UNive Life

Motivational speaker Blake Fly comes to UNBC

Kelley Ware
Multimedia Coordinator

Oo: November 6, Student Life brought
university motivational speaker Blake
Fly to UNBC. The event was two years in

the making, with conversations happening
between Fly and Student Life Coordinator
Lisa Scheck. Finally, due to the 25th
anniversary of UNBC, Fly came to UNBC. The
day began with workshops, followed by a big
speaking event in the evening. Both events
were about making the best of the amazing
opportunity we all have: university.

The evening event saw a wide variety of
students attend with a presence from
UNBC, CNC, and some of the high schools
in Prince George. The event began with
interactive drumming and clapping. While
other events have had similar beginnings
to gain the audience’s attention, Fly’s
excitement and humour were contagious
and made what could have come off as a
mundane exercise as something special.

Fly’s stage presence, personality, and banter
made the information feel new. Ultimately

Shelley Termuende | NUGSS

the theme of Fly’s talk was that leaving your
comfort zone in university is necessary if
you want your university experience to be
extraordinary. Another major theme of his
talk was finding a balance in your university
experience. To make this point, Fly brought
in three props: a backpack, a teddy bear,

Blake-Flysat UNBC
Kelley, Ware | OTE

and a guitar. The backpack represented the
academic side of university, the reason we
are here, the teddy bear represented the
people and relationships in our lives, and
the guitar represented our passions and
hobbies. A balance between these three is
vital, because the experience is lessened

in some way once one is removed.

The last part of the talk I will never forget.
Fly began talking about prank phone calls.
He mentioned that they were fun, but
were only fun because they were at the
expense of someone. So Fly introduced

the “Thank Call.” The idea is similar: you
still call an unsuspecting person in your
contacts; however, instead of the prank, you
identify yourself to your friend and thank
them. Then he did it for all of us to see. At
random, the audience chose a contact of his
that he then put onto speaker and called.
Fly thanked them for the things they had
done for him as we listened in. It was an
amazing idea. Then Fly challenged us to
do it right then and there. One brave soul
took the challenge and stood up and called
his friend. It was incredible, and we made
two people’s day by doing it. Finally he
ended with a song on his guitar, bringing
us back to the importance of passions.

Ultimately Fly left us with one message:
do not be afraid. Do not be afraid to ask for
help, to reach out and make friends, to tell
people they matter, and to take chances.

News from NUGSS: meet the VP Internal

Shelley Termuende
VP Internal | NUGSS

irst and foremost, I would like to thank

the UNBC undergraduates for electing me
to this position. I am confident that my past
experience will ensure that the student body
is well represented for the remainder of my
term.

I certainly have some big shoes to fill with
Amarilys Ducharme’s strong legacy, but
with her mentorship, I hope to equal her

success in this position. I am incredibly
excited to work with this year’s NUGSS team
to ensure clubs are content, NUGSS services
are known and utilized by the student body,
and NUGSS policy is maintained and adjusted
to be beneficial for the society as a whole.

While I am new to the VP position, I will

not be afraid to ask questions, admit where

I need to improve, and work to my fullest

to do just that. As your new VP Internal
(previously VP Student Affairs), I will be fair
and balanced when working with clubs. I am

no stranger to hard work and I am willing

to dedicate my time to you, however long
you need. When I am not in class, I will be
devoting my time to my new position here at
NUGSS. The first on my list of priorities will
be to meet with all of the club executives and
discuss what they hope to see from NUGSS
and from me in the upcoming semester.

I look forward to speaking with everyone
and am willing to answer questions during
my scheduled office hours on Monday