From: Arij Al Khafagi <alkhafaa@myumanitoba.ca>
Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2023 6:31 PM
To: nursing-bn-students@lists.umanitoba.ca
Subject: [Nursing-bn-students] Incoming Senior Stick Message

Dear nursing students,

My name is Ari and I’m the newly elected Senior Stick on the Nursing Students' Association for the 2023/24 school year! I am deeply honored and humbled to have been elected. Thank you for placing your trust in me and for allowing me to represent you . I wanted to introduce myself as you all will be seeing a lot more emails from me! 

First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for choosing nursing as your profession. Nursing is a noble and rewarding field that requires dedication, compassion, and hard work. You are all embarking on a journey that will not only enrich your lives but also the lives of countless others whom you will serve and care for in your future careers.

As your Senior Stick, I am committed to supporting and advocating for you in every way possible. I will work tirelessly to ensure that your voices are heard, and your concerns are addressed. Together, we will build a stronger and more cohesive nursing community that fosters learning, growth, and excellence.

I am thrilled to announce that we have some exciting new events and initiatives planned for the upcoming year. We will be organizing several career fairs, where you can meet and connect with nurses and healthcare professionals from different specialties and backgrounds. We will also be organizing shadow shifts and continuing our great mentorship program which pairs senior nursing students with junior students, allowing them to share their experiences, knowledge, and skills. This program will provide valuable support and guidance to those who are just starting their nursing journey.

But that's not all! We will also be participating in community outreach events, where we will have the opportunity to give back to our local community through volunteering and advocacy. We will be hosting more socials, launching a line of new nursing merchandise, and hosting fun events such as paint nights and movie nights! One of the most important events that the Nursing Students' Association will be hosting this year is Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day is an annual event that commemorates the experiences of Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent to residential schools in Canada. The day was created to honor and remember the survivors of residential schools and to educate people about the ongoing impacts of these institutions. Orange Shirt Day serves as a powerful reminder of the need to acknowledge and address the trauma that Indigenous peoples have endured in Canada's history. It also provides an opportunity to promote reconciliation and to work towards building better relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. I am honoured to be working with the NSA team and our Indigenous Representative to organize OSD. 

Again, I want to thank you once again for electing me as your Senior Stick. I am truly honored to serve you, and I am excited for the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Let's work together to make the 2023/24 year a memorable and successful one for all of us. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or simply want to chat!

Warm wishes,

Ari Al Khafagi (she/her)

Senior Stick | Nursing Students' Association

College of Nursing | Rady Faculty of Health Sciences 

University of Manitoba

Traditional Territories Acknowledgement: The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.