Trent University’s residence life dons were recognized with a top prize at this year’s Residence Life Conference, the premier student-leader conference in the country, which brings together staff from colleges and universities across the country to share valuable information and ensure an enhanced student experience.

Graduating students Christie Vandervlist and Michael Becker were named winners in their category for an innovative poster presentation, which showcased their knowledge of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality assessment in a new and unique way. Using Winnie the Pooh’s memorable "100 Aker Wood" universe, the Trent dons reflected on each character's "personality type" and communicated to conference goers what types of personalities their resident students may fall under and how to meet each personality types needs. With over 30 programs submitted in the "Passive Program" category, Ms. Vandervlist and Mr. Becker’s presentation stood out for its high level of detail, visuals, interactive elements and demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter.

"This recognition is important as it shows the hard work and effort that Trent University has been displaying to our students within residence," said Vladimir Smiljanic, college residence life coordinator at Trent. "For a residence life program that is significantly smaller than that at larger universities, we displayed that our student leadership is as passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable as any other school in the residence life landscape. We have some of the best student leaders in Ontario and it was a fantastic opportunity to be in attendance at such an important conference."

This year’s Residence Life Conference, hosted by University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), was themed "Best Of" and brought together over 300 residence life staff members from across the country. In addition to Ms. Vandervlist and Mr. Becker, five other Trent University residence life dons attended the event and presented on topics ranging from cultural norms to universal design of residence communities, receiving a high level of praise from conference goers.