Position on O-Team: 

Residence Lead

Program:

Arts and Contemporary Studies

Year:

4

1. How have you been involved at Ryerson?

I’d like to say I’ve been involved at Ryerson since my first year – but that would for sure be a lie. I was pretty low key in my first year at Ryerson, but on a whim, decided to apply to be a residence advisor. I really saw myself in the role, and I thoroughly enjoyed residence life , but I had zero involvement in Ryerson or residence life at that point. To this day, I’m not sure how I possibly got the position, but I did, and it changed the course of my Ryerson life.

After beginning work as a residence advisor, my best friend and I got really involved in watching Ryerson Rams games – like, religiously so. By January, we had nicknames for the players on the teams, and we went to as many games as possible in matching blue and gold striped socks. This has carried on throughout my time at Ryerson – there is nothing I love more than a Saturday afternoon at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, taking in a thrilling hockey or basketball game.

Residence gave me a lot of incredible opportunities to be involved as well. I ran some residence tours, and I was also part of the planning committee for a residence leadership conference in 2012. Residence supported me so much, and it felt very good to be able to give back to them.

After deciding I would not be returning as a residence advisor, I applied for a position to help plan residence orientation, and I spent a summer as the Human Resources and Event Management Lead of the residence orientation team, which is a long title that basically means I kept up correspondence with the residence advisors, academic links, and live-in orientation crew members, and I planned some events. It was easily the best way to spend a summer, and I fell in love with all things related to orientation.

Then I took two positions on campus: one as a residence service desk agent, which meant I could still be involved in residence life, but I could also live with two of my best friends off campus. I also worked as the Project Funds Allocation Committee for Students administrative assistant, in conjunction with a position at the AskMeRU info desk. Working at two different information desks was pretty fun, and I now know an incredible amount of information about Ryerson.

AND NOW I’M THE RESIDENCE LEAD ON THE ORIENTATION TEAM, and life is absolutely grand.

2. Why did you want to join the Orientation Team?

I absolutely love Ryerson, and I love the idea of having a summer job where I can help create and facilitate a week that helps other students fall in love with Ryerson – for sure not the same way as I do, but in some way, shape, or form. In terms of joining as a residence lead, I love love love residence life, and secretly, move in day is my favourite day of the school year, and I was dying to plan a move in day.

Orientation week just has such an infectious energy to it, and I think it’s incredibly difficult to not want to be involved in it.

3. What were you most nervous about coming into university?

I wasn’t nervous about coming to university. I spent the entire summer counting down the days and I was incredibly confident that I was going to be the kid that didn’t get nervous…. but then I got to university and I spent my orientation week watching Glee in my residence room…

I think my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t make friends, which was for sure my largest fear during orientation week and then in university. And not just that I wouldn’t make friends, but I wouldn’t find one really good friend, or I wouldn’t be “cool” like all the other kids. So basic, I know.

4. What piece of advice would you give a group of incoming first years?

Don’t put cinnamon in spaghetti sauce. Read labels and question why you are about to put something that is brown and smells like cinnamon in spaghetti sauce (as opposed to the garlic powder you intended to go into the spaghetti sauce).

5. What are you most excited for this Orientation & why?

OH MY GOODNESS, how do I pick just one thing?!

I’m going to pick the classic move in day – this will be my fourth move in day, and to be honest, I just don’t know how to have a summer at Ryerson without a move in day. The athletes come and Eggy comes and everybody is welcomed home for the first time! The energy is so contagious as everyone moves in that day, and it’s hard to walk around without a smile on your face.

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