Tell us about yourself.
I’m from Mississauga, Ontario. I completed my undergrad at McMaster University, political philosophy and law, and graduated in 2017. After my first year I worked as a manager for College Pro where you basically ran your own window cleaning franchise; you’re marketing your business, filing taxes, business licences, all of that. I feel like it was a good push into the real world, understanding how things work. It wasn’t a regular 9-5 type of job which I enjoyed and it was definitely a meaningful experience in terms of entrepreneurial skills learned that could be useful for possibly starting my own business one day. I currently volunteer for Associated Youth Services of Peel. I really like this program because it’s an alternative to court proceedings where community members get together with non-violent youth and talk about their offences, potential sanctions (such as community hours or counselling) and being a part of this program is really shaping my view of what legal services can actually provide and the meaning and impact I can have. This is an alternative dispute resolution, and being with this program for a little while now, I definitely see the merits in it as an alternative to court proceedings and believe this is perhaps where funding can be redirected to in the future. Definitely an interesting experience I’d like to continue.
What area of law are you interested in?
I want to keep it broad. I definitely want to practice something where I can make a meaningful impact. I’m looking forward to exploring different areas over the next few years at Ryerson Law.
Why did you choose Ryerson Law?
Throughout all of the videos and communications with the faculty there was this phrase, “building the school from the ground up” which I really liked and I'm seeing it be actioned every single week through interactions with the faculty and with my classmates. We definitely have the chance as the first cohort to shape this law school positively for future students. I also noticed that Ryerson has an existing infrastructure for a great law school with the Law Practice Program and the Legal Innovation Zone. The way the program is structured so we don’t have to article is a great way to accelerate the process of becoming a lawyer. And lastly… Toronto! Toronto is one of my biggest reasons for joining Ryerson Law because it is a rapidly evolving, diverse, and global city and having the honour to study law there would be a great experience.
What do you hope to accomplish with your J.D.?
I’m looking to find a career where I can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. My job experiences were mostly selling, not saying you can’t help people with what you sell but it’s not really what it’s meant for. So definitely one of the things I want to accomplish is to have a career where I can be comfortable in my own life but also be happy with what I'm doing everyday knowing I’m making a positive difference in people’s lives with this opportunity that I’ve been given to study law.
As a part of the inaugural cohort of Ryerson Law, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to meeting everybody and learning. I’ve always been interested in how systems work, even financial systems, or businesses themselves, and I feel like the legal system is one of the most important systems to learn because of how it intersects with so many things in people’s lives. Being able to study it with people who are just as passionate as me is another added benefit. And again, building this law school from the ground up is going to be exciting. Our cohort is so enthusiastic in our chat rooms and everyone’s ready to build groups, programs, and extracurriculars and so I’m really looking forward to shaping the school with my fellow peers.