Student Stories: It’s Not Just You

"Student Stories" are podcast episodes created and recorded by MRU students. In this particular episode, we delve into the practical aspects of student and community leadership, exploring its significance and discussing how active participation in a community can have positive effects on both physical and mental well-being.

Our theme song is by Seth Makes Music. 
This podcast is produced by Giulia Ortiz and supported by the Community Podcast Initiative.

 Resources:

Mount Royal University Wellness Services
Call: (403) 440-8877
https://www.mtroyal.ca/CampusServices/WellnessServices/

Stepping Up
mru.ca/steppingup
mru.ca/ddsv

Distress Centre (24 Hour Crisis Line)
Call or text: 403.266.4357
Instant chat: distresscentre.com

Access Mental Health
Call: 403.943.1500
Tollfree: 1.844.943.1500

Student Counselling Services
Call: 403.440.6362
Email: counselling@mtroyal.ca
Website: mru.ca/studentcounselling
Operating Hours: Monday- Friday from 9am- 4pm
Room: U216 Mount Royal University

SAMRU Reception (Z222)
Hours of Operation:
Monday to Friday, closed weekends
Spring - Summer 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Fall - Winter 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
(403) 440-6077

Transcript

Liv Taylor  0:06  

Welcome to the Live Well Podcast, hosted by the Healthy Campus Team of Wellness Services. My name is Liv Taylor, my pronouns are she/her and I'm a fourth year General Science student here at Mount Royal. I'm also a senior lead Peer Health Educator with the Healthy Campus Team. I wanted to acknowledge that we are on treaty seven land and we're excited that you guys are here with us today. The Live Well Podcast is a series focused on the voices and experiences of our students, staff and faculty here at MRU. We intend this series to be conversation based, informal and all about the experiences and insights of our Mount Royal Community. I am joined today by Gia Kasper and Sam Bailey to discuss the ins and outs of student leadership and community involvement. Thank you guys for joining me today. 

Sam Bailey  0:50  

Thank you for having us. 

Liv Taylor  0:50  

Firstly, Gia and Sam if you wouldn't mind introducing yourselves, your pronouns and your majors. 

Gia Kasper  0:56  

 So my name is Gia Kasper, I go by she/her I'm in my first year for my Social Work Degree and my second and a bit year at Mount Royal. And did you want our leadership? Oh, we can get into that later? No, no worries. Thank you. Yeah, Sam. 

Sam Bailey  1:11  

Yeah, my name is Sam Bailey. I'm in my fourth year of my Bachelor of Business Administration Program. It's like the longest thing I can say because I have a Major in General Management with a Specialization in Innovation Entrepreneurship. So quite a mouthful. 

Liv Taylor  1:24  

That is a mouthful, but that sounds exciting. Thank you both for sharing with us. So today we're going to talk about the realistic side of Student and Community Leadership, why it's important and how being involved in a community can positively impact both your physical and your mental health. So if you're listening, you might be wondering why the title of this podcast is called. It's Not Just You. And this stems from the idea that oftentimes students can feel disconnected from their campus community, they might feel unsure where to start on how to get involved, and they don't know how to balance their new roles and responsibilities as a student, while also being involved on campus. And if this sounds like something you've struggled with, it's not just you. So I'd like to start off by asking each of our guests what leadership and community involvement looks like in their own life. And we can start with Gia. 

Gia Kasper  2:10  

Yeah definitely. So leadership on campus I'm doing, I'm also a senior  lead with Peer Health Educators this year through Healthy Campus and last year I was a member, rather than a senior lead. Then this year, I also took on being on the executive board for the Golden Key Honor Society, and was asked to be on the committee for the Social Work advisory board for the social work department as they're their first year students, and then I'll progress with them through my years.

Liv Taylor  2:37  

 Wow, you have a lot going on this year. That's awesome. Yeah, Gia and I were on a team together last year for Peer Health. So we've definitely gotten to know each other well. And Sam, yeah. Did you want to talk about your your leadership involvement? I know you're involved in some stuff, just in the community as well? 

