As students across Canada break free from the confines of their campus libraries, we wanted to take a look at the 11/12 school year and shine a light on a few notable students. So much of what student life is all about now is getting involved and earning valuable real life experiences – outside of the classroom. What’s that you say? Aren’t I going to school to learn in the classroom? Well yes…and no.

Post –secondary students are becoming increasingly involved with progressives programs, challenges and opportunities that aim to make student life bigger and better.  This is something that Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec (CNTAE) has fully embraced. Started in 2007 by the DeGroote School of Business, CNTAE was founded on the principles of bridging the gap between learning’s in the classroom and application in real industry.  CNTAE brings Canada’s top students together and into the real world of advertising – or at least the world outside the classroom.

Partnered with Chevrolet, the 2012 competition challenged teams to develop an integrated marketing communications strategy for the launch of the 2013 Chevrolet Spark in major Canadian urban centers. Up for grabs in first place was the grand prize of two 2013 Chevrolet Sparks which was awarded to the winning duo who hail from McMaster University, Kailee Jaimeson and Ryan Moran!  We caught up with them in the early morning after their big win and it was clear that the excitement was fresh in their voices. “Being a part this opportunity has been so surreal” said Kailee, “it has been an absolute blast doing this with Ryan and I think I can speak for both of us by saying that it really has made everything we’ve done in the classroom become so much more significant.”

These students have been hard at work since January designing, creating, strategizing and envisioning what they would want Chevrolet to tell them about the new Spark. The amazing runner up duo of Elizabeth Harris and Emily Dimytosh from Queen’s University, and third place pair, Christopher Larryant and Veronica Yeung from University of British Columbia, all agreed. “It’s so important for companies to get involved with student life to present opportunities like [CNTAE]” declared Emily Dimytosh. This program is a great example of merging the relationships between consumer and brand to form an authentic relationship.

“If I had the opportunity to tell a first year student about the one thing they needed to do when they got to University it would be to seek opportunities and get involved outside of class” said Veronica Yeung. The CampusPerks team agrees – In the last 2 school years we have hooked up students with not only exclusive opportunities, national recognition and some fun challenges along the way. We have also been able to reward these students with over $620,000 in sponsorship and scholarships.

Stand out on campus and get involved. To find out about how to get involved with Canada’s Next Top Ad Exec for 2013 and more info on this past years program and winners head to their website here.

If you want to find out about some exclusive opportunities right now check out CampusPerks.ca or comment below and we’ll fill you in on how to get involved right now!

Photos Provided By: Lucas Scarfone

March 2012 saw the launch of CampusPerks Student of the Month Awards. Students excelling in the Arts, Leadership, Innovation and Athletics were nominated by their friends, family and professors to receive a CampusPerks Award for their involvement both on and off campus, and for their contribution to their community.

75 students were nominated for Awards and 910 Canadians spoke out about their involvement to support their nominations – after a round of interviews with our judges, 8 students were honoured with a national CampusPerks Award of achievement in their category.

“It was a really cool experience,” says Bree, CampusPerks Artist Award Winner from Wilfrid Laurier University. “There aren’t a lot of formal awards in University that recognize students for their involvement like in highschool or elementary school.”

Kyla, CampusPerks Athlete Award Winner from the University of British Columbiam said that “[The Awards are] really great because you get to learn about other athletes and individuals on campus as well as across Canada. [It's] a really cool idea and a great way to raise awareness for what students are doing in Canada.”

Get recognized on a national level means a lot to students because in a school of 20, 000 people or more, it can be hard to stand out.

“When I found out I was nominated I was really excited. I’ve done a lot and to be recognized is really amazing – sometimes you don’t realise how much you do until someone else points it out”, says Chantelle, CampusPerks Athlete Award Winner from the University of Toronto. Sadie, CampusPerks Leadership Award Winner from the University of Calgary was amazed that so many people knew about her nomination, “I even had people come up to me that I didn’t really know that well mention that they supported me on CampusPerks.ca.” 

