Maybe you take the Richmond 6 bus to campus every morning. Maybe you stand in line at one of the 17 Tim Hortons’ during your library breaks, or maybe you sit attentively listening to your prof in Natural Science 145. Whatever it is you do here at Western, you are currently surrounded by 27,622 of your fellow students. How does that make you feel?

For many students, the Western experience is all about numbers. There are 4,000 students in 8 residences on campus. There are 75 buildings on main campus. There are 7 libraries on main campus. There are 12 different faculties and schools offering 60 different degree/diploma options. With only 24 hours in a day, how does one student set himself or herself apart from the other 27,621 students on campus and become a face instead of a number?

Renu Kanga, assistant coordinator for university transitional programs at the Centre for New Students, stated, “Western is a large school, but it’s broken down into lots of smaller communities. Each time [a student] finds a new area of interest here, [he or she] enters into a new community.”

The Centre for New Students aids in this process by offering the Leadership and Mentorship Program, or LAMP. The program connects first year students with upper-year mentors in their home faculties. Kanga explained that this creates a mutually beneficial relationship: “The new student has a person to turn to who knows their name and face, and can introduce them to everything Western has to offer. In turn, the mentor develops as a leader through giving back to the community.”

How does one create a sense of personal belonging? “Students are growing and developing that sense each day with each experience they create for themselves,” Kanga concluded.