Sam Bailey  2:51  

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's a cool kind of contrast to Gia just because I was a student, I started in COVID. So I was like, not involved. I would, as soon as class was done, I would just turn my computer off. And that would be it. But recently, just I've got more involved in the innovation community and more involved just in campus and trying to join groups. And there's a couple of clubs, I'm interested in starting and just kind of getting more involved. So kind of having Gia, who's so involved in me, who's kind of at the start of that it's very intriguing to have kind of both perspectives here. 

Liv Taylor  3:20  

Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, it is, like you just said, it's really nice to have kind of all of us at different stages in our leadership and our journey at Mount Royal here. So I do want to start off getting into the topic just sharing some relevant NCHA statistics from a survey that was given to MRU students. So firstly, students spend nearly six and a half hours per week on average, using social media and or watching TV or streaming content. And also 78% of students find that career concerns caused the moderate or high distress. You two might be looking at me like, Well, why is that relevant at all? And I think that the statistics are important, because it really shows that like we have all experienced, people are stressed about their career, they are stressed about their future. And they have these nearly six and a half hours per week where they can address this stress and their concerns. And I think that the three of us are kind of in that journey of figuring out like, how can we best utilize our time to get the most out of our journey at Mount Royal, and to just become better people and contribute to our community overall. So actively getting involved and seeking out student leadership opportunities is a valuable component of the university experience, as you both know, and it allows for networking opportunities that can propel you in your future career. So my question for you is how has community engagement and student leadership positively impacted your life? And have you had any personal experiences that have aided you in your career decisions or development? It's a big question, but we can start with Sam if you want to discuss that. 

Sam Bailey  4:52  

Yeah, definitely. So I think I'm in a bit of a unique position just to go back to your statistic on social media use and all that kind of stuff. So I'm actually a YouTuber, but I don't have any social media on my phone. And so my my content is all about helping people live in line with who they wish to be. So it is a very positive content trying to really help you live in line I can, I can get more into what that means a little bit later. So finding that community in person is super huge, just so you can really like, connect with people and get to know people. And that's why the community unless you're looking to start as a content creators club, just because I can speak to kind of how lonely it is to record by yourself, be by yourself. And I feel like having that community and kind of being able to utilize all of the people on campus kind of use our skills together, we can really help propel each other forward despite how lonely it can be. With how many people can potentially see your content. It's a very weird dynamic.

Liv Taylor  5:50  

Yeah, no, I think that's awesome. And giving you the opportunity to be able to start a club about something you're passionate about. That's definitely something we can talk about later in the podcast, too. So far, do you feel like in some of your endeavors, whether it's been like off campus or on campus, do you feel like that's helped you kind of figure out where you want to go after you're finished at Mount Royal?

Sam Bailey  6:10  

What specifically?

Liv Taylor  6:11  

Just like your experience with leadership or student engagement or community engagement, like you said, you're involved in innovation and entrepreneurship, like what led you there?

Sam Bailey  6:21  

Yeah, I mean, I can go infinitely deep on the story. So when I was in high school, I always felt extremely lost. I was trying to be someone I wasn't. And so I left high school, I went traveling to Australia. And turns out, I wasn't a huge fan of traveling. So I came home early, I was excited to just get all these jobs going. And so I applied to like eight different bartending places in Cochrane, Alberta. And none of them, none of them responded, if you've ever seen me, I look like I'm 15. And when I was 19, I looked like I was like, 12. So no one, no one responded. And my mom actually said to me, like, you can use this opportunity to really invest in yourself. And so when I was in Brisbane, right before we flew home, I had gotten a book called Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. It's the story of Nike and a book, very fitting called How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price. And so I just fell in love with the process of of reading and kind of personal development, and then from there, I just, one of my mentors is like, "Hey, like, why don't you show the behind the scenes if you want to become a self help author." And so I started my YouTube channel. This was about a year and a half ago in November of 2021. And from there, I just really fell in love with the process of YouTube, and then I was like, I want to combine video with writing. So why don't I go and pursue a career in movies, I want to work with Pixar. Turns out that wasn't for me, but it's kind of kept showing up over and over. And one of my mentors, his name's Ken Larsen, I just connected with him through LinkedIn, he went to grad school with my dad. And he was like, I think you'd be great with like coaching high school students, and all that kind of stuff, we realized I need a little bit more experience for that. But it's led me into a career of public speaking and YouTube. And so it's just very valuable. Just you never know, one of the things my mom has always said to me is you can't connect the dots going forward, only going back, and I feel like that's very relevant in just finding your community and looking at the position you're at in life. And that's kind of the quick overview of how I've gotten to where I am now.

