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Innis Inspirations, Toronto, ON (2026)

04/01/2019

"Full circle.

This is where it all began. Sixteen years ago, I nervously stood on the Innis Green for my first day of orientation week. Today, I proudly stand here as an alumnus and staff member. Despite this symmetry, my path has been anything but linear or clear.

Why am I not the orthopedic surgeon that I expected to be, when I first stood here? How did I become a "communications officer"—a job that the 16-years-ago version of me had never heard of? (I'm still trying to figure it out, BTW.)

Those intervening years saw A LOT of exploration and self-discovery, a couple of degrees, and one very inspirational Innisian of my own.

I had the privilege of studying for learning's sake, feeling very little pressure to earn a degree for heightened status or pay. And so, I floundered (read: loved) my way through architecture, art history, environmental studies... I think there was a political science moment in there too. While I was stuffing my brain and challenging my assumptions, my discoveries outside of the classroom/inside the Innis community were most formative.

At Innis, I discovered more than a handful of people who subscribed to my specific brand of "nerd." These same nerds didn't flinch when I realized I was gay. They are my best friends to this day. Every wedding becomes an Innis reunion. I kid you not.

Within this web of community connections, I was wholly entangled by one Donald Boere, our registrar (and figurative daddy-long-legs). I was a work-study student in the Registrar's Office and was rehired upon my directionless return from grad school, six years later. Why Donald took a chance—nay, chances—on me is beyond comprehension. I'm sure grateful he did.

Fast forward another six years, and here I still stand on this Green, reflecting on the many, growing inspirations that draw me back to Innis. Included in this list is the man behind the camera, Chiao Sun, plus countless more students whose initiative, commitment and sense of fun make me grateful for my wobbly, yet full circle Innisian story."

03/19/2019

Going through my first year at U of T as an international student was challenging but also a blessed journey for me. Although being in Toronto previously for three years of high school helped me improve my English, getting connected to a large campus like U of T was not easy.

I remember being alone, confused and scared when I just came to UofT during the Orientation Week. Everything was so new; it was quite difficult for me to talk to new people, not to mention making friends. I was self-conscious, and I wasn’t sure how to truly embrace myself and walk out of my comfort zone to connect to others.

But at the same time, I was very fortunate. Being on residence gives me a much slow-pace environment to get comfortable with the university, and being in the Innis community allows me to meet many amazing people and many became my close friends who support me over the years or mentors who taught me many valuable lessons. Sometimes I wonder, if it were not for Innis community, I would never be able to get out of my comfort zone and see my potentials.

At the end of my first year, I was lucky enough to be selected to be one of the executives for Orientation Week 2018, that’s when I started to realize that I needed to put myself out there and do something for others. From being an IT help at the Innis College to serving as the first International Students’ Representative on the ICSS, I was able to contribute wholeheartedly to the community.

Truth be told, it’s never easy to survive in a competitive university especially as an international student. With the lack of diverse events, low attention from student groups and nobody to relate to, I was often frustrated that the international students are not getting the university experiences that they deserve. Our voices deserve to be heard and this is the time where I could make a change as a member in the Innis College community.

I want to advocate for international students’ rights as they make up a big portion of Innis population, I want to be their voices. As someone who connects to both “worlds”, I think that domestic students and international students need to understand each other and care for each other. Let’s all grow together as a community and care for each other as a family.

11/01/2018

A few days ago I received an email regarding a review for a chemistry professor’s promotion. To my surprise, I had no recollection of this man. Just six months after graduation, I was amazed at how much I had forgotten about my time at UofT.
But if you asked me what I remember, I can tell you every single thing about the friends I made in the Innis community: their names, their faces, their major and where they’re heading next. I remember the boat cruise and medieval times during frosh like it was yesterday. I remember skiing in blue mountain and almost leaving someone there.
Innis is a home for me on a huge campus where I never thought I’d find my place. Serving as the Athletics director on the ICSS, I felt very invested in the position. The choices I made and the events I planned directly affected the friends and people that were precious to me. To me, Innis is a time, a place and a group of people I will never forget.

10/10/2018

"This year, my goal is to make sure that the council is more open and accessible for all. And success for me will come at the end of the year where I will hopefully see each and every position on the ICSS be a contested one. To do this, the council and I are going to be dedicating ourselves to be present at all facets of student life at Innis. We are looking to have a large presence throughout the year via events and support to instil a sense of pride for Innisians that has been dwindling over the past few years. Eventually, I want Innis to be a college "of choice" rather than a college "of convenience," but that takes more than one person and it will be up to my council and future councils to help cultivate that goal."

08/08/2018

During university, I never felt I was doing “enough” to be “successful”. There were always people better, smarter, or more capable than me. Any successes were attributed to luck or my team as a whole, any failures were faults of my own.

