At UBC Chinese Language Program, volunteers are more than just student helpers. They contributed and facilitated immensely in program events and oral practices while managing their academia in UBC.
This term, we introduce you to Shaoyu (Jade) Xiong, who has been helping the program for the past two years.
Please introduce yourself
Hi, I’m Xiong Shaoyu. I’m currently a 4th-year student in the faculty of Forestry.
How long have you been a volunteer?
I started last year, and I’ve been a volunteer at the UBC Chinese program for a year now.
Why did you become a volunteer? Was this something that you were interested in?
My first language is Mandarin, therefore, I registered to be a volunteer at the Chinese program here at UBC. I just wanted to try it out in the beginning, and I started to become friends with many of the other volunteers and students in the program. Everyone is extremely friendly and I continued to be a volunteer here this year. I was able to find a sense of belonging because I could speak my home language in this community.
As a volunteer, what are you responsible for? What are your tasks like?
I help students with their oral practices, as well as any events or projects that need volunteers to help with.
What do you think of the students at the Chinese program? Are they difficult to get along with?
We all know that Chinese is not an easy language to learn, so I think anyone who persists in this process must have great interests in the Chinese language. I understand their difficulties and the obstacles they are trying to overcome, therefore, I’d like to lead them through this journey.
Which events have you attended in the past year as a volunteer? Was there any particular event that gave you a profound impression?
I attended many different events in the past year, including the “Bridge of Chinese language” speech competition, as well as “Fun Night”, and the Chinese New Year celebration. Throughout this event, I discovered that non-heritage students have strong interests in Chinese culture and traditions, especially festivals like the Lunar New Year. I also realized that many of the other volunteers have very impressive talents that they put in use during their work shifts.
What’s your biggest learning moment as a volunteer?
I’ve learned a lot from my fellow volunteers, the teachers and the students of the Chinese program. They do their jobs with diligence and passion. They have the ability to plan for an event in a very short period, as well as solve any emergencies and problems that could interfere with the process. I gained many useful skills as I work and learn from my peers, their advice helped me build a solid foundation for my future career as a professional in the industry.
Chinese Version:
请劭瑜简单地自我介绍一下。
大家好，我叫熊劭瑜。目前是Forestry专业的一名大四学生。
请问劭瑜做了多久的Volunteer呢？
我是从去年开始做的，到现在是一整年。
最初为什么想来做volunteer呢？只是因为兴趣爱好吗？
因为我的母语本身是中文，所以在看到项目招Volunteer后，我就抱着试一试的心态报名了。但是开始工作后，发现这个项目里的同学都非常友好，而且大家说着同一种语言，渐渐地产生了一种归属感，然后就一直做到现在。
请问劭瑜作为volunteer，平时都负责哪些工作呢？
目前主要在做每周的oral practice，一些events招募志愿者的时候会主动报名去帮忙。
感觉Chinese Program的学生接触起来怎么样呢？会觉得他们很难教吗？
学习中文的难度大家都是了解的，所以我觉得能在这门课中坚持下来的学生都对学习中文有着极大的兴趣。我非常理解他们在学习过程中经历的一些困难，并且非常乐意去帮助他们。
在做Volunteer的这一年有参加过哪些活动呢？让你印象最深刻的是哪一个呢？
这一年我参加了挺多活动，有“汉语桥”演讲比赛，Fun night和新年晚会等等。印象最深刻的活动是新年晚会，因为我第一次发现原来这些外国学生对新年所代表的中国传统文化，有着非常浓厚的兴趣。而且我的同事们也展示了他们平常不为人知的才艺，我当时就觉得非常惊讶。
感觉做Volunteer这一年最大的收获是什么呢？
我觉得从我的同事、老师以及学生身上，我真的学到了很多东西。他们的工作能力都很强，不仅能够迅速地筹备一个活动，还能妥善处理各种意外状况。我觉得和他们一起工作，让我各方面的能力都得到了一定的提升，这也为我以后进入职场打下了良好的基础。