AfterTMU - Rossen Lee

Why did you choose to study at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)?

Originally, my plan was to become a dietitian, which did a very effective job in narrowing down my scope to the handful of accredited programs across Canada that could make it happen. TMU’s Nutrition and Food program had a foundation in social studies and community development, whereas my second choice’s program had a strong curriculum in food sciences and technology. I think I always knew that I wanted to be working in a community rather than in a lab, and in the end, I’m very grateful I followed through with that path. Plus, it was impossible to say no to the irresistible potential offerings of career opportunities and fun in Toronto! Truly, there’s no place I’d rather be even after 6 years. 

What skills learned through your degree and certificate have helped you most in your career?

I sharpened my communications abilities quite significantly after completing my degree and certificate. I went from studying how to explain large concepts of dietetics to a very micro-audience (one client), to having to explain even larger concepts of food insecurity to all sorts of people. Multimedia assignments like oral presentations or posters were always my favourite, but there was also something really satisfying about digging into a good research essay about something I was gripped by. Thankfully a vast majority of my instructors and professors through the Nutrition and Food program and the Food Security Certificate were generally open to my more “out there” ideas or projects. I definitely appreciated having a safe space like school to test out these applications. I apply my ability to translate knowledge through different mediums all the time now both at work and at home. It’s a pretty useful and transferable skill, whether you’re talking about food security concepts or explaining strategic goals of a hospital.

How did your student experience at TMU help you find your first role after graduation?

I owe a lot of the opportunities I was able to be a part of to the networking I did at TMU. Once I got involved with a few different student groups (external link, opens in new window)  and events, I realized that networking is largely just trying to become friends with people. I’m still touched by how kind and generous people were to me during my time at TMU, and how willing people were to let me know about events or job postings just out of goodwill. I never really felt like there was a sense of competition and leaving people out to advance yourself.

Have you ever battled with imposter syndrome? What did you learn?

When I was selected to be a part of my Summer Research Fellowship (external link, opens in new window)  at The Stop Community Food Centre (TSCF), it turned out it was a bigger deal than I had realized. My peers were people with nationally coveted scholarships, PhDs and masters degrees from internationally renowned schools. I had a major case of imposter syndrome. I couldn’t understand why lil ol’ me with my bachelor’s degree would be selected amongst them. After a heart to heart with my coordinator (shout out to Celine T.!), she told me that I was perfect for *my* role exactly how I was, and my peers were perfectly qualified for *their* roles. In fact, she said that what edged me out of my specific position was my hands-on experience, which was a mix of volunteering, schooling, and career. It was an extremely eye-opening conversation that reframed how I viewed myself. 

Don’t count yourself out! I’m learning every day, and I don’t need to have my sights set on world domination. My interests were always on a smaller scale of community. I don’t compete with anyone, I’m just humbly out here trying to do the best that I can do, and maybe a little bit better the next day. 

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a recent graduate? How did you overcome them?

Two major challenges I faced as a recent graduate was trying to find job security and figuring out what direction I was going to take with my career. 

In my field (community work), the large majority of jobs were on a contract-based basis due to fluctuating budgets and circumstances. I was in school doing unrelated-part time work, then community-related part time work, a summer fellowship for recent grads, and then a remote Canada Summer Job before finally ending up at a full time permanent salaried position. While I didn’t have the choice to be picky for the roles I was applying for, my solution at that time was to focus heavily on volunteer roles that could support my resume, and to see what my networks were offering in available roles. Most of the roles I found in this period were through word of mouth from friends. 

There have been a few times where I thought about going back to school to do another degree or certificate. Ultimately, I realized that I wanted to just chill! I had been on a serious “grind set” for so long that it took me some time and active effort to take a break. If I do decide down the road that I’d be happier doing those pursuits then I can reevaluate, but my current objective is to just stop and smell the roses for a bit. 

What is a typical “Day in Your Work Life” like at Casey House?

Casey House (external link, opens in new window)  is a specialty hospital in Toronto, serving people living with and at risk of HIV. I would describe the function of my role as, “making sure Casey House is known by people beyond its postal code”. Communications is an interesting role, since it’s uniquely hybrid in serving the Hospital’s daily operations as well as the charitable Foundation’s portfolio too. Working within these two streams, I manage a variety of projects relating to print, digital, news media, and perhaps most easy to understand, social media. 