Being nominated for a CampusPerks Student of the Month Award is really an honour. William, CampusPerks Innovator Award Winner from Waterloo University noted that, “[The Awards] give students great exposure from CampusPerks.ca and it really highlights the students that excel in each category.“  It’s an exclusive process, wherein judges go through a rigorous selection process in approving nominated students, moving them into an interview phase, and lastly, selecting the winners.

Our Award Winners have exceeded what’s required of them as students at University, having successfully tackled the busy student lifestyle while continuing to contribute to campus life, they are natural born leaders in their field.  As CampusPerks Artist Award winner Luxey puts, “University is not always about marks, it’s about making meaningful connections all the way through. It expands your network –  I met my friends Polly Leger and Yumi Rahman through Carleton’s Vagina Monoglues Production and they have inspired me every bit of the way.”

Jon, CampusPerks Leadership Award Winner from Wilfrid Laurier University believes that keeping busy helps you stay balanced while at University: “I strongly believe that hard work and collaborative development makes the most well-rounded students, and I promote this in all of my activities.  Success is all about dreaming big and acting even bigger. I aim to make my outputs far exceed my inputs, which helps provide Laurier students with the best means for working together and achieving greatness.” 

Getting involved also drives up school spirit. Chantelle plays on two sports teams at York University and is keen on showing her school pride. “I have always been a supporter of school spirit, if youre involved on campus it shows you’re proud to go to your school no matter how big or how small”, she said.

Universities themselves also influence students as a hub for idea creation, as William states, “University of Waterloo has the slogan, “Ideas start here.” Velocity would be one of the best representations of that slogan. I enjoy the community and the energy in here. Not only does Velocity connect students with each other, it also helps with mentorship. I can always count on fellow Velocity residences to motivate me during weekend Hackathons.” Similarly, Keiver, CampusPerks Innovator Award Winner, added that being involved at the University of Calgary “Gave me connections to people that I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to meet, like industry professionals.  Getting involved on campus lets you learn a little bit more about yourself and what your interests are.”

Being involved on campus has benefits outside of University – as Bree, one of our CampusPerks Artist Award winners puts it, “Being involved in student publications (Wilfrid Laurier’s award winning paper, “The Cord”) has – or will, I guess I should say, – contribute to my eventual success. I have found that I enjoy writing as more than just a hobby, it’s a huge passion and want to it for the rest of my life which is why I’m looking for work as an editor or reporter. Jon agrees, “I think that the biggest factor is, volunteering gives you a practical skill set to be able to excel in the future. It helps you understand and recognize your strengths, what you can excel at, and what you’re passionate about.” 

Although some students see campus involvement as a simple resume booster – it’s about more than that. As Keiver states, “getting involved is not just about filling your resume…getting involved lets you learn a little bit more about yourself and what your interests are.” As Sadie explained, getting involved can help you figure out what you want to do with your life, so when people ask you “What do you want to do with your life?” at your family reunion, you can answer them! “I think that being involved on campus helps you open up to so many different things – [it allows you to] explore your options of what you want to do – I didn’t know I wanted to get involved with Non Profits until I started volunteering.Now, im involved in a lot of volunteer work both in and outside of campus. ”

This dedication to bettering themselves and their community is something our Award winners all have in common, as a well as an honest desire to improve and contribute to their campus life. As Kyla put it, “Getting involved and giving back to your University is a great way to make it an even better place.”

CampusPerks fuels student life on campuses across Canada by providing students with exclusive opportunities, and as the Hunger Games neared, we thought, how sweet would it be to send a few of our Community Members to see the Hunger Games before everyone else? 

Answer? Pretty darn sweet. A few lucky CampusPerks community members had the unique opportunity to attend the Hunger Games advance screening as our CampusPerks media reps.

Anna from Ottawa University, tori from Carleton University and Steffany and Carolyn, from Dalhousie University, have given us an exclusive play-by-play on their Hunger Games experience.

