the dons
A Residence Don is an upper-year student who lives in residence with you! They will act as a role model for you and your classmates, will plan activities for your house throughout the year, and will work as a fantastic resource to you! They're there whether you need academic help, mental health help, or if you just need someone to vent to. There's also a don on call every night to ensure that the residence policy is being followed, and is there to help if there is ever an emergency. The don team works with the ISW team to make sure your first week, and following year, is as much fun as it is safe. Here is your outstanding don team for this coming year!
Don CALEIGH - A House
First off I would like to say if you're reading this welcome to OC! I will be the Don of A House :)
I am going into my third year at Trent; I am working on getting my Joint Honours degree in Forensic Science and Anthropology.
My favourite part of ISW is probably seeing how much fun everyone has being goofy and meeting friends and just enjoying residence life before school starts. I love Trent for its wonderful campus and for its welcoming environment. I love OC because it will always have a special place in my heart as the College I lived in, in my first year.
I became a Don so that I could be a part of welcoming students to Trent while helping them throughout the year, as a student coming from Alberta my don was a big part of my adjustment and I want to be a part of that too!
If I could have a superpower I would be able to read minds. My favourite hero hands down would be Superman, need there be an explanation.
My word of advice for incoming students is to put in effort, you will only get back what you put in, both in the grades you get and the friends you make.
Fun fact about me… I love to draw, I am very into realistic drawings, mainly of people and objects.
First off I would like to say if you're reading this welcome to OC! I will be the Don of A House :)
I am going into my third year at Trent; I am working on getting my Joint Honours degree in Forensic Science and Anthropology.
My favourite part of ISW is probably seeing how much fun everyone has being goofy and meeting friends and just enjoying residence life before school starts. I love Trent for its wonderful campus and for its welcoming environment. I love OC because it will always have a special place in my heart as the College I lived in, in my first year.
I became a Don so that I could be a part of welcoming students to Trent while helping them throughout the year, as a student coming from Alberta my don was a big part of my adjustment and I want to be a part of that too!
If I could have a superpower I would be able to read minds. My favourite hero hands down would be Superman, need there be an explanation.
My word of advice for incoming students is to put in effort, you will only get back what you put in, both in the grades you get and the friends you make.
Fun fact about me… I love to draw, I am very into realistic drawings, mainly of people and objects.
Don MITCH - B House
I am in my second year at Trent, taking Concurrent Education as my program. My absolute favourite part of ISW were all the team events. You'd be paired up with people at random, and all work together to finish a task in a competition. It was a a great opportunity to quickly befriend others for the day, and many of those friendships lasted the entire year as well.
I became a Don predominately to help others transition socially. My Don helped not only me, but nearly my entire house socialize and become a family over the year. However, I did know people who did not experience a smooth transition into a social environment, and as a result, may not of had the greatest on-campus experience. That being said, I became a Don to help those few, because every student deserves a chance for a great year!
As a child, I always wanted to freeze time. Every other power is nice and all... I mean, flight? I can pay for. Strength? Work out! Speed? Train harder! But time cannot be saved or gained, so maybe the most out your time would be incredible.
Joe Sakic (#19 for the NHL team Colorado Avalanche) was my inspiration growing up. He played the game out of love, trained incredibly hard off hours, and was a role model in his community for volunteering both himself and his family for various charities. I always tried to model my behaviour and ethics around him growing up.
For first year students, my best advice that, in retrospect, definitely would have aided myself more would be to jump at every social event or activity you can -- especially in the first few months. Obviously there is a balance between school/socializing, but being social with your housemates will make your year more memorable.
Fun Fact: I am petrified of all bees, wasps, and anything alike in every city, town, province, state, or country!
Oh, and I am donning B House this year!
I am in my second year at Trent, taking Concurrent Education as my program. My absolute favourite part of ISW were all the team events. You'd be paired up with people at random, and all work together to finish a task in a competition. It was a a great opportunity to quickly befriend others for the day, and many of those friendships lasted the entire year as well.
I became a Don predominately to help others transition socially. My Don helped not only me, but nearly my entire house socialize and become a family over the year. However, I did know people who did not experience a smooth transition into a social environment, and as a result, may not of had the greatest on-campus experience. That being said, I became a Don to help those few, because every student deserves a chance for a great year!
As a child, I always wanted to freeze time. Every other power is nice and all... I mean, flight? I can pay for. Strength? Work out! Speed? Train harder! But time cannot be saved or gained, so maybe the most out your time would be incredible.