Each day involves me listening to a collection of experts (clinicians, harm reduction workers, designers, printers, program facilitators) to identify what their needs are, who they’re trying to reach, what they’re trying to say, and planning out a way to get that message out there. Communication is funny in that it doesn’t really exist on its own, since it serves to amplify the work being done in other departments. There’s a lot of writing being done to translate knowledge between experts, a whole web of emails between different vendors and stakeholders, and a ton of photos/graphics being made.  

On any given day, for the Hospital’s needs, I could be collaborating with designers for print materials like our falls prevention series or seasonal program calendar of client programming, developing language for our expanding supervised consumption services that will be shared on our website and to the media, and planning a social media content calendar often a month in advance. For the Foundation side, we’re often working up in preparation of our fundraising events, which each require their own suite of print (invites, posters, signs), digital (websites, images, event postings), and social media needs. While some of our events may happen later in the year, we can begin planning and development sometimes even 6 months in advance!

What are the best parts of your work; what are the more challenging parts?

By far the most satisfying part of my work is being able to learn the rules, and then finding the right strategy to bend them. When I started, there was a very established tone being used by Casey House on its social media, which is arguably the most interactive and personable tool that the public uses to interact with us. I’d like to believe that my production of slice-of-life content, series (program spotlights, staff spotlights, etc), and an overall higher frequency of engagement has breathed new life to us as an organization online. I’ve been really enjoying taking on this branch of Casey House, and flexing some creativity to mold it into a more modern, fun, and active version of itself, without scaring too many of our ardent day-one followers. I’m very proud to say that after about a year and a half, we’ve gained about 1000 new followers on our Instagram. 

With that being said, the hardest part has to be the neverending pace of work, and the minutia that comes with developing content. Oftentimes when it comes to writing articles, statements, or any print materials, the red pen is taken out and each word is examined and thesaurus-ed a number of times. Copywriting requires a lot of patience and will definitely humble you when you get several ideas rejected. Similarly, it is very tempting for people to request that I “just snap a pic and make a post”, but the reality is that even in a simple social media post there’s usually a lot of work involved. What are the visuals? How will I edit it? How will it impact my content release schedule right now? How does the caption reflect the fun, laissez-faire attitude of social media while also conveying all of our strategic organizational messaging? Sometimes the fast-paced nature of things is fun, and other days it can be more challenging, but overall I’m very grateful to have such an incredible mentor and team to work with. 

How has volunteering benefited your career? Do you have a current role you’re passionate about?

Volunteering and giving back to the community has always been a cornerstone in my personal philosophy. Whether it’s giving time, resources, or expertise, I believe it’s important for people who have the ability to, to contribute to the betterment of society. 

Each volunteering role has taught me an important lesson on perspective. These include how organizations treat people who are generously donating their labour, how community members access new spaces, or which up-and-coming individuals are making strides in their fields. Being plopped into a new environment allows me to take notes on how I can do better as an event organizer, and stay up to date with communities I wouldn’t normally interact with or know about.

If I could give any advice on volunteering I would say: don’t be afraid to try something new, and certainly don’t be afraid to quit! It can take a long time to find a volunteering role that’s a good fit for you, and besides, life happens. Case and point, I’ve since taken a pause on volunteering due to a housing move, but I’m excited to dive back in during the new year!

What advice would you have for those considering a pivot in their career path?

If you have the tangible resources to make that jump, then give it a shot! Why not? I spent my entire schooling and early career being rooted in food security causes. While my passion still remains there, I was pretty surprised at how effective my transferable skills were. 

Look deeply within yourself and try to think about what makes your heart sing. Do you like solving puzzles? Are you passionate about working with people? Do you love work that’s hands-on? You might just be surprised by what skills you’ve been secretly developing without even paying attention to, and how a number of roles could fulfill those itches you’re looking to scratch! 

What do you wish you could tell your university self?

You are so capable! Being a real human being is so hard, but thank you for doing your best every day. Be kind to yourself. 

Is there anyone you’d like to give a shout out to?

I’d like to thank Dr. Andrea Moraes for letting me know about different student groups on campus and opportunities around the city. From there, I will always attribute my two year involvement with the Toronto Youth Food Policy Council (external link, opens in new window)  to the recommendation by my great peer Maria J., who I volunteered for at the TMU Good Food Centre (external link, opens in new window)  and inspired me greatly. Also, thank you to Emma T. for recommending that I interview for Toronto Youth Food Policy Council after I had been rejected the first time. These social connections I made during my time at TMU really changed my outlook on establishing my career with both my skills and personality.