Personal Development Stories
This series is about self-discovery and growth which includes stories of personal triumph, resilience, and transformation. Explore strategies, insights, and experiences that inspire you to unlock your potential and navigate life's challenges with confidence.
It can be difficult balancing family problems alongside the school workload. We chat with Tamara Paiva about how she went from being afraid to ask for support to being comfortable enough to use services and resources at Ryerson.
Co-op student, Sue Ronald shares the struggles she's gone through as she opens up about losing motivation and how she leaned on a professor through tough times.
Feeling like she had to go beyond to prove herself because of her disability, Sue talks about what it was really like. Tune in to hear Sue's story about who and what helped her become more resilient and confident on her journey.
5th-year Law and Business co-op student Bisi shares her experience on how she felt about "being yourself vs. fitting in". Bisi opens up about the challenges of joining a new school where you don't know anyone and how she made meaningful relationships - friends that accept you for you. Bisi's story explores how she also tried new things, leaned on others and realized the importance of being your authentic self even when surrounded by the pressures of fitting in.
Brianna DeGasperis, 2nd-year Law and Business student often-times found herself asking the question, "am I doing enough?". While juggling a part-time job, taking care of siblings, and getting news that her mom was ill, Brianna still managed to make time to mentor others, take on the Director of Corporate Relations role with the Law & Business Student Association (LBSA), a full-course load, and volunteer within her community. Tune in to hear Brianna's story and what she did to manage her time, while facing adversity and realizing it was enough.
Maya Maamary, a 3rd-year Finance Co-op student shares her journey of what it was like living alone in her first year and what she wishes someone else would have told her, looking back. Moving here from Abu Dhabi, Maya tells us what it was like to get used to a new country, make friends, manage the course load and get involved while living alone. Currently, Maya is a Top 200 student and a Senior Advisor for the Ryerson Economics Management Association (REMA).
Brad Wells, a fifth-year marketing student shares his experience as President of the Ted Rogers Students' Society, and the decisions throughout his university life that led him to where he is now. From being a shy first-year student to becoming the president of one of the largest student societies at Toronto Metropolitan University, Brad Wells talks about the things that he did that allowed him to develop relationships around the university which gave him the confidence to run for President of TRSS.
Arezoo Rafkhani, a second-year Global Management student, shares her experience of "Finding the Right Fit." While Arezoo originally started her post-secondary life at another university, she transferred to Ted Rogers School of Management in her second year, ultimately enrolling in the Global Management Studies major. Arezoo got involved with Fit for Business as soon as she arrived at TRSM, and she shares her experiences as a TedPack Leader and TedPack Mentor. Arezoo prioritizes her mental health while balancing school with her busy life. She shares her experiences with adjusting to a new school environment, building connections with her peers, dealing with hardships with her schooling and balancing her student role with academics.
**Since the recording of this episode, Arezoo is now serving as the President of Toronto Met Accounting (TMA).**
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to false's official name change to Toronto Metropolitan University.
Asad Salman (external link) (external link) , a second-year international student, majoring in Economics and Management Science, shares his experience of coming to Canada, transferring universities, finding academic success and fitting in as an international student. Asad came to Toronto from Dubai and started his post-secondary life at another university before transferring to the Ted Rogers School of Management after his first-year. Asad got involved with Fit for Business as soon as he arrived at TRSM, and he shares his experiences as a TedPack Leader and his roles in other student groups around TRSM. Asad opens up about his struggle adjusting to life in Toronto all by himself, the pressure of following in his older brother's footsteps, and his eventual acceptance into the Business Management Program at the Ted Rogers School.
Aazema Chaudhry (external link) (external link) , a fifth-year Economics and Management Science student, shares her experience of getting her university offer rescinded, and persevering through challenges to eventually being able to come to the Ted Rogers School. Aazema originally planned to attend a different university before being swayed by the Ted Rogers Co-op program at the Ted Rogers School of Management. Aazema got involved around the school as soon as she arrived at TRSM by becoming a key member of several student groups such as Women in Information Technology Management (WITM), Muslim Students' Association (TMU MSA formerly RMSA), Data and Science Students Association (RDSA), as well as becoming a TedPack Mentor with FFB. Aazema opens up about her struggles balancing school work, extracurricular commitments, and what helped her overcome her fears and barriers.
Mariia Andreiko (external link) (external link) , a now-finance graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University, shares her experience of coming to Canada from Ukraine as an international student, breaking out of her shell and making connections, and getting involved with student groups around the Ted Rogers School and the rest of the University. Mariia came to Toronto before her first-year at TorontoMet without knowing anybody or having any roots in the city. Mariia used her new surroundings as an opportunity to make connections with people on campus, receiving mentoring from numerous resources, speaking to alumni, and getting involved with student groups around the university. Mariia served as a TedPack Mentor for a number of years, helping guide first-year Ted Rogers School students, and developing deep connections within the Ted Rogers School community. Mariia credits the connections and network that she developed over her undergraduate studies as one of the key reasons she was able to land internships as well as a full-time job post-graduation.
After her graduation this year, Mariia now serves as the Program Coordinator for Bootcamps for the Business Career Hub at the Ted Rogers School of Management.
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to false's official name change to Toronto Metropolitan University.
Nikesha Sampson (external link) (external link) , a third-year Global Management Studies student, shares her experience of coming into the Ted Rogers School of Management, having never previously taken a business course before, and making the decision to ditch her original plan of being a Computer Science major. Nikesha knew from a very early age that she wanted to own and operate her own fashion business, and her passion for fashion, and interest in the logistics behind running a business prompted her to choose the Ted Rogers School. Nikesha got involved with Fit for Business as a TedPack Leader in her first year, and she heavily credits her TedPack Mentors as well as the mentorship that she received at the Ted Rogers School through other resources like the Tri-Mentoring Program, as a decisive factor in what keeps her moving towards her goals. Nikesha hopes to one day operate a fashion business, and with the drive and ambition that she has, there's no doubt that she will get to her end goal.
