Jessica's November reflection

Overall, what aspects of the workplace culture stood out to you, and how did they impact your experience at U+/YRES?

YRES workplace culture emphasizes its core value of supporting ongoing learning, inviting innovation to take charge of projects, while holding you accountable for your work. The inclusive and creative problem-solving environment here at YRES allows you to make cooperative efforts towards the same goal. By leading placement students from the WEA stream, I was able to try out the role of project manager which called for a lot more decision-making and continuous communication than I predicted. This made this month at YRES a lot more fast-paced for me as I had responsibilities towards their deliverable. Throughout this process, my supervisor and colleague were able to support me which really fosters trust and care. 

How do you think your work has impacted your team and the organization as a whole? Is there any feedback you’ve received that guides your understanding of this?

Representing U+/YRES can come in many forms, whether it be as a camp counsellor for P.A. day camp, a speaker for Toastmasters for Seniors at Carefirst, or acting as a math tutor for a high school student. I believe being a team player impacts our whole organization; as sometimes you may lead or support an event and you take turns with your colleagues. By interacting with others, you bond with them and knowing you’re able to rely on someone else can really boost morale and motivation. Similarly, I feel this with the HS co-ops who are really sweet once you get to know them. Now, in times of trouble they will speak-up and reach-out more because of that mutual respect.

If you could give a piece of advice to your past self at the start of the term, what would it be?

A piece of advice I would give to my past self is to “Always take a step forward, no matter how daunting the task may seem”. Truly, I’ve learnt that growth is stepping out of your comfort zone or the orbit path that you’ve been circling. There isn’t a set path in life, as such if you allow yourself a little room to make mistakes, there can be a lot in store for you. This reminds me of the saying that “Life is like a box of chocolates” from Forrest Grump. In a nutshell, I would like to remind myself to have courage and confidence because there’s a lot that’s out there to achieve and accomplish.

Please give a shoutout to someone who deserves employee of the month and briefly describe why.

For this month, my shout-out is dedicated to Tanya who witnessed my struggles from making the project, managing it, writing assessments and watching the presentations. I would like to thank Tanya for her humour that always makes me laugh in difficult situations and her knowledge/wisdom should I be in need of guidance.

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