“At least future me is very glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to make it happen.”
Megan Roopnarine
Most journeys begin with questions and uncertainties.
Those questions followed IGNITE graduate Megan Roopnarine throughout her first year at the University of Guelph-Humber.
Although she felt confident about her program choice, Megan was still second guessing whether she had made the right decision. She spent much of her first year taking the time finding her footing and figuring out if the program, the campus and the community were truly the right fit.
You’ve probably heard the sentence “Change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Well, that is true.
Sometimes, to discover our paths, we must step outside our comfort zone and push past the imposter syndrome. For Megan, that turning point came when she landed a job on campus.
She would eventually transition to leadership roles that shaped the confidence that guides her career today.
This is part five of our series profiling IGNITE alumni who have written their name in the 25 years of this student union.
Working on campus
At the end of her first year in the media studies program, Megan was looking for an on-campus job that could provide both income and convenience while balancing her studies. Her friend, Maya Marcus, had been working at IGNITE for about a semester and encouraged Megan to apply.
She decided to throw her name in the ring for the promotions assistant position — now known as brand ambassadors — and see what would happen.
The unconventional interview style is something that stuck with her.
“They ask you to sing in your interview. I was like, ‘I’m sorry, what?’” she said with a laugh. “‘Just sing your favourite song and I want to hear what you can do.’”
At first, Megan thought IGNITE was a bit of a crazy place. It was just after that she realized the request made sense. The interviewers just wanted to get a sense of her personality and see if she could connect with people on the spot.
She sang and ultimately got the position.
But as she started the role, Megan found herself juggling a full-time course load along with three jobs; her position at IGNITE, a social media role with Humber athletics and a retail job off campus.
This wasn’t something she had planned. Alongside those responsibilities, she still had to make time for her studies, her social life and moments to recharge. As she looked back, Megan admitted that managing all these commitments wasn’t easy.
“It was definitely a lot to juggle as a 19-year-old doing these things for the first time,” Roopnarine said. “But the beauty of having on-campus jobs [is] they were very flexible with my schedule and worked around my course load, which is the only way that I could have successfully pulled it off.”
But despite the busy schedule, these experiences helped shape her post-secondary journey. Megan said that through IGNITE, she built friendships, developed skills and, ultimately, found a community she could call home.
“It was a safe space for me to grow professionally,” Roopnarine said. “You be yourself, find friendships and develop your career in so many different ways that you simply just can’t do in another place.”
Embracing leadership
While working as a promotions assistant, Megan watched the students serving on IGNITE’s executive team as vice presidents and presidents.
She often asked them about their experience, the initiatives they were working on and what it was like to be in a leadership role. Megan became friends with the vice president representing the UofGH and found herself asking more and more questions.
“She would be telling me stories about the work she was doing and I could literally feel the wheels turning in my brain,” Roopnarine said. “I was like, this is really interesting.”
But when she learned students had to run in an election for these roles, her immediate reaction was hesitation. “Oh God, no, never. I can’t do this,” she recalled.
Yet, the more she heard about the work they were doing, the more the idea stayed with her. Megan found herself talking about it with friends and even thinking about it before falling asleep at night.
“Maybe I could really make a difference and do things to help improve students’ lives,” Roopnarine said.
Once she decided to run, Megan threw herself fully into the campaign. She spent much of her spare time in the hallways at UofGH talking to students and encouraging them to vote. She even created a rap video for her campaign, putting herself out there in a way she never had before.
“That rap video worked in my favour because I would be walking around in the hallway and people would be singing it to me and I would sing it back to them,” Roopnarine said. “It was so embarrassing, but so effective.”
Impostor syndrome followed her throughout the campaign, but she pushed through and was ultimately elected vice president of UofGH.
Megan said she has continued to live by a quote ever since.
“Nothing life-changing happens inside of your comfort zone and you have to learn to be OK with being uncomfortable, because that’s where growth happens and that’s where change happens,” she said.
Megan worked alongside the rest of the executive team on a range of initiatives and events while also learning how to navigate corporate environments. She sat in meetings with higher-ups from Humber and UofGH and said she felt she was making a real difference for students.
After completing her term as vice president, Megan decided to run again in the next election and secured a seat on the IGNITE Board of Directors.
Her transition into the new role came right when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
“The last day on campus before the pandemic hit was the day they announced the Board of Directors winners,” Roopnarine said. “They announced that I had won and then security was like, ‘Get out of the school now because we’re officially on lockdown.’”
The conversations that once focused on on-campus events and clubs shifted toward how to better support students’ mental health, finances and access to resources during a time when everyone was suddenly at home.
Megan said her virtual term on the board was challenging to navigate, but it also played a role in her personal growth. She learned to navigate complex situations and help support students during an uncertain time.
Experiences that shaped her career
The mindset and skills Megan developed through her on-campus jobs have carried into her career today.
The former IGNITE student staff who first encouraged her to apply, Maya, is now her business partner.
Together, Megan and Maya are the co-founders of The Why Not Agency, a social media marketing agency focused on helping creatives, entrepreneurs and brands excel.
The two built confidence and experience for years during their time at post-secondary. With a lot of planning, intention and plenty of passion, they decided to start their own business.
Megan said they often heard the usual horror stories about starting a business with your best friend, but their experience has been the opposite.
“I think working together at IGNITE and being with each other almost every day, her and I just work so well together and we always have for so long,” Roopnarine said. “I think in realizing that we had the same goals and the same visions, starting a business together just felt right.”
Her advice to students is to bet on yourself.
“University and college are the best times to explore yourself,” Roopnarine said. “The only way you are going to know what you like and don’t like is if you try it.”
“The only way to figure it out is to put yourself out there. Trust yourself and bet on yourself to do new things, your future self will thank you.”
Bet on yourself
On-campus jobs can, for the most part, feel like temporary roles that don’t carry much importance. Because, after all, what’s the point of singing during a job interview, right?
But these experiences can have a lasting impact. Megan is a clear example of how stepping outside your comfort zone and fully embracing your campus experience can lead to big opportunities.
Sometimes, all it takes is taking a chance on yourself.
Feature image courtesy of Megan Roopnarine.
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