Joe Sakic (#19 for the NHL team Colorado Avalanche) was my inspiration growing up. He played the game out of love, trained incredibly hard off hours, and was a role model in his community for volunteering both himself and his family for various charities. I always tried to model my behaviour and ethics around him growing up.
For first year students, my best advice that, in retrospect, definitely would have aided myself more would be to jump at every social event or activity you can -- especially in the first few months. Obviously there is a balance between school/socializing, but being social with your housemates will make your year more memorable.
Fun Fact: I am petrified of all bees, wasps, and anything alike in every city, town, province, state, or country!
Oh, and I am donning B House this year!
Don AMELIA - C House
Hey OC! HOPE YOU ARE GETTING PUMPED FOR THE YEAR! I know I am ;)
Alright, so I’m Amelia and I will be going into my 4th year at Trent, I am currently completing a joint Honour degree in English and Geography (No I am not going into teaching).
My favourite part of ISW is seeing how quickly the bond of OC comes together; you might meet your life-long-forever-best-friends here! And what I love about OC and Trent is that everyone is so welcoming and it makes leaving home for the first time so much easier! Get ready to meet your “Trent Family” as residence brings people close together! (Literally and figuratively)
I became a don because I love being a resource to help make the transition from home, to residence, to off campus housing easier, while having an enjoyable time along the way.
If I could have any superpower, I would love to fly! It would make the OC rounds much cooler.
My favourite superhero is Professor Charles Xavier from X-Men because he is pretty badass for looking after all those mutants.
A fun fact about me is I love to cook and I can get creative with what I find around Rez, (because you can’t eat Caf food every day).
This year I am the don of C-HOUSE! ;)
Can’t wait to meet all of you on moving day!
Hey OC! HOPE YOU ARE GETTING PUMPED FOR THE YEAR! I know I am ;)
Alright, so I’m Amelia and I will be going into my 4th year at Trent, I am currently completing a joint Honour degree in English and Geography (No I am not going into teaching).
My favourite part of ISW is seeing how quickly the bond of OC comes together; you might meet your life-long-forever-best-friends here! And what I love about OC and Trent is that everyone is so welcoming and it makes leaving home for the first time so much easier! Get ready to meet your “Trent Family” as residence brings people close together! (Literally and figuratively)
I became a don because I love being a resource to help make the transition from home, to residence, to off campus housing easier, while having an enjoyable time along the way.
If I could have any superpower, I would love to fly! It would make the OC rounds much cooler.
My favourite superhero is Professor Charles Xavier from X-Men because he is pretty badass for looking after all those mutants.
A fun fact about me is I love to cook and I can get creative with what I find around Rez, (because you can’t eat Caf food every day).
This year I am the don of C-HOUSE! ;)
Can’t wait to meet all of you on moving day!
Don SUMMER - D House
I am going in to my third year at Trent and am currently working towards a double major in Biology and Anthropology. It sounds super cheesy but I love everything about OC and TrentU! It has been the best 2 years of my life and I can't wait to spend the third with all of you. I became a don so I could create a safe and welcoming environment for first years and help with the transition to university life (because mine was definitely bumpy). A fun fact about myself is that I'm a huge nature nerd. I spent a month in Costa Rica over the summer assisting with Marine Turtle Research and work as a naturalist in Ontario Parks teaching visitors about the wicked cool things that live in our natural world.
My word of advice to incoming students is: take courses you love, because if you don't love what you're doing it's really going to suck going to class. Oh, and put yourself out there! There are plenty of incredible people around every corner at TrentU :)
Superpower: Telekinesis
Superhero: Harry Potter/Beyonce/Spiderman
I am going in to my third year at Trent and am currently working towards a double major in Biology and Anthropology. It sounds super cheesy but I love everything about OC and TrentU! It has been the best 2 years of my life and I can't wait to spend the third with all of you. I became a don so I could create a safe and welcoming environment for first years and help with the transition to university life (because mine was definitely bumpy). A fun fact about myself is that I'm a huge nature nerd. I spent a month in Costa Rica over the summer assisting with Marine Turtle Research and work as a naturalist in Ontario Parks teaching visitors about the wicked cool things that live in our natural world.
