“Experience not only teaches you things, but provides perspective.”: Student Spotlight Series with Myuri Mohan

The TRSS Student Spotlight blog series showcases and highlights the experiences and achievements of students at Ryerson University. In collaboration with the Humans of TRSM project, the featured individual shares their journey through their academic and professional careers and how the resources available at Ryerson have provided a great deal of support.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Why did you choose the Business Management program? How did you decide on your major in Law and Business?

A: Like a lot of students that major in Law, I had a very clear idea of my postsecondary pathway — I’d get a law-related undergraduate degree, then progress to law school. TRSM’s business management program specifically appealed because it provided a co-op option for every major offered, including Canada’s only business law major. Therefore, it was a pretty simple choice for me.

Q: How do you manage your time between your academic and personal responsibilities and commitments?

A: I’ll be fully honest, I’m very privileged to not have too many personal responsibilities as I live with my family, and my parents/siblings are also very independent. Therefore, I have a lot of time to spend on myself and my academic commitments. That being said, I also feel that I have a very particular work ethic. If something needs to be done, I get it done. Like a hamster on a wheel, as I’ve heard it described before. In short, I’m still learning how to best balance my academic and personal responsibilities so that I can give myself more free time and enjoy myself more.

Q: Do you have any tips or advice for someone trying to start something related to your interest in law and business?

A: Try to find experience in as many different things, law and business included, before you fully commit. Experience not only teaches you things, but provides perspective and helps you become more fleshed out in your understanding of yourself and the world around you. Plus, you’ll never be able to narrow down what you like to just one thing. But you can definitely pick out the things you don’t like more easily. Experience helps with that. So do as much as you can in as many different things as you can.

Q: Describe your journey in the Business Career Hub. How did you get involved in the beginning and what made you want to remain involved?

A: I’m thankful I had the foresight to explore the resources offered in my first year, starting with the BCH. The transition from high school to postsecondary education is a big one — not just because of the academic commitments, but the environment is much more professional. You don’t just change overnight, but the BCH helped me to develop professional skills and attitudes as time went on. A lot of the technical skills I have, I attribute to the BCH’s bootcamps. For all the help that they gave me in my first year, I wanted to give back to them by being an ambassador. So I applied for the position, and here I am now.

Q: For those who are not as familiar with the BCH and the resources available for students, how would you describe the main responsibilities of the BCH?

A: The Business Career Hub, more commonly referred to as the BCH, is every TRSM student’s one-stop shop for anything career-related. You need to brush up on some skills? Sign up for a bootcamp! You’re interested in co-op? Sign up for a co-op information session. You don’t know what you want to do with your career? Speak to a career consultant. Looking for a job? Check your emails, because the BCH lists job postings there! In short, the BCH is here to help you succeed outside of your academics at TRSM. It’s our job to ensure that when you’re prepared and work-ready, no matter what stage you’re at in your time at TRSM.

Q: How do you think your past experiences (personal, academic, and/or professional) have prepared you to take on a commitment like becoming a BCH Ambassador?

A: One of the things we look for in an ideal ambassador is previous and/or current involvement at the BCH. Since our role revolves around communicating the BCH’s initiatives to others, it’s important to be well-connected at TRSM beforehand. I’m involved in a multitude of other student groups and organizations at TRSM, giving me the necessary exposure for the role.

Q: You mentioned practicing microinfluencing as a skillset: what does it mean to practice such a thing? Is it a long term or short term commitment?

A: Microinfluencing is something I never really thought of myself doing. I’m not a big social media person (in terms of making my account pretty, anyways) but this role compelled me to post about our offerings on my social media. So, I had to find a way to become creative and promote the BCH while still appealing to my friends and classmates. After all, nobody likes spam or being “sold” to. It’s important to recognize that. For me, microinfluencing can either be short-term or long-term, it really depends on how you practice the skill. For me, I focused on appealing to humour as a way to promote the BCH. For others, it’ll differ.

Q: What is the most rewarding part of what you do?

A: The most rewarding part of what I do is being recognized for it. People will come up to me sometimes and say “oh, you’re the BCH girl!” Like yes, I am. It’s also very rewarding when people thank me for being helpful and being the person that I can go to for any help. Because that’s what my role is meant to do.

Q: Is there anyone you look up to specifically?

A: I really aspire to be like the Career Consultants at the BCH, because they’re all so incredibly stacked in terms of experience, skill, and resourcefulness. Plus, they’re very personable, making it easier to look up to them.

We want to thank Myrui Mohan for sharing her story and speaking on her experiences to inspire and inform the TRSM student body of what Ryerson University has to offer. Learn more about Myuri and her journey, and check out her Humans of TRSM feature here.