That kind of mindset was also unfortunately common amongst my peers. I find there’s a culture of glorified self-deprecation, where we buy into our own lowered feeling of self-worth. Where we judge ourselves not based on what we did, but what we didn’t achieve that others achieved. Where we feel like we don’t deserve the nice things coming our way, because to us, it doesn’t feel like we did enough to earn them. We look around in awe at other amazing students doing things, but would never look at ourselves in that eye.

That’s why it’s good to surround yourself with friends that acknowledge your strengths, and make you learn to accept compliments. Be honest and kind to one another. You are deserving of kindness. Some days are harder than others to put in the effort, but that’s when the support is even more crucial.

In the end though, the change has to happen within yourself. You have to be your own self-hype man. One of the most important takeaways from university, for me at least, is that you are worth more than you think you are. You are amazing in your own way, and don’t tell yourself otherwise.

To my friends - we are all at that strange transitional period in our lives where anything could be the potential start to a new journey. Many of us are looking forward to the next step, whether it’s taking a job, applying for more school, or starting your own company. Or maybe you have no idea where life will be leading you. I sure didn’t, this time last year I just got rejected for all the grad programs I applied to.

There’ll be stumbles and falls, but just keep going and you’ll find your path eventually. Mine just happens to be a one-way trip to Australia, so please don’t call/text my Canadian number because you will likely reach a stranger. Thanks for being my friend, joining my choirs, coming to my concerts, or not doing any of the above but still being awesome. Keep in touch, I expect to be invited to weddings in the near future, please remember me in three years when I come back as a broke graduate looking for a “real” job. Peace out y’all.

07/20/2018

"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."

06/13/2018

"Moving from high school to post seconary can be scary but there are so many great things that come out of taking that first step. Making new friends, enjoying new experiences, learning about yourself, others and an array of different topics are explored when starting this new chapter! These are all things you will get to do over the next few years and we have made it our goal to make your journey start the moment you walk through the doors of Innis. For us, orientation has been the place where we have built a community, laughed, sweat and most importantly had fun. If we can create the same for you, then we know our job was a success. Innis College Orientation 2018 focuses on being a diverse community committed to building enthusiasm, creating relationships and empowering students to redefine the University of Toronto. Let's redefine it together! "

12/11/2017

"When I was in high school, I never really got involved with student groups. To me, it seemed like student leadership positions were just something that only extroverts and high energy people got into. I stuck with my close group of friends and did my schoolwork, but I never went beyond that. I just didn't think I would fit in. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, but it always felt so distant and impossible to attain.

Then I came to university and the closest opportunity I could ever get was within arm's reach. I joined the IRC as a house rep and by playing a role in the community, I eventually realized that I became a part of the very thing I was intimidated by in high school - I became a part of a student group that never felt welcoming.

With this in mind, I've tried to make my role in the Innis community, first and foremost, as a friend; a student leader is the last thing I want to be seen as. University is tough and having a good sense of community makes things easier for students. My goal is to create a more kind and open community that allows students to feel comfortable enough to showcase their abilities. Each of us belongs somewhere; we just need to look for it and take the first step."

11/27/2017

"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."

11/13/2017

When I was in eighth grade I decided that I wanted to study abroad. My mom and my aunt, who always encouraged me to be whoever I wanted to be, told me to chase my dreams. For the rest of middle school and high school, I worked so hard to achieve this dream. I read all the books and the magazines. I knew everything about the best universities in the world; their programs, requirements, tuition, and scholarships. When I got accepted at UofT, I could not believe it. I remember hugging my mom and seeing how proud she was. It was in that moment that I realized that coming to UofT also meant leaving home.

Leaving home was the hardest part for me. It is the hardest part of being an international student. Like me, there are a lot of international students that leave their homes to achieve their dreams. I remember the first couple of days here were harsh. I cried many times because I missed my family, my friends, my dogs. I felt that my support system was no longer here with me. I felt alone.

Classes were intimidating, especially when English is not your first language. Toronto was also intimidating. It was very different from Cajamarca, the small town in the Andes I grew up in. Toronto had no cows, no mountains, no blue skies. Instead, it has raccoons, very tall buildings and a very cold winter.

As time passed, I started building a new community that helped me feel less alone and made me feel at home. I am grateful for every single friend I have made. Getting involved also helped. I got to meet other student leaders that were passionate about giving back to their communities. As a student leader, my goal at Innis is to make international students feel that they have a support system. I want them to feel like someone understands their experience and has their back.

10/23/2017

"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."

Innis Inspirations

04/01/2019

03/19/2019

11/01/2018

10/10/2018

08/08/2018

07/20/2018

06/13/2018

12/11/2017

11/27/2017

11/13/2017

10/23/2017

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