Liv Taylor  8:15  

Yeah, and I love that I love your focus on like, the personal development aspect of this because student leadership, and Gia knows this as well. It's not necessarily just about getting involved in your community. It's also about becoming someone who you're proud of, someone who you feel like is a leader. And that takes a lot of personal investment, like you're talking about. And similarly, for you Gia, I was wondering kind of what brought you to where you are today? How have you gotten involved in student leadership? And how has that kind of shaped your career aspirations? Because I know, even the person that I met for you, like a year ago is so different from the person sitting in front of me today. 

Gia Kasper  8:53  

Okay, so yeah, it is twofold for me, one was as a mature student wanting to get involved in campus and connect with peers I might not otherwise connect with. And then the other part was, I have graduate plans after MRU, and recognizing that being involved on campus is beneficial for those graduate plans. And for all the resume things that I'm sure many students are aware of. So how it's benefited me personally, was that first event that we did for pure health, I did not want to go, I was like, Oh, I love talking to people. But when you're suddenly the face of something, even, you know, not necessarily Well, when we did own it, you know. And it was a huh, this is a big step. I've done public speaking before, but Mount Royal is a small campus and it's not, you know, 500 people, we are kind of just a face in the crowd. Instead, it's the 50 people walking that way and then the 50 people walking that way. And so stepping out of like, okay, I recognize that this is going to be uncomfortable, and it's a great opportunity, and then it got easier and easier, and our team, you know, got more congruent and we got more connected with each other. And so it just became a lot of fun. And so personally, you know, friendships and getting to know people outside of my programs and outside of my classes, and getting, feeling like I was part of the campus and part of providing something to the student body was just really self satisfying. And then yeah, like I mentioned the the graduate aspect of well, how can I do something that satisfies what I'm up to, which is, you know, in my own career, being involved in helping people get healthier. And so it meshed what I'm personally passionate passionate about, about, and with what my career focuses.

Liv Taylor  10:39  

Yeah, no, and I really, I love what you touched on there in the sense that it isn't always innate or like natural to get into student leadership, it doesn't always feel like something right away, even with community involvement that like, you feel comfortable doing it. And I felt the same way, which is hilarious because I was the student lead in that situation, and I also went into that event thinking like, I have no idea what I'm doing, like, I don't, who am I to lead anybody to do anything? And so it wasn't just you. And it's actually so interesting that you say that, because I had no, no clue, like you seemed like a natural, so that kind of lets me touch on my next topic here where I wanted to ask both of you, have you ever had any struggles? Or what is your biggest struggle with student leadership or community involvement? And that's kind of like a big overarching question. But just for example, I would say, one of my biggest struggles is like Imposter Syndrome. Sometimes I feel like I'm a student leader in so many different capacities here on campus and off campus,and I don't always feel necessarily like a student leader. And that can kind of get in your head sometimes, if you're thinking to yourself, like, you know, like I just said, Who am I to be leading all these things and doing this and having to ground myself in the idea that I'm just learning. We're all just learning by that's just one of my struggles, and I was wondering, yeah, Gia, did you have any any specific struggles? I know, you've just taken on a bunch of new leadership roles, too. So? 

