Students who came to Brandon University from as far away as Africa, Oceania, and the Caribbean attracted worldwide attention after sharing their journeys to come to BU on social media.
The “Destination: BU” video challenge asked incoming International students at BU to document the steps they took to move from home to Brandon, Manitoba, and to share them in a short video. Students captured final haircuts and shopping trips, emotional farewells with their families, long plane rides with exhausting layovers, and finally the excitement of arriving in a new country and seeing the BU campus for the first time.
Eight students submitted qualifying videos, which were put to an online vote. More than 5,000 people watched one or more of the videos, and more than 15,000 votes were cast (people could vote once per device).
“We are totally thrilled with the great videos these students put together, and the response that they generated,” said Dave Rowland, Director of the International Activities Office at BU. “Each video is a window into one person’s experience, and taken together it’s a reminder of the wealth of experience that’s coming together here at BU.”
Top vote-getter Emmanuel Chijioke earned the grand prize of $1,000, which will be applied to his tuition and other fees at BU.
In second and third place, Christabel Imoh and Olivia Rose each were presented with a BU hoodie and water bottle. Other participants also received BU tokens of appreciation.
The videos remain online, at BrandonU.ca/International-Videos, and can be watched at any time. The International Activities Office is already planning a new call for videos for the fall.
International students are a growing part of the BU student body, currently making up about 14% of the total student population. That’s triple the proportion from a decade ago, when fewer than one in 20 students came from abroad. Due to visas and travel requirements, many choose to start in January.
“Brandon University is an excellent choice for International students. We offer a first-rate education, with plenty of options, and we’re an extremely affordable institution, especially when you consider cost of living,” Rowland said. “But as central as Brandon is, students literally need to go the extra mile to get here. That’s part of what makes their stories so compelling.”
If you’re a prospective student ready to start your own journey to BU, please reach out Ms. Iris Wang at wangi@brandonu.ca in the Office of International of International Activities to better assist you.
Watch the winning video below and be sure to watch them all at BrandonU.ca/International-Videos.
https://vimeo.com/679260658
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