My word of advice to incoming students is: take courses you love, because if you don't love what you're doing it's really going to suck going to class. Oh, and put yourself out there! There are plenty of incredible people around every corner at TrentU :)
Superpower: Telekinesis
Superhero: Harry Potter/Beyonce/Spiderman
Don KALI - E House
Hey there i'm Kali and i'll be your E house don for this year! I'm a second year in the Media Studies program with a joint major in Journalism! A fun fact about me, is that I can wiggle my ears! My favorite part of Trent is that we have a big beautiful river right on campus! I became a don because I really love meeting new people and I want to make sure that everyone has a great first year at Trent. If I could have any superpower, it would be shape shifting! I think it would be really cool to be able to take on the shape or form or something or someone else! I don't really have a favorite superhero, but my favorite super figure would have to be Loki. He manages to trick people, destroy cities and ruin relationships all while having perfect hair (Plus Tom Hiddleston is pretty fantastic). My word of advice for incoming students, is that 'Due dates are closer than they appear! Don't procrastinate!'.
Hey there i'm Kali and i'll be your E house don for this year! I'm a second year in the Media Studies program with a joint major in Journalism! A fun fact about me, is that I can wiggle my ears! My favorite part of Trent is that we have a big beautiful river right on campus! I became a don because I really love meeting new people and I want to make sure that everyone has a great first year at Trent. If I could have any superpower, it would be shape shifting! I think it would be really cool to be able to take on the shape or form or something or someone else! I don't really have a favorite superhero, but my favorite super figure would have to be Loki. He manages to trick people, destroy cities and ruin relationships all while having perfect hair (Plus Tom Hiddleston is pretty fantastic). My word of advice for incoming students, is that 'Due dates are closer than they appear! Don't procrastinate!'.
Don NICK - F House
- Going into third year
- Arts and science program
- Favourite part of isw is how excited everyone is to be there and is super friendly.
- I became a don because I wanted to help students with their transition into university.
- If I could have a super power I would want to fly!
- I don't really have a favourite super hero. I like the marvel vs capcom fighting games though.
- My word of advice for new students is to try new things. Don't be afraid to do something even if you have to go alone.
- Fun fact about me is I live on a farm.
- I will be in F house this coming year.
- Going into third year
- Arts and science program
- Favourite part of isw is how excited everyone is to be there and is super friendly.
- I became a don because I wanted to help students with their transition into university.
- If I could have a super power I would want to fly!
- I don't really have a favourite super hero. I like the marvel vs capcom fighting games though.
- My word of advice for new students is to try new things. Don't be afraid to do something even if you have to go alone.
- Fun fact about me is I live on a farm.
- I will be in F house this coming year.
Senior Don ROBYN - G House
Hi everyone! :) My name is Robyn, and I am a fourth year Business Admin student, minoring in Psychology.
I wanted to be a Don because my first year was so amazing and I wanted to help other first years have that same experience. This is my third year donning, and I am beyond excited that I will be in OC for it!
My favourite part of Trent is the campus. It is literally the most beautiful thing even when its grey and rainy... and the people here are AMAZING as well! You all definitely made a great choice coming here!
If I could have any superpower I would for sure want to be a mind reader.. or be invisible! Can I have two powers?
The most valuable piece of advice I could give incoming first year students is to be open for new experiences and new friends, and take advantage of your time here, because I know that my years here have been some of the best!
A fun fact about me is that my two favourite things in the entire world is glitter and hockey.. I have a glitter related tattoo and the Ottawa Senators are my boys. Weird combination, I know.
I am beyond excited to be the Don of G house this year. and I can't wait to meet you all in the fall!
Have an awesome summer!
Hi everyone! :) My name is Robyn, and I am a fourth year Business Admin student, minoring in Psychology.
I wanted to be a Don because my first year was so amazing and I wanted to help other first years have that same experience. This is my third year donning, and I am beyond excited that I will be in OC for it!
My favourite part of Trent is the campus. It is literally the most beautiful thing even when its grey and rainy... and the people here are AMAZING as well! You all definitely made a great choice coming here!
If I could have any superpower I would for sure want to be a mind reader.. or be invisible! Can I have two powers?
The most valuable piece of advice I could give incoming first year students is to be open for new experiences and new friends, and take advantage of your time here, because I know that my years here have been some of the best!
A fun fact about me is that my two favourite things in the entire world is glitter and hockey.. I have a glitter related tattoo and the Ottawa Senators are my boys. Weird combination, I know.
I am beyond excited to be the Don of G house this year. and I can't wait to meet you all in the fall!
Have an awesome summer!