What did they think of the experience? Well…

“WOW, what to say about The Hunger Games. Did I actually expect it to be as good as the hype around it? Yes. Did it deliver? Definitely, I could even say it exceeded ALL expectations I previously had. What helped exceed them was being able to say I saw it first, before many die-hards had the chance to. Feeling the anticipation and excitement of the crowd of people who were just itching to see it was exhilarating! It was also refreshing to not have to hear the opinions of others before I had the chance to experience it myself, which was one of the perks of being able to see it first; I could really claim my expectations as unclouded and my own. I have ever really experienced something similar before, and it was really nice to genuinely go based on your own thoughts!” – Anna

“To my surprise, and excitement, I was given the opportunity to attend the Advance Screening of “The Hunger Games” as a CampusPerks Media Rep. The experience was sweaty, hot, and required a lot of multitasking. Twitter updates on my phone, taking photos with my camera, carrying popcorn, and waiting in line with a bustling crowd of people…piece of cake right? Not so much. There was popcorn everywhere! It was loud, but security kept the lucky advance screening hopefuls in check.” – Steffany

“The movie was amazing, and I am so happy that I was chosen to see the advanced screening of the Hunger Games in Ottawa! It was an exciting experience, even waiting in a huge line to get tickets was exciting as people around us were re-reading parts of the book, and describing their favourite characters and wondering how accurately they would be portrayed in the film. ” - Tori

Was it an accurate representation of the book?

“Well let me just say, the Hunger Games exceeded my expectations. This movie succeeds in a way other book-to-movie attempts have not. I think this is because the director, Gary Ross, seems to not attempt to simply emulate the book but actually seems inspired by this story. The movie surprisingly tackles a lot of issues for what could easily be another shallow attempt to draw in young moviegoers.” -Carolyn 

“I can honestly say it was a great depiction of how I had envisioned it, and the book’s integrity was maintained exceptionally well. The entire experience was thrilling, kept me on the edge of my seat, anticipating the next second to see the progression of the story being brought to life. The dedication of some people in line- those who brought foldable chairs and down to the ten year old girl who was still re-reading parts of the book before the movie started- it all made the experience that much more exciting! Having such an opportunity from CampusPerks was actually one I never would have expected to have, and I really could not thank you enough! I whole-heartedly enjoyed myself and never would have thought it could be so much fun, but thanks to you I have one more thing to check off my bucket list.” - Anna

Steffany reports on the environment before the film started.

“We exited the screening only to find a huge line equal in size to the one we had been standing in a few hours earlier. I was definitely one of those people who had no idea what was in store.… fans had been lining up for the past few hours impatiently waiting for the theatre 8 doors to open and usher them into the World of The Hunger Games!” – Steffany

Things you’d like to see more of from the Hunger Games movie?

“Jennifer Lawrence. She deserves to be the new ‘it girl’. Her beauty is only exceeded by her talent. One of the best young actresses around right now, in my opinion.

Also: Braided updos and wacky high fashion. Katniss had some seriously amazing hairstyles that deserve emulation. The majority of the characters were high-class city folk of the future sporting polished yet strange versions of haute couture. I loved the color palette ranging from bright blues to mustard yellow, orange-red, and jewel tones.

It was so great to see fresh faces in a  hollywood blockbuster. Most of the cast had never previously been in a film this big, despite all being talented and experienced actors. Oh, and did I mention the Hunger Games’ roster of extremely handsome counterparts?” – Carolyn

Overall?

“Thanks again CampusPerks! I’m so glad that I had the chance to represent such a great initiative that provides students across Canada with the opportunity to promote student life on campus!” -Steffany

“A big thanks to CampusPerks for sending us to see the Hunger Games!” – Carolyn

“My Karyna and I had a great time, and loved the trivia and prizes that were given away before the movie! Thank you so much CampusPerks!” – Tori

“[CampusPerks] really is a university student’s BFF and I could not have asked for a more entertaining distraction from the midterms which never seem to end. Thank you for the kick-ass tickets and making my university experience that much more memorable, you are awesome!” - Anna

Did you see the Hunger Games over the weekend? Let us know what you thought about the film in the comments section below.

Side Note: Want to gain access to exclusive opportunities like this one? Become a CampusPerks Community Member here: http://campusperks.ca/en/users/sign_up

-The CampusPerks Team