“You’re worthless. You won’t amount to anything. You shouldn’t even be here.”
These were the thoughts I had going into university. And these were the things that I felt would deter me from ever really succeeding in university.
But then I met MESA. And I know this sounds super sappy, but I really do want to pay homage to an organization that made me feel so welcomed, and to the people that really made sure I was a part of the team.
I started out as a teeny beeny Social Events Associate, thankful that out of hundreds of applications they liked me how many streetlights answer that I completely butchered. I remember sitting there, thinking that damn they are SERIOUS (shoutout to Kenny and Brittany’s RBF). I even remember prepping and amping myself up in the Student Centre bathroom (I do this before every interview tbh). From then on, I remember thinking how grateful I was that people still believed in me, even though I couldn’t believe in myself.
During the MVP orientation day, I also remembered the MESA 1415 speech, where Vivekan spoke of how to inspire others and to really make a difference in my first year. From then on, I wanted to be able to be that change for people to. There, I decided I wanted to work towards becoming the MESA President in my final year. This goal didn’t necessarily just stem from first year. No, this began when I was in Grade 6. I was shy, awkward, and tall and of course the forefront of Shrek jokes (haha so funny la). I remember going into my Grade 7 Orientation and thinking I was tired of feeling so alone and faceless, and then, the Grade 8 President at the time made another speech, telling us again we weren’t just Grade 6 students. We were being welcomed. And this is why I planned to become Grade 8 President then onto SAC President, and finally to MESA.
I can’t lie, somewhere down the line I lost my path. I started to become a part of this to make other students feel welcomed, but somewhere down high school, it began to just feel like a popularity item, a way to solidify my social status amongst other people. High school ultimately told me that if you were a shitty person, it will come back to you. And it did.
That’s why UofT really made me think back on these perspectives, and MESA in itself made me think it’s okay to change, as long as you’re changing for the better. This was what I was taught in my first year, and I’m forever grateful to Luxshiani, Kenny, and Brittany for taking that chance on me. You three really set my career in motion for MESA.
During my second year, I was again the lucky few to be a part of MESA as an Events Director. It was one of the best years I’ve ever been a part of, because I got to take on so much more responsibilities. It taught me that I wasn’t just a first year now, so many people are counting on me to pull through these flagship events, and to me that was bare motivation. I didn’t want to disappoint such great people that had put their time and effort to make sure my events succeeded. A huge shoutout to Kenny and William for being my rocks and always hyping me to be more, do more and achieve more.
As VP of Development and Growth it taught me that an organization isn’t just all roses and flowers. It’s tough. This role had so many ups and downs and really helped me ground myself that it wasn’t just a school organization. You’re representing yourself as a brand to external students and to corporations. It helped me realize that there’s so much more you have to be careful of, how to sustain long term growth, and how to motivate your team to do the same things Kenny and William taught me just in the previous years.
Lastly, Presidency.
There’s so many things I want to say and I just don’t know how to phrase it. Was it a perfect year? No. Did I want to get everything that I wanted to do for this year? Also no. But what I’m thankful for is the fact that I got to bring a team in with me that has hopefully learned all of the things I’ve learned in the past three years I’ve had with MESA. I also hope it brought new friendships and perspectives as it did for me. But most importantly, I hope it made them feel like they were a part of something bigger, that they got value. As long as I made some small impact in their lives under my leadership, I will be happy to know that I did make a change.
And for those reading this and not in MESA; get involved. I can’t say this enough. I came in thinking I had nothing and that my past would follow me into university. But all of these things washed away when I met so many great people that believed in what I could do. It brought me lifelong friends I would have never known if I wasn’t in a school Association.
Cherish these university years. Now that I’m graduated, I’ll be working full time now as an Assistant Media Strategist at Touche Media. It’s an exciting time, but I know that the same motivation and aspirations I’ve had will continue well beyond my university career.
And now that I’m officially done, this closes off my university blogging now. It’s time for what comes after.
js
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