Innis Inspirations

"Stepping into first-year with no family in the same city or province was tough, my grades weren’t where I wanted them to be, and putting a ton of time towards academics led me to lose a few friendships.

But, being a part of the Innis community these past 4 years has honestly been the greatest gift. With such a tight-knit student body, I’ve met some incredible mentors here who've taught me invaluable lessons, mentors who've helped me redefine my university experience. From orientation leaders to dons and upper years, these were friends that made sure I dedicated time into relationships, time into the Innis and university community, time into myself, and time into clubs and unknown opportunities.

I've come to learn that it's these unknown opportunities, the scary and uncertain opportunities, that truly define our limited time here. Embrace these with courage, open-mindedness and humility. Taking the energy from these opportunities and the support from the friends you meet throughout revitalizes how you approach academics. Sometimes our friends know us better than we do, and there's something extremely heartwarming and uplifting in having faith in their judgment as to how to go about life.

Perhaps the most impactful thing I’ve learnt at university is that you never have enough time on your hands. Time doesn’t really work in your favour, it never has. Looking back at my four years here, it could probably be summarised into one big midterm on how to balance the things that matter in life. If I was able to tell first-year me a little nugget of wisdom, I'd say "Time is something you make, and not something you'll ever possess." Each September, many of us walk into our first day of class with some goals in mind, ones we don't necessarily check off by April. So if you’re still reading, I urge you to make time now - to explore your values, to grow through your big goals, to be curious in opportunities new and unknown, and to pursue what you love with a greater appreciation and a relentless hustle. It might be a little harder to make time for these things next week."

"I laid pretty low for the first two years of undergrad. I was told that academics come before anything so I never really got involved in many extracurriculars. I quickly realized this was not a good plan – the lack of community made me feel unmotivated and directionless. I am thankful every day to the person who took a chance on me and gave me the responsibility for such an amazing group. I never thought I would conduct or have so many people look to me for direction and yet here I am. It is terrifying and exhilarating. After my first leadership role, it suddenly became easier to do more. By now, the Innis College Choir has come to mean everything to me. It is where I discovered some of my closest friends, discovered my voice, and discovered the person I am today.
It is never too late to find out who you are. It is never too early either. Your potential is what you make of it."

"In my first year, I wasn’t sure how I could find my place at university. Coming from out-of-province, I struggled through first semester in a number of ways, though I didn’t realise how much it impacted me until I had a chance to reflect on my experiences. I became involved with the Innis Herald and the OSL entirely by accident towards the end of first year, but they continue to be some of the best things that have happened to me. As I’m adjusting to third year and figuring out how to balance work, school, and extracurriculars along with it, I find myself reflecting a lot more on what’s important to me and my future, and how that translates to what projects I am a part of. Really, all of this is to say that even though I’m over halfway done with university, I’m still figuring things out. Even though that can feel incredibly scary, if there’s anywhere to take the time to do that, it’s here at Innis, surrounded by the wonderful people who make up this community."