Written by Karina Maynard on behalf of RU Student Life
After 5 of the best years of my life, I am graduating from Ryerson University. Before I got to Ryerson, I never pictured my university experience to end up like it did but, to be honest, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Ryerson had so much more to offer than I could ever have imagined! I have met some of the most motivated and inspiring people here and was offered opportunities that have made me confident to step into the next chapter of my life. I truly cannot express enough how much I love Ryerson University. But enough of the mushy gushy stuff! When I look back on those 5 glorious years there are 5 things that I am really happy that I did:
1. Worked on campus
Throughout my 5 years I have had 7 different positions at Ryerson during the school years and the summers. I’ve had customer services jobs, community building jobs, event planning jobs, and strategic development jobs that gave me the opportunity to develop my skills and get to know the Ryerson community. These are the places that I met most of those motivated and inspirational people I talked about earlier. Not only was I helping myself pay for my education but I was also making a mark on the University.
2. Got to know my professors
I know this sounds cliché but it helped so much! I went into Ryerson not really knowing what I wanted to do… well not knowing at all what I wanted to do. Talking with my professors helped with this a lot. They’ve all gone through university – sometimes a long time ago and sometimes more recently – and all have a valuable story to tell. When there was a class I was particularly interested in I’d talk to the professor and they were always more than willing to tell me about opportunities or help me learn more.
3. Took a lighter course load
University is about a lot more than just classes and marks. This is a time in everyone’s life where you get to know yourself more, your friends more, the city more, and so many other things and you need to allow yourself the time to experience all of that on top of school. Taking 4 instead of 5 classes each semester allowed me the time to invest in getting involved in other areas of Ryerson and Toronto, and gave me the opportunity to explore hobbies. On top of all that I got to spend an extra year at this fantastic place called Ryerson!
4. Cheered on the Ryerson Rams at their games
There’s something about cheering on your school’s team that just makes you want to bleed blue and gold. It’s like during the Olympics when Canada is competing; you can’t help but go a little Canada-kukoo! I just can’t help but feel a passionate dislike for the opposing team and immense pride for Ryerson.
5. Attended networking events
Every year my program, Arts and Contemporary Studies, has a networking event called the ACS Mix and Mingle and every year I go feeling anxious about mingling with a bunch of professionals. Then, of course, every year I end up leaving the event feeling confident about all the professionals I just talked to and knowing a little bit more about what direction in which I may want to take my life. I learned that people are willing to help if you’re willing to listen and taking advantage of these opportunities is so valuable.
There are many things that I’m happy I did during my time at Ryerson but those 5 cover some of the best. Convocation, that day that I graduated, was the culmination of a great journey that has taught me more than I could ever have imagined. I am excited for every person starting this adventure of university and can’t wait to see what Ryerson becomes in the coming years!