Gia Kasper  12:05  

Yeah, so specific struggles is certainly the timing, you know, I worked three slash four jobs. One is for myself at my home. So. And I recently chose to let one of my jobs go, which was a leadership job, and I recognized that it wasn't really in alignment with where I want it to go. And so looking at my timing, what I had left in my week, and going, what, what can give so that I can still do well in school, so I can still take on what I really want to take on and where I really want to be involved, even if it means letting go of something that really, I really enjoyed and I got a lot from but it just wasn't quite in alignment. So there was a bit of a pros and cons and assessing the things that I was committing my time to. And then the other one was supportive people, you know, really, and on a personal note, having a relationship that didn't support me being involved, especially last year, and so feeling a little bit limited and what, where I could give my energy, whereas this year looking newly and going, Okay, well, I have this opportunity. So who do I want to be? And where can I take on those opportunities to start stepping into that? So rather than going, I know who I am, and like, I'm this leader, and I'm gonna do these things, it's like, oh okay, this is really big for me. And this would really progress me to becoming who I want to become. 

Liv Taylor  13:27  

Yeah. And I really, I really love how you were talking about kind of the personal aspect there, and the not just time management, but like responsibility and priority management and deciding, like, is everything that I'm doing right now serving me and helping me grow into the person I want to become? And I know, Sam, you were talking about that same idea earlier, like the personal development side, living in line with who you want to be? And did you feel like, Gia, the strategies? You said cons and pros cons list? Did you feel like that was kind of your strategy to overcoming that? Are you still kind of working on that right now?

Gia Kasper  14:03  

That's when I always go back to and it's not, you know, a written out, these are the pros, and these are the cons, and while that can be extremely effective, but also discussing with people whose opinions I valued in like, okay, so if this is where I want to go, what do you see as being beneficial and getting some other input and some of the decisions that I was making, just because my view on what I thought was important wasn't necessarily all the views that there were. 

Liv Taylor  14:27  

Well, thank you for sharing that. Yeah. I really appreciate your insight there. And similar for you, Sam, have you encountered any struggles kind of you said that you're, you almost feel like you're at the beginning of your journey of getting involved in the community. But have you faced any struggles in terms of that aspect? And have you had any strategies you've used to address those.

Sam Bailey  14:45  

100% So I just think back to you know, I seem very outgoing when you meet me, but I'm actually quite introverted and quite introspective and like to be with myself. But what I've learned just sitting here today is I don't necessarily know if that's introversion, as much as it is just kind of my past self manifesting itself in the present. So what I mean by that is in high school, I was always trying to be someone I wasn't to fit in with the group, and I could just never really be myself. And I lost myself in the process. And so when I go out to these events, I often feel like I need to be someone who I, who I, who I should be to fit in. But what I've learned through this process is just being myself, will actually really help you attract other people who are like minded. And I've seen that over and over and over. And that's actually part of what I talked about, and how to live in line with who you wish should be, it sounds very, kind of out there,and like, what does that mean? Like, it's like, oh, I want to change the world, but like, how are you going to change the world. And so the framework I've come up with is called my idea. And so it's an acronym for Identity Direction, Execution and the thread between all of that is Authenticity. And so you kind of hear Authenticity, lots kind of being thrown around. And it seems like a buzzword, but to me, it's very foundational to me being who I am. And I feel like everyone, especially in university, high school, you are often trying to fit in, you don't want to be outcasted, and all that kind of stuff. But if you just be yourself, I promise you will find like minded people. And that's kind of been the biggest thing with going to these events is just by being myself with them. I'm really attracting people who are supposed to be in my life, and who can help me live in line with who I wish to be.

Liv Taylor  16:24  

Yeah, and I love that idea what you just touched on kind of like the social norming piece of through high school into the beginning of university not really knowing like, Is it normal to get involved in your community? Like is that something people are doing? And I definitely felt the exact same way contrary to who I am now, I never used to be like an organized group activities type of person, which is hilarious, because I think that's what I spent 90% of my week doing now. And like you were saying there, Sam, like, you don't necessarily know if, if what you're doing is right, or if you're putting out the right energy, and you want to attract people who are like minded, and that can be difficult in and of itself. And I know that there almost seems to be kind of like, no, I don't want to call it a trend, that's not the right word, but almost like a movement towards this, this health idea for students of what can I do to invest into the best version of myself, it's becoming more normalized to go to the gym, eat regular meals, get involved on campus. And I know, Gia, earlier, you had said that for our first peer health event, you did not really feel comfortable going. And I was wondering if you were willing to kind of expand more on that feeling and talk about maybe some other times where it didn't feel super comfortable getting involved, and you didn't feel like that was the normal thing to do.

