My Experience as a Student Leader

When I was in high school, I was majorly involved in student life. I was on the student council from Grade 9 until graduation. I would go on leadership trips with all the schools across my school board. I was in the musical all five years (Quebec high school goes from Grade 7-11!) and I was the co-lead of the glee club. All this may sound like a lot, but I loved being involved! All of my friends participated in the same activities with me, and it was how I made the most of my experience at the time. 

However, when I got to university, I was so scared that I would have no time for extracurriculars. I wanted to make sure I acclimated well to a new learning environment, a new city and a completely new schedule. So, for my first year I did not participate in any student groups or clubs. I was taking a full course load and got a part-time job, so I felt that I would have no other time. Sure, I enjoyed my first year. I made a lot of new friends in residence and did well in my classes. But, I did miss the leadership aspect of student life.

In my second semester, I came across a Facebook post from REC, the Ryerson Entertainment Conference (external link, opens in new window) , announcing ticket sales. The conference promised speakers and networking opportunities from all across the entertainment industry. While I was a little intimidated, I decided to buy a ticket and see how it went. That weekend is one of the most memorable ones I had over the course of my four years at the university. I learned so much about the industry and how to set myself up for success in my future career search. I immediately wanted to be involved in helping other students do the same.

With almost no prior experience, I applied that summer to be events lead for the following year. Somehow I was offered the position along with a co-lead, and I got to work. University student life operates on a much larger scale than I’d ever been used to. All of a sudden I was given a large budget to work from, and opportunities to book venues like the Globe and Mail Centre and work with the most notable caterers in the city. 

Most importantly though, I became very close with my team members. Student groups are in constant communication with each other and eventually we end up having social events on top of our work. We were such a tight-knit group that most of us joined the executive team again the following year. While it was different because everything was online, at least we had the opportunity to chat more about new ideas for REC. Our change in direction even won us the most innovative student group award from the Ted Rogers Student Society!

This year, I was lucky enough to be selected to be President of the group. We are hosting our virtual conference February 12-13 and I am so excited to see industry leaders and students come together. It feels like a true full-circle moment from attending my first conference to being president for my last.

Overall, I have been so happy to get involved in student leadership at the university level. REC fit well into my niche, but there are over 500 incredible student groups and clubs (opens in new window)  across campus that cater to all sorts of interests.