True Learning
Stephanie Lorentz shows how engagement enables Telfer School students to get the most out of academic life.
stephanie lorentz
True Learning
Learning is much more than going to classes, writing exams and getting a degree. True learning in the context of the Telfer School also involves taking advantage of extra-curricular opportunities that make you a better businessperson. Joining a club, being a teaching assistant, participating in a case competition, spending a semester as a co-op employee—all these activities outside the classroom are essential parts of a full learning experience. They’re also how I define engagement. The Telfer School does a wonderful job in making these engagement opportunities available to students. It does so by providing resources to support a range of extra-curricular opportunities and by ensuring professors are available to coach and advise students as students take advantage of them. Just as importantly, the school enables students to engage for themselves, giving them lots of leeway to set up events and then recruit sponsors and partners to be part of them.
I’m a perfect example of my school’s emphasis on engagement. In addition to being a third-year student, I serve as president of the Telfer Students Council. I’ve also participated in many competitions. And I’ve benefited from a term of co-op employment that led directly to my current job as a marketing manager at a local start-up. I’ve been able to engage so actively because of the scholarships I’ve received. The generosity of Telfer School alumni and partners has made it possible for me to take advantage of extra-curricular opportunities, which have enabled me to meet people, build my network and grow as a businessperson. Working part-time the past three years to pay for tuition and books, I simply wouldn’t have had the time and energy to do so. Scholarships have given me the means to engage with peers, professors and executives, and to experience true learning. I’m a better person and businessperson for it.