Gia Kasper  17:45  

Looking at our first event, it was just right before leaving my house going, Okay, I'm going to be talking to students, trying to get students to talk to me, trying to educate students. So there was this sense of like, what if, like, what are they gonna think of me? You know, that's always what's there. It's like, what, what are people gonna think of me? What if I see these students again, in class, you know, and, but as soon as we stepped into it, and started that was that was what was there before, and that feeling before and sure, a little bit into the event. And then as soon as we started doing it, you know, it just became well, connecting with people, there wasn't this, like that preconceived idea, I had that there'd be judgment, or, you know, uncomfortable. And sure, some students walked by without even acknowledging us. But as soon as we were doing the event, and inside of the work that we had set up, it just became so much easier. And so recognizing that the fears that I had beforehand, were way greater than what actually showed up when we were doing the event. And I think that's true for so many things. When we look at taking an initiative or doing something new or, you know, stepping into a new position, it's like, what's it gonna be like and that wondering is usually catastrophizing or all or nothing and magnifying it so much worse than when we actually step in and start doing it. And that can be the biggest threshold across is like, just take that step, like just start doing it, and then it gets easier and easier, like we experienced throughout last year. And then this year, I took on senior lead by choice, and yeah, it's easier and easier every time. Another experience that I'm having it currently is being on the Advisory Committee for Social Work Department and sitting on an advisory committee with the social work dean and a bunch of the faculty and some community members at a third, second, third and fourth year student all of whom have more experienced than me. And here I am sitting there like I am way out of my depth like what do I know to you know, two months into my actual social work courses, even though I have some experience at Mount Royal already going, what can I bring to this? Like, how can I, Yeah, 100% accommodate and that, then giving myself that space. And I think a big part of these experiences where we're feeling unsure of ourselves, for me anyway, is that reflecting after, you know, in the moment, it's never going to be perfect. It's never going to be what we planned. But then afterwards going, what was I feeling? And how can I reflect on that and giving myself the space of wow, I am just a first year in social work, I don't need to bring that much to the table. There's that expectation isn't on me. And it's not on me to do it perfectly. And so, yeah, just afterwards, going, Hmm, how can I then step into this next meeting, either more prepared, or maybe I don't need to be, you know, in this regard, I'm simply bringing my experience and my knowledge to the table. But certainly, for some other events, we always debriefed after, and even for our own initiatives, I think it's an important stablish to just debrief and go, maybe what didn't work as well as I wanted it to, and how can I then take on that little bit of personal development, that growth and try something different next time, that'll have it work a bit better. And then we, I think that really allows us to savor those moments where we do grow. 

Liv Taylor  21:00  

Yeah, and I love how you were just talking about like, you don't need to show up and be perfect like this, getting involved on campus, in your community, in student leadership, it's going to be a lot of growing pains that are involved with that. And honestly, I almost wish that there had been times where when I was feeling uncomfortable, I shared that with you guys as my team. Because now hearing that you might have been feeling that way, it would have been an awesome opportunity for me to be like, I'm also feeling this way. Like, it's not just you, coincidentally. And so I really love that you shared that and your vulnerability there. Because it's it's not perfect. Being authentic is not to be perfect, you might show up, and there might be days where especially if you're new in your journey to student leadership, where you don't feel like a student leader every single day, sometimes you feel like you can't even get out of bed, but it isn't just you that feels that way. And it's important to just show up kind of regardless and be okay with not necessarily bringing the most to the table, but just being proud of bringing anything to the table at all. And so similarly for you, Sam, did you experience anything like that, like Gia was just talking about, like growing pains, kind of that initial sense of uncertainty and getting involved in student leadership? 

