Home can be defined in many ways.
Sometimes, it is a place. Other times, it is the people who understand you, or the traditions that feel familiar and the small moments that remind you that you belong.
When I came to Canada from Vietnam as an international student, I left behind the home I had always known and began searching for a new sense of community at York. I found it through the Vietnamese Students’ Association at York, also known as VietSAY.
Taking the first step
I joined VietSAY as marketing director in 2024, and my first event was Orientation 2024. I still remember walking into the room without knowing many people. I was not sure where to stand or who to talk to.
As I spent more time with the team, that nervousness slowly disappeared. The other members began to feel like the older sisters and brothers I could turn to while I was finding my way in a new country. They told me where to find good Vietnamese food, where to shop and which events I could attend to network with people from different industries. These may sound like small things, but at the time, they made a whole new city feel a little gentler and easier to call home.
Watching our ideas come to life
As marketing director, I created social media content and helped more students discover our events. It gave me the chance to take what I was learning in class and see how it worked in real life.
My favourite part was seeing everything come together. One of my core memories with VietSAY was a collaboration with Canada Goose. After weeks of planning and promoting the event and watching students arrive, connect and enjoy what our team had created made all the work feel worthwhile.
One of our biggest events, the Tết celebration, was especially meaningful to me. It brought the food, traditions and memories I grew up with to York while showing the different ways people celebrate the Lunar New Year across Vietnam and Canada.
Through these events, I also met senior students with experience in marketing whose advice and encouragement inspired me to pursue more opportunities in the field afterward.
Learning what leadership means
A year later, I had the opportunity to serve as VietSAY’s president. Stepping into this role allowed me to see the club from a different perspective. I began to understand how much care goes into creating a community where people feel welcomed and included.
I learned that leadership is not about always having the answer. It is about listening, trusting your team and working through challenges together when things do not go as planned.
Most importantly, I learned that community is something we build together and pass from one cycle to the next. I felt lucky to work alongside people who shared their time, ideas and care to help VietSAY continue growing for future generations of students.
Finding your own community
If you are new to York and far from home, joining a student club can feel intimidating. My advice is to start small. Attend an event, visit a club booth or simply say hello to someone new.
You can find all of York’s student clubs, including VietSAY, on YU Connect.
I joined VietSAY hoping to find a community. What I found were friendships I know will last, new opportunities and a place where I could stay connected to my culture. It taught me that home is not always one place. Sometimes, it is something we slowly create through the people we meet along the way.