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UB Imprint Vol 58: UB Welcomes the Class of 2023
After braving CXCs, CAPEs, exit exams, applications and waiting for acceptances, the day finally arrived: Orientation Day for all UB’s freshmen students! Last week, July 29th to August 1st, 2019, the University held its annual orientation for our incoming students to kick off the start of their new academic year.
The turnout was great with over a thousand students participating in the four-day event.
The Orientation, which was held at the Belmopan campus in the auditorium and gym, was filled with friendly and excited faces, good food, and great insights to jump start their time as a student of Belize’s National University and to aid with balancing their academic and social life as a university student. The orientation was filled with fun and engaging activities to give new students the opportunity to socialize with their peers and an orientation leader to make friends before the semester starts in between informative sessions on student aid and personal responsibility, academic support opportunities, clubs, organizations, study abroad, undergraduate research amongst others.
Two key speakers at the Orientation ceremony were the President of the University, Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat and Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Martin Cuellar.
In his address, the President noted that the University of Belize has become a source of national pride, as it continues to seek ways to respond to the challenges facing Belize and the need for greater access to quality and relevant higher education in Belize. He concluded by saying, “You are coming into the country’s National University at a time of much optimism and excitement. The University is much stronger and enriched with more opportunities and services to optimize your potentials and prepare you with much success for a brighter future.”
And while the President’s speech focused mainly on the strength of the University, the Dean of Student Affairs advanced the notion of student life at the University. In his remarks, which was entitled “Let the Adventure Begin!”, he declared to the new students, “You are now about to start the most exciting, challenging and rewarding journey in your lives. Years from now, you will look back and laugh with pride, as you remember pushing your mind to create, analyze and write at levels you never thought you could reach. You will start new friendships, and the friends you make here will be the ones who will stay with you for the rest of your lives. You will also smile with pride as you recall the many ways that UB helped you grow into the humanitarian and professional you will become.”
At the end of the week, the evaluation from the four-day Orientation showed that 100% of those who attended reported feeling welcome into the UB family, while 95% of those who attended reported feeling empowered to successfully maneuver through UB and 99% of those who attended reported feeling inspired to participate in campus activities.
Undoubtedly, university represents the best days for many of our graduates. UB not only shapes our students’ academic future, mold their character appreciably, and imbibe a high level of empathy for Belize and its development aspirations, but also, UB presents our students with many adventurous opportunities for personal, cultural and social development and all they have to do to enjoy them is participate. Get involved. And when they do, they will discover what excellent UB graduates who have walked its beautiful campus grounds have known since its inception in 2000, you have to get in it to win it!
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, Senior Management, Faculty and Staff, the President of the University of Belize, Professor Emeritus Clement Sankat, would like to welcome its over 5,000 new and returning students to the University of Belize.
