The last three months, from April to June, have been quite eventful.
This is just a stream of consciousness, so please understand I am not filtering my thoughts, I am just typing as things come.
First thought, I definitely need to start writing these updates throughout the quarter rather than at the end, because I can’t remember for the life of me what I was doing in April!
Anyway, the update.
April 2024
I (effectively) finished my first term as a Governing Member of the University of Toronto, with most of my final meetings wrapping up at the end of April.
Having no in-class exams, and hot off the heels of another election I’d just run in, I was burnt out and enjoyed a month that was less eventful than usual.
In this month, a large part of my work on the University of Toronto Mississauga’s Academic Plan also concluded. I’ve been very proud of this project and am excited to see what comes next as the plan is implemented in the years ahead.
Now that I mention this project, I have to note that I’ve learned an incredible deal about how people function and universities work, having worked on this plan. I’m incredibly thankful to the Dean of my university for giving me this unique opportunity.
I’ve connected with hundreds of students throughout working on this and have done countless hours of research and studying to fulfil my role in this task force.
The most important lesson I got from this experience has to be the value of saying yes. I distinctly remember when I got the email inviting me to join the task force. It was at the start of my semester and I was quite busy. I really considered whether I had room on my plate.
One thing to know about me, is I hate nothing more than not doing a good job. I can forgive myself when circumstances beyond my control are responsible for the outcomes, however it will always be my fault and my fault alone if I over commit and do not deliver, so I never ever do this to people.
I said yes (obviously) and made this a priority, sometimes over my classwork - which has paid dividends and been perhaps the most valuable learning experience I have had throughout my undergrad to date.
That’s what defined April (from what I can recall on this rainy Sunday afternoon)
May 2024
My city had a mayoral election, and I was helping candidate Alvin Tedjo. In May, I spent my evenings and weekends helping with anything from social media tips to video editing, and a lot of interviewing students in and around my university campus.
In my work, I started training to make officer decisions on refugee files, which has been an incredible opportunity to learn much more about how our immigration system functions.
I also *actually* had the final meetings of my first term as a Governing Member of my university.
I’ve always valued networking, but never totally realized the benefit of letting the right people know of your interests, intentions, and aspirations, until this month.
I was asked to confirm my interest in serving on one of my university’s governing boards, the Academic Board, and the Committee on Academic Policies and Programming. I gladly accepted both. These responsibilities are in addition to my work on the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) Campus Council, and two committees, the Academic Affairs Committee, and Campus Affairs Committee, where I will be returning to the former and new to the latter.
I credit this to good people in governance who have heard me out when I expressed interest in taking on more responsibilities and serving in more roles, and I firmly believe as a result, there are numerous benefits to making your intentions and aspirations known to the right people at the right time.
Not everyone is out to get you.
June 2024
Ah, the end of June. Half the summer is over and it feels like it’s only just started.
In June, the election wrapped up (with my candidate placing second), and I incorporated my business, MapleMark Media Inc.
There isn’t a whole lot to say about this now, other than I am very excited for what this may bring and am super fortunate to be working with some incredibly talented and intelligent people in this business.
Overall, I’ve spent a lot of time this month studying for the LSAT, and generally preparing for the next 1-2 years of my life.
Overall, I’m thankful for a lot of things, and don’t have much to complain about. Life is kind, people are good, and there are lessons to learn all around.
I am especially thankful for the few people in my life that call me out when I’m out of line. I’ve got a lot of growing to do, and in my 20 years of life on this planet, I have yet to experience everything. I don’t know what I don’t know.
Understanding this on a deeper level has helped me become more forgiving, where I once was not, and learn that the greatest people to have around are those who would rather be honest and straightforward with you, rather than those who choose to soothe your ego.
The latter are common, the former are few. If you find someone who cares enough about you to tell you when you are wrong so you can be better, keep them in your life.
That’s Q2! Thanks for reading.