Don BRANDON - H House
Hey Guys! My name is Brandon and I am heading into my second year at Trent as the Don of Otonabee College's H House! I am in the Honours Bachelor of Science program for Biology! Trent is an amazing school; not only do we have amazing students and faculty, but we are nestled right up against nature conservatories, beautiful trails, the wonderful city of Peterborough and the magnificent Otonabee river! ISW is so amazing! It is a great way to dip your toes into University life before the pressures of school head your way. ISW exposes you to all the best parts of University right from the start, making the rough parts way easier to handle! I chose to be a Don mainly because my Don last year was amazing and he seemed to love his job. I also absolutely loved on campus living and can't wait for another awesome year.I am new to Otonabee College this year though, I spent my first year over in Gzowski, however OC has by far the best spirit and cheers and I am so excited to be part of such a great community! If I had any superpower it would be flying, that way if I wanted to go to Rome or Paris or London, or Starbucks I could just up and go without the need to worry about gas money or lost baggage. My favourite super hero/fictional human being would have to be Hermione Granger and yes I count Hermione to be a super hero. She is flawless and perfect and I love her. To all of the incoming first years, my one piece of advice for you would be to stay positive. As hard as things get, just know you have resources, you have friends, you have wicked awesome ISW staff and you have amazing Don's ;) all behind you. Take the time to what you love and I promise, everything will be okay!
Remember folks, never wake a sleeping dragon!
The odds are already in your favour, so let's make sure they stay there.
Hey Guys! My name is Brandon and I am heading into my second year at Trent as the Don of Otonabee College's H House! I am in the Honours Bachelor of Science program for Biology! Trent is an amazing school; not only do we have amazing students and faculty, but we are nestled right up against nature conservatories, beautiful trails, the wonderful city of Peterborough and the magnificent Otonabee river! ISW is so amazing! It is a great way to dip your toes into University life before the pressures of school head your way. ISW exposes you to all the best parts of University right from the start, making the rough parts way easier to handle! I chose to be a Don mainly because my Don last year was amazing and he seemed to love his job. I also absolutely loved on campus living and can't wait for another awesome year.I am new to Otonabee College this year though, I spent my first year over in Gzowski, however OC has by far the best spirit and cheers and I am so excited to be part of such a great community! If I had any superpower it would be flying, that way if I wanted to go to Rome or Paris or London, or Starbucks I could just up and go without the need to worry about gas money or lost baggage. My favourite super hero/fictional human being would have to be Hermione Granger and yes I count Hermione to be a super hero. She is flawless and perfect and I love her. To all of the incoming first years, my one piece of advice for you would be to stay positive. As hard as things get, just know you have resources, you have friends, you have wicked awesome ISW staff and you have amazing Don's ;) all behind you. Take the time to what you love and I promise, everything will be okay!
Remember folks, never wake a sleeping dragon!
The odds are already in your favour, so let's make sure they stay there.
the crlc
A College Residence Life Coordinator acts as a supervisor to the dons. They are around to make sure the dons are doing a good job acting as a resource to you, and they are also there to support the dons. They make sure that the dons are secure and comfortable in their position, and if things get a little too out of hand, they are on call to step in and help. They can act as a resource to you if you are uncomfortable talking to any of the dons about a particular situation, or if you need advice from a full time Trent professional. Don't hesitate to stop by and say hi - their office is located in the laundry room!
Welcome to Trent!
My name is Cory Coletta and I am the College Residence Life Coordinator for Otonabee College (and Gzowski College). I am so excited to be joining you in your journey at Trent and I am sure you are going to love this campus as much as the Dons and I do.
My favourite part about Trent is the people on this campus, and you’ll soon know why. Everyone is so welcoming – from the staff, to the professors, the College administration, ISW Leaders, the Dons – everyone works so hard to be sure that the student experience is the absolute best. Trent is definitely a place to call home and I am so excited you will soon call Otonabee yours.
Coming into your first year, be open to opportunity and step out of your comfort zone. You will experience an incredible amount of growth and independence in first year – do the best you can with this new found freedom. You have the opportunity this year to really fall in love with your program, this university, and make incredible new friendships that will last a lifetime. Don’t hold back, and enjoy every moment!
I’m looking forward to meeting you this year!
My name is Cory Coletta and I am the College Residence Life Coordinator for Otonabee College (and Gzowski College). I am so excited to be joining you in your journey at Trent and I am sure you are going to love this campus as much as the Dons and I do.
My favourite part about Trent is the people on this campus, and you’ll soon know why. Everyone is so welcoming – from the staff, to the professors, the College administration, ISW Leaders, the Dons – everyone works so hard to be sure that the student experience is the absolute best. Trent is definitely a place to call home and I am so excited you will soon call Otonabee yours.
Coming into your first year, be open to opportunity and step out of your comfort zone. You will experience an incredible amount of growth and independence in first year – do the best you can with this new found freedom. You have the opportunity this year to really fall in love with your program, this university, and make incredible new friendships that will last a lifetime. Don’t hold back, and enjoy every moment!
I’m looking forward to meeting you this year!