Academic Stories

Hospitality and Tourism co-op student Laiqa Lalani encountered many unforeseen circumstances while on a mission to achieve her wildest dreams. While being extremely involved in student groups, Laiqa works multiple part-time jobs and is pursuing her fitness goals, and strives to excel in school all at the same time! Tune in to hear about how Laiqa has navigated through some of her most challenging moments in university as she shares her experiences using the Program Advising and Student Success, Business Career Hub, and professors for success.

Business Technology Management student Jordan Rose explains how getting a failing grade inspired him to get involved and get out of his comfort zone. With support from the Business Career Hub and DECA Ryerson, Jordan will share how this support system helped him overcome feelings of discouragement after getting an F.

Business Technology Management student Hiranniya Yogaratnarajah (Niya) shares her roller-coaster of a journey over the last 4 years. From failing critical courses and being on the verge of academic probation, Niya went from a 1.67 GPA to Dean's list within a year.

Law and Business Student Rishi Darubra shares his experience about being on academic probation. By changing his mindset and taking the right steps forward with the help of the Program Advising and Student Success, Rishi continued to succeed academically and personally throughout his university journey.

In this special 5-minute episode of My Story in 30, Matthew Breda and Alisha Jagnarine talk about the roller coaster of emotions they felt when they found out they were on probation. They share tips from their own experiences of how Student Advising, Program Advising and Student Success, Business Career Hub supports and professors helped them stay calm through what can feel like the storm and get out on top.

Kelly (Nino) Tadumadze, an Accounting student at Toronto Metropolitan University, shares her experience of "striving to learn in times of struggle."  While Kelly loved going to school when she was little, she opens up about how her relationship with academia changed when arriving in Canada. Despite the many challenges, Kelly continues to be a lifelong learner, having studied Anthropology before shifting into business to pursue her CPA. Her shift to business has afforded her valuable lessons such as the importance of networking and getting involved with student groups.

Husnaa Zamarai (external link, opens in new window) , a fourth-year Marketing Management co-op student, shares her experience applying for and receiving monetary scholarships funding her undergraduate degree. In her first year of university, Husnaa juggled her full-time studies, part-time job, and involvement with student groups while becoming the primary caregiver for her younger siblings. As it became a stressful time in her life, she persevered through the pressure and excelled in her classes - securing several scholarships. She got involved with Fit for Business at its inception, being one of the key figures that helped FFB grow to what it is today. Husnaa now serves as the Business Management Director at the Ted Rogers Students’ Society, a position she was voted in by TRSM students earlier this year, as well as is working in her second co-op work term with RBC.

Murtaza Tinwala  (external link, opens in new window) , a second-year Global Management Studies student, shares his experience of coming into the Ted Rogers School of Management and immediately getting involved with Fit for Business. Murtaza started off as a TedPack Leader in his first year, and is now taking on the role of TedPack Mentor in his second year, becoming a great leader among his peers and around the Ted Rogers School. Murtaza speaks about the transition that he faced in his first year, originally starting online, and then shifting to in-person mid-semester. Murtaza credits the school atmosphere and the overall perception of university life to his success and his striving for getting involved.

Gevorg Chibukhchyan  (external link, opens in new window) , a third-year School of Accounting and Finance student talks about how he managed to juggle both full-time work and studies. He chose to double major in Accounting and Finance because of his previous work experience at accounting firms and education in college. This led to his interest in building skills in Finance and pursuing his CPA designation. Currently, he is the Vice President of Finance at the Ted Rogers Investment Council and Senior Advisory Consultant at K&P CPAs. Crediting his expertise in time management, he is able to separate his school life, work life and personal life. His advice for first-year students is to see what works for your schedule, take advantage of everything, and don’t rush through things just because you want to finish it as soon as possible, take your time to do it properly and enjoy the process.

Ramnik Kainth (external link, opens in new window) , a second year Business Management student majoring in Global Management Studies, talks about the factors that pushed her outside of her comfort zone during first year, despite being part of the cohort who started university online. Ramnik explains how growing up, she heard that life begins after university and that it’s a stepping stone to the real world, never learning about the opportunities of getting involved. By being involved and engaged in her first year, she built a large network by the time she entered second year, leading her to be dubbed as the “Queen of LinkedIn”. Ramnik attributes her role as a TedPack Leader during her first year, opening the door to her current position as a TedPack Mentor, a Business Career Hub (BCH) Ambassador and the Director of Events for Global Management Students’ Association (GMSA).

Baxter Thomas (external link) , a second year Hospitality and Tourism Management student, talks about how he felt the homesickness transitioning from the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods, to moving down to the big city of Toronto. From valedictorian to failing his midterm, Baxter explains how he hit the wall of not knowing if he could succeed even when he put in so much effort. He was able to persevere and change his mindset to just keep going and things will get better from there. His advice to students in the same boat is to look at the big picture and while there will always be poor marks, you shouldn’t let grades determine your worth. Crediting his perseverance, he is now a Research Assistant to Dr. Wayne Smith, Chair of Hospitality and Tourism Management, only in his second year.

  (external link) Bavisha Thavarajah (external link) , 3rd year HRM co-op student. As the first cohort coming into TRSM in a fully virtual environment because of the pandemic, Bavisha looked for different ways to get involved and make the most out of her time at TMU such as tutoring services and events. Seeing the growth and impact of putting herself out there and leveraging the resources available, she decided she wanted to help fellow students and took on being a Tutor at PASS (external link) . Bavisha explains that tutoring and PAL sessions are useful and provide flexibility for students to practice the course materials based on their learning styles. Her advice for first-year students is to not be afraid to ask questions because tutoring services are there to help students succeed!

Minji Kim (external link) , a 4th year Business Management majoring in Marketing, shares her TRSM International Exchange Program experience in Paris. Minji walks us through what the application entails and how supportive the TRSM exchange program is throughout the process. Minji’s exchange experience in Paris has helped shape her personally and professionally, allowing her to discover her passion for marketing in the fashion and beauty industry. She highly recommends all TRSM students to take advantage of the International Exchange Program as it’s a once in a lifetime experience.

Samantha Mpiana (external link) , a Business Management student majoring in Entrepreneurship, shares her experience going on international exchange to Paris! She shares her journey from how she applied, funded her trip, her experience being in Paris, and how she felt returning to Toronto.

Ifechukwu Agulefo (external link)  shares his journey on how he transformed his academic career during his time in TRSM when he was put on probation in his first year. He shares the challenges in first year and how living freely affected his academic journey. On top of probation, Ifechkwu shares how fatherhood also affected his academic journey. Ifechkwu talks about how his personal life motivated him to do better in school and take charge of his education. His story shows the importance of taking advantage of the resources the school offers and putting yourself in uncomfortable situations to grow as an individual.