January Jumpstart

The January Jumpstart Initiative provided me with opportunities to learn from and engage with an incredible collection of speakers and special guests. From philosophical conversations on Liberalism with Francis Fukayama to creativity sessions with Juno award-winning artists, my brain was in a constant state of fascination and interest.  My favourite session included an opportunity to engage with Ontario’s Minister of Education, which provided a glimpse behind the scenes into the political arm of government. The collection of opportunities offered to students during January Jumpstart should serve as a recipe for other University of Toronto departments that are interested in providing students with a breadth of opportunities relevant to their discipline. There has truly never been anything like this initiative.

- Giancarlo Da-Ré, MGA

I really enjoyed the field trip at the end of the second week. I was on the trip to the Aga Khan Museum and I found it immensely valuable to see how the skills we were learning about in the program could be applicable to that kind of work. It opened my eyes to a range of jobs and career options that I previously hadn't considered.

In a similar sort of vein, I enjoyed the Master Classes given by guest lecturers from whom we would not typically hear in our classes (particularly the one with David Myles). Again, it was an opportunity to make connections between what we were leaning in the program and a broader community - and a reminder to not take ourselves too seriously!

The timing of January Jumpstart worked well being before the start of the second semester. I appreciated the chance to have a week (or two) to gently ease back into the routine of school after the long December break. I say gently as there were no required readings or assignments that accompanied January Jumpstart. As well, having a dedicated period of time before the start of classes meant that we could give all (or most) of our attention to the Master Classes and the professional development sessions without having to sacrifice something else (as is sometimes the case during the year when trying to attend PD sessions while balancing school and other obligations).

- Chloë Harle, MGA

January Jumpstart was a great opportunity to dive into the next semester and be inspired by the collection of speakers. Munk gave us students the exciting opportunity to meet and engage with scholars that we had previously studied (such as political scientist Francis Fukuyama)! It was a great start to my last semester at the Munk School.

 

- Annabelle MacRae, MGA