to manage their own timelines,” Williams said. “That is just as much of the learning experience as the material is.”
