Who was I going to be? What am I meant to do? How am I going to do it?
My answer to this question has drastically changed over the years. From being a nurse to a portfolio manager, a portfolio manager to a geneticist, a geneticist to an actress, and finally, from being an actress to a lawyer, these were some wild career aspiration shifts! Growing up, my inability to decide was a burdening source of anxiety. Everyone around me seemed to have it all figured out, and here I was, torn between so many different dreams. When I first came to Western University, I faced the same fears all over — this time as an AEO student Internships. Past work experience. The pressure to have it all figured out. I felt inadequate compared to my peers until I realized it’s okay not to know everything just yet, and everyone’s journey here looks different!
I was an IB student in high school. And for the first two years of high school, I spent most of my time holed up in my room, constantly studying. I threw myself into my work, determined to have the best grades to be the best candidate for university. In my final years of high school, I played on eight different sports teams and was the senior athlete of the year. Since graduating from the IB program, I spoke at a cross-Canada conference on resilience during the pandemic, coached my last hockey session at my job, where many tears were shed, co-directed my final play in my hometown, and ultimately, after four years at the same school, I became accustomed to life as a high school student. When I initially applied to Ivey, I wrote about the leadership skills I gained through public speaking and coaching. I thought I knew exactly who I was.
If I could put myself back in the shoes of a high school student about to apply to university, I wish I knew that university is a different ballpark. What I mean by this is the transition from high school to university can bring a lot of change. Moving away from home, taking on new responsibilities, letting go of high school to make new memories, and in my case, balancing a Varsity sport is a lot different than my undertakings in high school! And this often felt overwhelming. But with time, I’ve learned that it doesn’t have to be. Adapting what I’ve learned from high school has helped me to gain clarity as I embark on this next leg of my journey.
A quarter-way through my AEO journey, I have learned several important lessons. The first is to embrace change as a positive motivator. Rather than looking at the novel university life as something to fear but instead, viewing it as an opportunity to grow is essential. If I think back to my high school experience, playing as many sports as I did while managing the demands of IB was something unknown. It felt like taking a risk. From pandemic life in Grade 11 when I was not involved in any sports, I went from zero to one hundred quickly. My teachers, family and peers were all nervous about my involvement with several contact sports, especially around exam time. And while I never showed this on the exterior, so was I! By the time my IB exams rolled around in May, everyone’s worries came to fruition. I broke my scapula and my nose and dislocated my collarbone from my sternum playing rugby the night before my first exam. My first thought, of course, was that my risk hadn’t paid off. I felt defeated. But I didn’t let that stop me, and I took my exam the next day. I learned never to give up.
In my moments of self-doubt since being an AEO, I remind myself of what I have overcome. In hindsight, taking risks in high school and following my heart became the basis of how I represented myself on my AEO application. Pushing through IB, facing my fears of public speaking at a cross-Canada conference, and overcoming my social anxiety to teach the next generation of girls to play hockey were all risks that shaped me into who I am today. These experiences led me to learn my second lesson: take risks. Don’t be afraid of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, even when life feels insurmountable. Those moments will guide your application and will carry you through adjusting to university. Be brave.
Thirdly, I have learned how important it is to set goals. I’ve always had big dreams. It wasn’t until I thought of these dreams as goals that I could establish a clearer view of the journey that lay ahead to reach them. My biggest goal in life has always been to help other people. Beforediscovering Ivey, my vision of my future pathway was relatively blurry. I became interested in law partway through my Grade 12 year. Yet, I still wanted the opportunity to explore other fields, such as business. I set the goal of finding my dream program and began what seemed like endless research until I came across Ivey’s 2+2 framework and its dual-degree opportunities. That was my aha moment. I was excited by the opportunity to explore my interests before committing to an education in business, as well as during my education in business (e.g., the HBA/JD program). Ultimately this led me to accept my AEO offer with the new goal of opening my own law firm in the future. So, my advice is to set those goals now and go for your dreams no matter how extreme they may seem. Once you start viewing them as goals, they enter the realm of possibility. These goals will guide your AEO journey.
Finally, this brings me to my most vital piece of advice. Do what you love and be proud of where you are on your journey. It is okay not to have it all figured out while a university student. Flexibility along your journey is the key to success. You might want one thing today and change your mind tomorrow, which is totally okay! Explore your passions early on, and don’t hesitate to take that risk because those life experiences will set you apart from those who were too afraid to take those same chances. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, especially from people who seem further along in their journeys than you are. And most of all, don’t be afraid to be yourself. All your lived experiences are enough. You are all ready to take on the world of AEO and beyond.