A smiling face you will see in the halls, at events, and lending a hand to her fellow students at Trent University Durham GTA is Josie Del Rosso, a third-year Teacher Education Stream student majoring in Child and Youth Studies and minoring in English. 

Josie is working this summer as a full-time student staff member with Trent University Durham’s Student Life team. As an events and engagement assistant, Josie takes pride in planning on-campus events to allow students to have fun and connect with the university community. One of her favourite events to plan is Orientation. 

“The excitement of new students, the energy of leaders, and the organized chaos of a jam-packed schedule – it is so exhilarating,” she said. 

Josie also enjoys how Student Life collaborates with other departments to diversify their engagement approach. She said, “Collaborations introduce new perspectives, share ideas, and provide a greater variety of events on campus.”  

Most recently, Josie collaborated with First Peoples House of Learning on an Indigenous movie night and rock painting activity to recognize Indigenous History Month.  

Josie has found her sense of community with her team. “Working with the team has been the highlight of my summer and I am grateful I get to collaborate with them every day. They help me to become smarter, kinder, and more confident.”  

As for her academic pursuits, she said her Teacher Education Stream’s flexibility allowed her to explore a wide range of majors for her degree. “I thought the program would give me the most holistic view of working with children while expanding my horizons and finding out what I wanted to do in the future.”  

For new and current students, Josie recommends getting involved on campus to enhance their student experience. “Get Involved. Come to our events, become an orientation leader - show us that you are interested in campus life. Connections are everything!”