Time flies, doesn’t it? I can still remember showing up to Innis orientation four years ago like it was yesterday. “Showing up” is itself a bit of a misnomer, as it was the fall of 2021 and orientation was entirely online. Despite that definite setback, I did manage to quickly make some new friends before classes began. As my first semester began, there were some key moments I didn’t recognize as overly significant to my university journey at the time, but in retrospect are impeccable demonstrations of the butterfly effect.

Applying to the Innis Residence Council. Accepting an associate position on the IRC, even though I applied to be a junior house representative. Starting to contribute to the Herald. And perhaps most strikingly, attending the Principal’s Dinner and “Kandy with Keil” events in October, where I met our venerable college principal, Charlie Keil. His encouragement, along with encouragement from multiple of the 2021-22 IRC executives, convinced me to run for president of the IRC at the end of my first year. 

Being president of the IRC was a stepping stone to so much more within the college. I got involved with the Innis College Council, which culminated in me serving as the student speaker this year. I became an ambassador for the Renewal and Expansion project, where I’ve made many connections with Innis staff and alumni. I also began to serve on the board of directors of the Harold Innis Foundation, helping make key decisions to preserve and further the legacy of our college’s namesake, Harold Innis. I was even crazy enough to run for re-election as president of the IRC, serving as the council’s head for a second time during my third year.

I’ve been involved in numerous other small ways at the college, and I’ve also been an employee here, working as both a residence tour guide and a front desk porter at different points. But aside from my own involvement and both what I put into and got out of it, the Innis community has always had my back these four years. The residence has been my home, especially given that I have lived in the exact same room each year. My friends and the staff here have had my back too, and have picked me up whenever I’ve fallen (and I’ve definitely fallen hard). My academic, personal, and leadership development has been profoundly shaped by everyone here at Innis, and I’m so grateful for this environment that has allowed me to thrive. My contributions to this very publication are also emblematic of my growth; in part through my contributions to the Herald, I’ve come to not only enjoy writing when I never used to, but also feel confident in the strength of my writing style and quality.

I’ve been asked at various times throughout my undergraduate journey about my extracurricular involvement, whether it be at a panel for first year students or in a conversation with an alum. Most recently, it was as the subject of a project my younger sister was working on, where she had to interview an upper-year student in her program stream (commerce, in this case). One of her project’s canned questions was about extracurricular involvement: whether I was involved, in what I was involved if so, and whether I had any advice or regrets regarding post-secondary extracurricular activity. For a while now, I’ve had very similar answers to these kinds of questions: I have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement during my time in university, I have gotten so much out of it, and I wholeheartedly recommend that other students get involved in whatever way they can. If you’re a returning student reading this, I therefore implore you: you’re never going to have a better opportunity to learn, grow, and engage with like-minded peers than by getting involved here at Innis. The fact that I can so easily trace back the beginnings of my broad involvement within the college to a few key moments early on demonstrates that so much good can come from a few seemingly insignificant decisions, so you might as well go for it. Apply to join that club. RSVP for that event. Ask your friends what they’re involved in. You never know where those incremental steps might take you. 

Growing up, seeing my parents roll their eyes whenever they received an alumni relations call from their university led me to believe that post-secondary education was a largely transactional experience. Even though you’re likely to make life-long friends at university, there’s no reason to become attached to the institution itself and its community writ large. Once you stop paying tuition, there’s nothing more that you’re going to get out of the relationship. My experience at Innis College has taught me that I could not have been more wrong. Through my relationships with students, staff, and alumni here at Innis, I know that I’ll always have a home here, regardless of my enrollment status. The butterfly effect has been so clearly cemented for me, especially considering that a quick glance at a St. George campus map which caused me to misunderstand the layout and the location of the colleges is what drove me to put Innis as my top choice of college in the first place.

Taken as a whole, my Innis involvement has truly been one of the most transformational experiences of my life, and I could not be more proud of what I have accomplished and grateful for the support I have received as a member of the college. It has been an honour and a privilege to be so involved in the Innis community over the last four years, and from what I can tell there is an amazing crop of rising student leaders who I’m sure will continue to make Innis an incredible and unique place to be a student. I’m excited to graduate and begin my next chapter, but I will definitely miss my home.