Sam Bailey  22:16  

100%. But I feel like a paradox. And you touched on just kind of the fear of judgment that people have a view, I really feel like, if you're acting true and authentic to what you know, is right to you, then it doesn't even matter what other people think because you you're doing what you know, is right for you. And so a paradox, I often think about, and it sounds negative at first, but I promise it's extremely positive, is that "No one cares about you as much as you think. But you have a far greater impact than you could ever imagine." And so what that means is basically, like no one is thinking about you as much as they're thinking about themselves. But like, if I post a YouTube video, and someone watches it, and it causes positive change in their life, I will never see that impact. But knowing that we all have such a deep impact, it can really help us live in line with who we wish to be, especially if we know it's helping other people do that as well. And so that's why the line of work I've chosen as a public speaker, student, YouTuber, eventually a coach, all that kind of stuff, it's very relevant to this, my only objective is to help people be themselves. And I first need to become myself, which is what this the past five years since high school has really proven to me. And so I do fear judgment every time I upload, but I just do it anyways, I just show up over and over and over, because deep down, I know I'm doing the right things. And if you just really do the things that you know, are right for you, then you can't go wrong, like you'll live a great life. And I feel like they're, you're gonna be anxious, you're gonna have days when you're just not feeling it. But if you just show up anyways, and those are the days that give you even more momentum.

Liv Taylor  23:51  

Yeah, and I really find it interesting how you said that kind of this this last five years since high school has been that transitionary period of finding out like who you are and who you want to be and what that means in the context of your life and how you impact other people's lives. And it actually reminded me of this thing my professor once told me, for those of you listening, who might be wondering, like, I'm just here, I'm going to university, like can't I just go to university and can't that just be enough? And if that's how you're feeling, I totally hear you. But like Sam just said, these years, these, whether it's four years, five years, six years that you're at university, it's a transitionary period, and one of my professors once told me that university is more than just coming here showing up going to class and getting the grade. You come to university to not only become a more interesting person, but also to become a more interested person. And that's being interested in your life in your community and what happens to the people around you, just like both of you were saying that, that idea of becoming a person who really cares about the people around you and freeing yourself of that fear of like, well, what do other people think of me and what if other people think this is kind of weird, that's like so honest and authentic to what student leadership is like and, and the difficulties that you face when you're becoming a student leader. And I really appreciate how vulnerable both of you have been in sharing the reality of that and, and the joys that come along with it. So with that being said, I do want to try to provide some resources for listeners just in terms of whether they're starting in student leadership, or they want to get started in student leadership and the support that MRU has to offer on campus for that journey. So personally, for myself, early in my student leadership journey, I think I had started to take on a little too many things. And I started to fall behind in some of my courses. And I was feeling really overwhelmed. And actually went to one of my professors at the time. And they had said, like, hey, like, you didn't do so great on this quiz, like what's going on? That's not really like you. And I was just honest with my professor and said, like, I have way too many things going on right now. And they actually referred me to early support. So for those of you who don't know, you can walk along the main street, and you'll see the chalkboard that say early support and early intervention. And it's really a great resource for students to go to, if they're looking for just that initial help in their academics in their university experience, they have a lot to offer for you in terms of just focusing on your courses, getting your grades up. And not only that, but just living as a well rounded person and making sure that you're getting the support you need in all areas. So yeah, I really benefited from early support. And I was wondering if either of you kind of had any resources you've accessed that have helped you in this journey of yours? 

Gia Kasper  26:41  

Yeah, absolutely. So I've used a couple here on campus, one that I use frequently is through Access and Inclusion. And if you have access to Access and Inclusion to accommodations, they are an absolutely fantastic resource to stay on top of the schooling because I know for students, that's typically the most important part of being at university is getting their schooling and usually doing it well. And the academic strategists that they have the technology that's available. And so for any students who are, do use Access and Inclusions, I highly recommend reaching out to the technology people, and finding out what resources they can make available to you, depending on your accommodation. Otherwise, if you're not part of Access and Inclusion, the Student Learning Services here in the library, on the second floor, they have so many different supports, whether you're looking for your citation, your let's re..., find out where to research, I had a 15 page paper to write in my very first semester. And so it was okay, how do I fill 15 pages with information? I have no idea where to start and using those resources. One at gate helped me realize how to think in those processes. Okay, so now moving forward for another 50 page paper. I got this information, and I can apply it. But also that it makes me a resource for other students. 

