Recently, St. Mike’s student Camila Justino heard a lecturer advise students not to “leave part of yourself at the door,” urging them to engage in as many opportunities and experiences as possible. As a mother and a mature student balancing family life and school with forging a new life in Canada, the message resonated with her.
When Justino saw an ad for the Dean for a Day just days later, she sat down and wrote an application essay, outlining some of the issues she would tackle if she were Dean. Her words were convincing, as she won the opportunity to trade places for a day with Prof. Melanie Woodin, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, and get an inside look at the world of administration at the University of Toronto.
“I think one of the things that set apart my 500-word essay for the contest is my constant curiosity and questions about the ways we live,” Justino explains. “The main suggestion I had also came from a place of anguish in an expensive city, with increasing rates of homelessness and unemployment. It can be difficult to transition from being an undergraduate to becoming a professional able to pay all the basic expenses. My essay questioned the pressure we students might face and asked U of T to have a career centre that considers the unique circumstances of underrepresented groups of students.”
The Dean for a Day experience began at Woodin’s office in Sidney Smith Hall on St. George St., where Justino also met some of the Dean’s staff who briefed her on her agenda. Then she was whisked off to the Experiential Learning Commons (ELC), a place she deemed “fascinating” for its work on everything from hosting career workshops on topics such as interviewing through to connecting students with potential employers.
From there it was over to Simcoe Hall to meet with Prof. Sandy Welsh, Vice-Provost, Students, and then a short walk to meet with Hart House Warden David Kim.
Finally, it was back to Sid Smith for some office time, followed by a meeting with the Arts & Science Student Union (ASSU) executive in the Dean’s conference room.
When asked to describe a high point of the day, Justino laughed and said, “All of it!” She followed up, though, but stressing how meaningful it was for her to encounter women in senior administration.
However, the most inspiring part of the day, she says, was participating in the final meeting with the ASSU, which organized the contest with the Dean’s office to raise funds for food banks on campus.
“Watching the union of students ask to lower the fees of deferred exams and their willingness to defend rights for students and make important changes definitely made me proud of being a student,” Justino says.
Camila, a Book & Media Studies major with minors in Celtic Studies and Mediaeval Studies, is poised to graduate this spring. As she ponders whether to move on to graduate school or seek a career based on her gift for writing (she earned an earlier degree in literature before emigrating from her native Brazil) she says it was “inspiring to see women taking the lead.” She was particularly impressed, she notes, by Woodin’s status as a scientist.
As Justino familiarized herself with the western side of the U of T campus, Dean Woodin’s time at St. Mike’s included a visit to the Pontifical Institute for Medieval Studies, the John M. Kelly Library, and a brief stop in Odette Hall to say hello to St. Mike’s Principal, Irene Morra.
“The Dean for a Day fundraiser has become one of the highlights of my year,” says Woodin. “I really enjoyed switching places with Camila and connecting with the students, faculty, and staff of St. Michael’s College, while she filled in for me and provided our team with invaluable insights and perspectives about the student experience. This day truly brought back fond memories of my time as an undergraduate student at U of T.”
As the academic year draws to a close, Justino is looking forward to her next moves while expressing her affection for her soon-to-be alma mater.
“University opened the door for me (in Canada), including helping me to learn English,” she says. “I got great support from the Kelly Library and have special affection for Kelly. St. Mike’s is my home.”