SAIT students uplift the Calgary community

Discover two inspiring stories of students finding ways to give back.

Students at SAIT are making a difference for local non-profit organizations, polishing their essential skills and strengthening connections with fellow students in the process. Whether it’s through semester-long group projects or a series of engagement events, students are supporting their community on and off campus.

Project Management class fundraises for Calgary-area charities

 

Experiential learning and giving back to the Calgary community go hand-in-hand in SAIT’s Project Management course. Four Bachelor of Hospitality and Tourism Management students — Saige Stretch, Ruth Russell, Marianne Iya Colobong and Chensi Jiang — raised $3,200 for Ski Jumping Canada at a silent auction at Village Brewery. The December 2024 event, which exceeded its $1,000 goal, aimed to support the organization as it prepares for the 2026 Winter Olympics.  

The team of students honed their skills through the development process, practicing resilience when their initial partner organization dropped out. The setback didn’t stop them.

“It was the perfect opportunity to pivot what we'd been planning,” says Saige Stretch. “We pitched our original event idea, and we heard back right away that Ski Jumping Canada was on board. Their buy-in was the boost we needed to put the pedal to the metal, so we redid all the planning documents and ended up right back on track.”

The fundraising was crucial for Ski Jumping Canada to continue training and developing athletes leading up to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. More than 60 people attended the auction to support the cause, providing not only the funds but also a potential long-term sponsorship opportunity for the team.

For the students, the experience was invaluable.

“We're more prepared for our future classes and careers,” says Marianne Iya Colobong. “We’ve practiced skills like communication, plus we’ve learned how to draft meeting notes with the client, use task management tools and a team tracker so everyone can keep track of deliverables. At first it was daunting, with all the weekly deliverables, then, as the event date got closer, it was like ‘wow, this is really happening!'”

Now in its eighth year, project management students have raised over $350,000 for more than 80 charitable organizations as part of their classwork.

“In my project management class, the students do it all,” says Joy Ishigo, Instructor, SAIT School of Business. “I’m giving them the course I wish I had and I’m teaching them how I learned it in industry. Ultimately, the goal is for students to leave with a solid understanding of project management concepts so they can apply their skills, and improve them, in future projects.”

Connecting classmates at Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids

The Global Engagement Opportunities (GEO) group at SAIT connects international students in the School of Business each semester to foster community and a sense of belonging. Led by a dedicated team of GEO SAIT ambassadors, who are also part of the LEADS student leadership program, the group organizes engaging activities and events for students. This semester, they organized speed friending, an Amazing Race-style competition and two visits to volunteer with Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids.

“The overall goal of SAIT GEO is to create an inclusive, welcoming learning community for international students, as well as opportunities for international students and domestic students to connect,” says Courtney Johnston, Business Administration Student Engagement Officer. “Something identified by a GEO student ambassador was that volunteering in the community for the first time can be a bit intimidating, so this was a way to give students a bit of familiarity while giving back.”

The group, who wanted to give back to the Calgary community, identified Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids as a good organization for students wanting to start volunteering off campus. They put out the call for the first event in October and within 12 hours they had a waitlist of volunteers. Luckily, they followed up with a second event in November.

“Volunteering gives students a chance to be part of something bigger while working together as a team,” says Alyssa Eunice Sagum, Business Administration Marketing student. “Many students want to get involved but don’t always know where to start. Opportunities like this through SAIT GEO make it easier to take that first step. It’s about giving back to the community, building connections and creating a sense of belonging with other students.”

If you're a SAIT student interested in learning more, follow SAIT GEO on Instagram to stay tuned to future events, watch the SAIT Update for other opportunities around campus and browse other opportunities to get involved here at SAIT.