Liv Taylor  28:13  

Yes. Yeah. That's so true. Yeah, the Peer Health Educator in you is shining love that. And Sam, similar for you any resources on campus, you have access, 

Sam Bailey  28:23  

I think one we all have access to, but very few actually take advantage of it's like, office hours with your professors like they want to help you, they are there when you go, it's not an inconvenience on their time, they actually get a lot of joy out of teaching you and helping you succeed. So that's one example. The second example it's actually comes in the form of a story for me. So I was in a group project in Creativity for Entrepreneur Practice. And it was a time in my life where I was kind of going through it kind of having a tougher time. And this one individual in my class was just like, hey, do you want to be friends? Like, being that upfront and honest, is kind of I was like, sure, yeah, that's great, just kind of being that person for other people being willing to kind of be a resource to other people. And so her and I were in this group project together, and she ended up being heavily involved in the innovation and entrepreneurship community. And so on the third floor of the business building, there's a room called slate. And it is where like, kind of the hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. So I feel like with university, it often gets lumped into, you know, you go to university if you want to work nine to five, but that couldn't be further from the truth. And I learned that through this community. And so they have something called Launchpad. And they have innovation sprints. And so Launchpad is kind of an event where you can go and you can take your venture idea, your idea, and then you can kind of try to pitch this to a team of judges. And then there's actually like up to 25,000, it might be 50,000 this year, and cash prizes that can help kind of get your venture off the ground. So that's one example of many, but yeah, utilizing your professors for their expertise as well as getting involved in, in any community really is very powerful.

Liv Taylor

Yeah, and that financial side of it too, in student leadership there's definitely, when you're taking time every week to volunteer get involved in the community, the truth is, is that you might be losing revenue or finances somewhere else in your life. Like for me, I take a lot of time off work just in general to go to volunteer events. And I've really utilized the SAMRU Awards. If you don't know about that, I think it's something crazy, like $50,000 in Student Awards, like goes unclaimed every year, and don't quote me on that. But there are so many students that do not apply for the SAMRU Awards. And if you're an MRU student, you're automatically eligible. There are so many awards from like academic to community involvement, and they would love to give them to you, they would love to help students get involved in their community and having the financial freedom to do so. And similarly, if you're in a situation where you can't necessarily wait for award season, and you're struggling financially, now, there is emergency bursaries that are offered by Mount Royal, you can find them on your My MRU, under the Finances tab. But that's always a great resource to turn to where you can get immediate help if you're struggling financially. And as always wellness services as well, I know all of us know about that, I think it's room  U216. If you're struggling with your mental health, whether you're a student leader or not, and you're listening to this, there are so many people on this campus who want to help you, the three of us sitting here talking included, but the people at Wellness Services are awesome. I've had a therapy appointment there myself and I had a really good experience. So student leadership can be tough, getting involved in your community can be tough, but there's so many joys to it, and so many resources that are available. And yeah, I really appreciated having both of you here with me today, talking about the ins and outs of Student Leadership and Community Engagement. And is there anything else you want to say before we call it off here?

Sam Bailey  1:57  

Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you for having us. I think this is such a powerful thing to kind of expand your reach with the podcast and all that sort of thing. So I don't know if you're gonna see me in the thumbnail, my face or anything. But if you genuinely ever need any help with living in line with who you wish to be, or you want to learn more, you want to potentially join the Content Creators Club, which I think I'm going to start, definitely hit me up. I'm more than willing to have a conversation and to help you out however you need. So thank you so much to everyone who's running this podcast, and I'm just very grateful to have been invited on.

Liv Taylor  2:29  

Thank you so much, Sam. I appreciate that a lot. And thank you to Gia. You've been listening to the Live Well Podcast. Thanks for tuning in. For resources, feel free to check out the link in the episode bio or you can call the distress center which is a 24 hour crisis line at 432664357. The Live Well Podcast is run by the Healthy Campus Team at Mount Royal University. You can find us online at livewell.buzzsprout.com. We're also available on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to your podcast. Thanks to artists Scott Homes for our theme the song is called Feeling Sunny. I am Liv Taylor and thank you so much for listening.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai