It starts with us: Thousands of students launch their post-secondary journey with Durham College’s Academic Welcome Week

A brand-new class of students at Durham College (DC) are buzzing with excitement as they kick off their post-secondary journey this September.

This year, DC will welcome more than 6,700 students across nine academic Faculties in 145-plus market-driven programs.

From August 27 to 30, new students attended Academic Welcome Week events at DC’s Oshawa and Whitby campuses. At these half-day events, students connected with their Faculty, receiving essential program-specific details. They also participated in social events and fun activities designed to help them connect with fellow students.

Taylor Norville, a Public Relations student, was excited to attend the event for students in the Faculty of Media, Art and Design on August  27.

“Today I just want to know a little more about my program because I don’t really know what to expect, I haven’t gone to school for something like this before, it’s totally new to me,” she said.

Norville attended a university nursing program before deciding to take Public Relations at DC. She works in the beauty industry selling makeup and fragrances in a retail store and that inspired her to consider a new career path.

“I kind of wanted to go to the business side of the beauty industry and I thought PR would be a really good career for me,” she explains. “At my work I do events, I do our social media so I thought it would be a good transition.”

Meanwhile, at the Faculty of Liberal Studies welcome event, Caleb Pike isn’t quite sure what career path he wants to pursue, so he’s exploring his options while pursuing a General Arts and Science certificate. Through the program, he will earn transferable credits towards a future post-secondary program.

“I’m going to do a one-year program and decide what I’m going to do after that,” he said. “It was either going to be a gap year or this, so I decided to try things out and see what I like and then choose a career.”

He said he was looking forward to picking up new information at the Academic Welcome event and connecting with people.

Liberal Studies Executive Dean Nora Simpson welcomed students in General Arts and Science programs and highlighted the importance of attending orientation events like Academic Welcome Week, pointing out that studies show students who attend orientation are more successful academically. She encouraged students to share what they learned at orientation with their peers.

“When you see some students who are not here today, take a moment and share with them what you’ve learned,” she said. “If there are some key tips or tricks or pieces of information, share it with them and that can be your first act of community-building within the General Arts and Science program, your first act of building this cohort of colleagues and friends.”

Simpson had simple advice for success: get involved and ask for help.

DC President Dr. Elaine Popp shared some heartfelt advice with DC’s newest class, advising them to prioritize themselves along with their academic and personal responsibilities, encouraging them to focus on well-being by keeping active and paying attention to nutrition.

“Another key piece of advice is to cultivate strong relationships with your faculty members,” said Popp. “They aren’t just experts in their fields—they’re also deeply connected with industry. These relationships can open doors to job opportunities or provide valuable references that will help you achieve your goals.”

And finally, she encouraged them to remain true to who they are.

“As you grow and learn this year, be sure to keep living your values.”