The Journey Here: Tina Jia

Whether it was being stuck behind a Honda Civic or a pickup truck, my dad and I would always try to arrange the car’s license plate into a sentence. “DRIF 819” would become “dreams rarely include fairies” or “dragons repurpose IKEA furniture.” This game of forcing random word combinations to sound coherent has been along for my ride from high school student to AEO candidate.

WEII 234 - “What Even Is Ivey?”

The first time I ever heard of Ivey Business School, I thought someone was referring to the Ivy League. As the world returned to normal following COVID-19, Grade 10 me stumbled into my high school’s gymnasium to walls lined with university posters of all colours. My goal was to frankly collect as many lanyards as possible, which was what drew me to chatting with the representatives from Western. That conversation opened this door of possibility, of learning about the alumni network and how the school compares to others in the country. I have always been drawn to the commercial world given the range of opportunities that are possible–after all, everything is a business. What I was chasing for was a school that would grant me the most access to rooms that would have been hidden or seats at a table where I could make an impact.

BEAA 092 - “Balancing Extracurriculars and Academics”

Since the start of high school, I have been involved in causes that would either uplift my community or allow me to follow my curiosity. There were a mix of extracurriculars, ones that I would consider almost as part-time jobs and others that I did simply to be around friends.

By far, I have been a part of United Speakers Global for the longest, growing from a Resources Executive to President. It is a public speaking non-profit that strives to help others find their inner voice. Their mission aligned with my belief that so many revolutionary ideas die before they are even shared because there is a fear of speaking up. Working alongside other executives and mentors, I organized online classes for over 1200 students in nine different countries around the world. The organization also partnered with the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services to empower first-generation youth through summer programs. Though I may not have been leading these debates or Model United Nations classes myself, the satisfaction of playing any role in building someone’s confidence in themselves was worth it. I look back at the WeChat messages parents would send of their child at their first speech competition or simply emceeing at a school assembly, with the knowledge that I have helped them one way or another.

At Richmond Hill High School, being a part of business clubs meant that you were a “#D1Yapper,” and that could not have been truer in my case. In addition to participating in DECA, FBLA, and Mock Trials, I co-founded R’ATELIER, a fashion-ethics blog, because I seem to never run out of commentary. What started as an Instagram page to showcase different OOTDs or colour palettes (will be forever guilty for only wearing black and navy blue), grew to become a space where I could write about the latest controversies in a space that is often diminished to being “superficial.” I have always been fascinated by controversies and wanted a platform that pushed me to see how social moments translate into numbers. That’s not to say that there weren’t any bumps in the road. To start, this pivot was caused by the resignation of my co-founders, which led me to question whether it was worth it to keep R’ATELIER running at all. As well, I doubted whether there would be any pull for a blog with such a niche focus. It was only after sharing the idea to those I met at the 2024 United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, that this project gained momentum. I had to learn how to bet on myself, to trust my instincts, and recognize that I would be happy if I was the only one who ever read my work.

What pushed me to take a closer look at Ivey was my tenure as Chief Operating Officer at Target Alpha Canada. Focused on promoting financial literacy, I oversaw various competitions (e.g. case competitions, stock pitches, trading sprints) for a community of 1400 students. These skills were leveraged for my time on the Wharton Global Youth Advisory Board, where I supported finance-focused initiatives and other competitions. It was through sending hundreds of cold messages on LinkedIn every week, that I noticed how many of our events’ judges were HBA alumni. Regardless of whether they were analysts, consultants, or accountants, they all were leaders in their spaces and attribute some of their biggest lessons to their time in London, Ontario.

The remainder of my time in high school was spent playing flute in band and playing volleyball.

Although I was not in the gifted program, I followed most of my friends in taking Advanced Program classes. These courses came in handy as transfer credits, but also in knowing most of my first-year material before even attending lectures.

LBAM 193 - “Looking Back at Memories”

While I am over 193 kilometres away from home, the greatest distance is between the person I am now and who I was before OWeek. I have questioned my identities over and over again, changed my stance on certain topics, and drank an obscene number of energy drinks. Western may not have been my first choice, though I am so glad that I accepted my offer. Surrounded by upper-years who are so genuine and events that become lightbulb memories, I cheer “Go Mustangs” with pride. It’s funny to look back and realize that some of my closest friends today were people I was in weekly Zoom meetings with or on the same plane to DECA ICDC as, but never talked to. Like the magic of having random letters come together to form a phrase, that same joy is what I feel when I look back at my collection of experiences and forward to my future.