THUNDER BAY — Lakehead University expects to admit roughly 350 new international students to its programs this year, bringing its total number of global students to 1,600 at both campuses.
The university held a Community Connections Fair at the Outpost on Thursday to welcome the international students to the Thunder Bay community.
Davia Hastings, a first-year student who flew from Jamaica to study for her master’s in civil engineering at Lakehead University, was one of the numerous students attending the fair. She said she came out to the fair because she wanted to learn more and see what’s offered in Thunder Bay, as well as to “just get some more experience.”
“It looks like a really good school to come (to)… The orientation processes and stuff looked good. When I attended the seminars that I had online, they were very welcoming and open to answer any questions, so I had to choose them,” Hastings said.
Hastings had a long trip to Canada, which required two flights, totalling around eight hours.
As of Thursday, Aug. 28, she has been in Thunder Bay for two days. Hastings said it’s been good as everyone is welcoming and she has had “a good time so far.”
“It’s very beautiful (at the university) and I’m really enjoying my experience,” Hastings said.
This upcoming school year, she is excited to meet new people.
“I love civil engineering, so it’s good to learn more and just meet my professors and my other classmates, so I’m pretty excited,” Hastings said.
International student registration is meeting the status quo, according to Krista McAllister, an International Student Services’ student engagement and cultural coordinator.
Despite the federal government’s decision to cap the number of international student visas issued in January 2024, McAllister explained that the university has continued to attract a variety of students who represent 80 nations.
“Thankfully, we’ve continued on with the numbers that we’ve had. We haven’t quite been affected like other institutions have, which we’re very grateful for,” McAllister said.
“We do still have quite a few coming from India. We also have China, Nigeria… There is a lot of Latin America that has started to grow as well. So, those populations are (continuing) to grow and we’re very excited about that," she added.
McAllister said they have brought in a wide variety of vendors, agencies and services to help the students become more settled into the community as a whole, rather than just at Lakehead.
As far as vendors and services, McAllister said they had 25 at the fair on Thursday who were able to join them.
“We have global specialty markets so that they can find flavours from home. We have places that they can volunteer at, like the Thunder Con and the Thunder Bay Renaissance Fair, but we also have different places like Thunder Bay Museum and the art gallery,” McAllister said.
“And just ways for them to experience life in Thunder Bay and really find their communities.”
They also have places of worship, as many of their international students find that “their faith is very important to them”, she added, so they want to be able to support them that way as well.
As for the students, she added that they were expecting about 250 to come through the fair.
“We do have this for our international students. We also welcome our domestic students here as well because places like phone carriers and banks can also be important to them, especially if they’re coming from out of town,” McAllister said.
McAllister said that they’re very excited to have their students back.
“This is always my favourite time of year, welcoming them and helping them get settled in and we’re very, very excited for them to be here,” McAllister said.
The first day of fall and winter term classes will begin on Sept. 2.