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to false's official name change to Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kimberlee Kohilal (external link) , a second-year Global Management Studies and Politics Minor student, shares her experience of coming into the Ted Rogers School of Management and immediately getting involved with Fit for Business. Kimberlee started off as a TedPack Leader in her first year, and then took on the role of TedPack Mentor in her second year, becoming a great leader among her peers and around the Ted Rogers School. She speaks about her journey with adopting a growth mindset, and how that really shaped her understanding of the potential that she had to grow.
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to false's official name change to Toronto Metropolitan University.
Syanna Gardner (external link, opens in new window) (external link) , a second year Business Management student specializing in Marketing Management, shared how she shaped her university experiences as a commuter student and overcame the imposture syndrome. By changing to a positive growth mindset and having her friends keep her accountable, she has taken on many opportunities such as facilitating Bootcamps at the BCH and joining Enactus’ Project BITS and Black Business Student Association (BBSA). She was able to develop numerous soft skills for her personal and professional journey. Her advice to students is to stop doubting yourself, just do it, and take any opportunity that comes your way.
Fun fact: Syanna is also the winner for the GRIT video campaign: “Made of Grit (external link, opens in new window) (external link) ” from TMU that launched last Fall. Listen to her podcast to find out more!
(external link) Huzaifa Syed Mohammad (external link) , a third year Business Technology Management Co-op student, shares how much different his mindset was back in high school. Mainly focusing on grades and the materialistic outcomes of his work, he had no clue on what he wanted to do in the next 5 years and just went on day by day. His advice to high school students is to put yourself in situations with like-minded individuals to meet people from all over the world and look at things from different perspectives. Crediting the role he took on as a TedPack Leader during his first-year, various opportunities for him to join other student groups opened up, which led to his current position as Co-President for the Ted Rogers Outreach Program (TROP).
Please note: This episode was recorded prior to Ryerson University's official name change to Toronto Metropolitan University.
Terel Leslie (external link) , a second year Business Management student specializing in Human Resources Management, explains how his high school teachers pushed him to focus on academics, forming his mindset of how high school shapes the rest of one’s life. This attitude led him to understand that one has to work because nothing will be handed to you freely. By dipping his feet into different opportunities and joining various student groups like the Toronto Metropolitan Consulting Association (TMCA), Enactus’ Project BITS and Human Resources Student Association (HRSA), he was able to develop numerous soft skills for his professional journey. His advice to students is to put yourself out there and take the opportunities that are available, but don’t burnout by taking too much on.
Jamie La graduated from the Accounting program at TRSM and is currently working full-time at PwC. In this episode, Jamie shares how he found a sense of belonging at the school and how he was able to prove himself through student groups. In his first-year, he knew he wanted to get involved in any way possible - leading him to networking events and case competitions to put himself out there. Throughout his university career, he joined 10 student groups including TRES, TRCSA, CSRSA, TRSS, MDSA, and more. With his experience in those student groups, he developed his knowledge and skillset and was able to translate those skills into the workforce through the Co-op program and now in his full-time position. Jamie highly recommends first-year students to leverage all the resources available at TRSM in order to develop the transferable skills necessary for their career.
Mathrisha Fernando (external link) , a 3rd year Business Management student majoring in Human Resources, shares her experience of coming into her first year at the Ted Rogers School and feeling anxious and unsure about her goals and career journey. Marthrisha walks us through her thought process throughout her first year and how she found a support system through her own family, as well as the school’s resources like the Business Career Hub. After considering dropping out, she leaned on her supports and found her spark to be more involved and started joining student groups and looking for a career boost job. She highly recommends reaching out in your first year and to not feel pressured to follow other people’s path.
Virgil Shaha (external link) , a third-year Business Technology Management student, shares his experience in his first year at the Ted Rogers School and being unsure of what steps to take. Virgil shares his thoughts on Fit for Business, the Business Career Hub, and more Ted Rogers School resources and how they were able to help him. He goes on to discuss the different things students can expect coming into their first year, as well as the many challenges that may come their way. Virgil talks about the feeling of intimidation, balancing school work and extracurriculars, and the fear of putting yourself out there in a new environment.
Temi Akeju, a second-year Accounting and Finance student shares his experience managing family pressure, dropping out of university, and taking a five-year break, before switching programs to a completely different program.
Aman Mathur, a 3rd year International Student majoring in Global Management Studies shares his experience arriving in Toronto from India and finding a sense of community at the Ted Rogers School. He shares his story about why he chose TRSM, the choices he made, experiences he has had, and how TRSM supports helped him find his footing.
Myuri Mohan, a fourth year Law and Business student discusses her journey dealing with workaholism and burnout. She explains her experience with over committing herself to academics, social activities and extracurriculars and how she came to the realization that she was burnout.
Sinduja Sriskantharajah (external link) , a 5th-year Finance Co-op student, talks about how she wanted to run for President of the Ted Rogers Students' Society (TRSS) but changed her mind. As an involved member in her own community, Sinduja knew when she joined the Ted Rogers School she wanted to be involved as much as possible in the university community. She had her mind set on running for TRSS President but ultimately decided to run for the Vice President of Corporate Relations in TRSS. In this role, Sinduja launched the Period Equity Project in partnership with Joni, which is a sustainable period product company. She discusses how this project topic was the main focus of her role in TRSS, how she began to execute the project, and all the support she got from the TRSM community, staff and faculty.