Making a difference through volunteer work

Donna Cheung, Aerospace Engineering '06, has 15 years of experience building teams and developing new products for the aerospace industry. Some projects she has worked on include launching a new aircraft with interiors from the market-leading business jet, Bombardier’s Global 7500, as well as replacing every cup holder coaster with an eco-friendly rubber version. Earlier this year, Donna joined CAE as a Digital Product Strategist. The Canadian company manufactures simulation technologies, modelling technologies and training services to airlines, aircraft manufacturers, healthcare specialists, and defence customers. In addition to working, Donna has been volunteering with Toronto Metropolitan University's Tri-Mentoring Program for the past three years. She is a career mentor for engineering students, providing guidance, motivation and support to mentees. In this role, Donna also helps students identify strengths and weaknesses, set career goals, and navigate the job hunt.

What inspired you to begin volunteering with engineering students?

As I started working, I had numerous opportunities to hire and manage engineering interns. With training interns, I found training goes beyond the hard skills and aviation knowledge learned on the job but the soft skills required to work in large engineering teams like leadership, collaboration, stakeholder management, etc. In mentoring interns, I found that I love building teams and helping people grow into the leader they are meant to be, in addition to developing new products. Working with the Toronto Metropolitan University Tri-Mentoring program allows me to share this passion with the place it all started. It also allows me to build relationships with students to help them navigate their career just as it is getting started and share some of the lessons they would have learned in their first jobs.

How important is it for alumni to get involved with programs like TMP? 

All alumni should get involved with programs like TMP because it benefits everyone involved. It is an opportunity to give back, and it's an excellent opportunity to influence the future generation of leaders. It is a great learning opportunity for the mentor as well. It gives professionals like me first-hand experience of how new grads are being prepared for their first jobs, allowing me to adapt how to engage with today's recent grads. Volunteering has allowed me to stay connected to the community that helped me grow into the professional I am today. To contribute to the Toronto Metropolitan University community while not being in the same city has kept me connected even after I graduated.

Do you have any personal experiences with mentors or mentorship programs? How has it shaped your views about volunteering in this way?

When I was a student at Toronto Metropolitan University, I participated in the Women In Engineering mentoring program, where I was connected with women working as engineers in the industry. They had an amazing impact on me as they shared the lessons they learned over their careers, many still relevant today. As a working professional, I've also had many opportunities with mentors and mentees, both formal and informal. In many instances, there has been a common thread between them. The mentorship relationship is a mutual one. It is essential to maintain transparency, openness and willingness to learn for both the mentor and mentee. This is a philosophy I used with the mentees I mentor today.

Amorell Saunders N'Daw, Journalism ’88, is a communications professional with more than three decades of experience. Since graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University, she has held positions in government and public relations agencies. She has also worked in post-secondary institutions, and today, she is a Partner at Knightsbridge Robertson Surrette (KBRS), a national recruitment firm. Amorell is also the firm's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead, guiding how to embed principles of EDI in the recruitment process. In addition, Amorell has served on numerous boards and committees and is often sought after by organizations for public speaking engagements, facilitating training sessions, and providing advice on equity-related issues.

Most recently, Amorell served on Toronto Metropolitan University's Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force with 13 other members over nine months. The group was tasked with developing principles to guide commemoration at the university and to respond to the history and legacy of Egerton Ryerson within the context of the university's values. Their work culminated in a final report which consisted of 22 recommendations, including renaming the university. 

In August 2021, the university announced that it would begin a renaming process to address the legacy of Egerton Ryerson for a more inclusive future. Learn more about the university's next chapter.

Why was it important for you, as an alumna of the university, to be part of the Standing Strong (Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win) Task Force?

I was very honoured to be asked to participate in the Task Force. I am always looking for ways to engage with the university, and I couldn't have thought of a more meaningful opportunity. I learned and unlearned so much, and I honestly feel that my experience was life-changing. The process was so intentionally inclusive, and I admired how Task Force members showed so much care and respect for each other's opinions. It wasn't easy work. It was challenging, necessary, important work and to participate as an alumna was extremely satisfying.

What motivates you to volunteer your time?

I feel incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from a strong experiential education at Toronto Metropolitan University. As a result, I have been able to be gainfully employed for more than 30 years. Volunteering is a way of showing my gratitude and being an engaged citizen. I wholeheartedly recommend volunteering with the university. Over the years, I have found it highly satisfying. You have the opportunity to stay connected, to forge new relations; it's great for networking, and you can help influence change.

What inspires you to find the time to give back to the university (and other causes)? 

It’s important to find time to give back to causes/issues/institutions that one cares about. I’m a lifelong learner, and so I pursue different types of opportunities to learn and grow. I find that volunteering provides the reciprocity I’m looking for in terms of giving back and gaining new experiences, perspectives and relationships at the same time. People make time for what’s important to them, and I encourage people to find their passion of purpose and pursue that in all aspects of their lives.

Gabriel Weekes, Public Policy and Administration (MA) ’20, is a policy analyst for the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA). Before this, he worked as a research analyst for Ontario's Ministry of Infrastructure. Gabriel was inspired to work in policy and governance after spending two years teaching in Turkey and seeing how people's lives can be impacted by how they are governed. Eventually, he enrolled in Toronto Metropolitan University's Masters of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). He found the blend of research, writing, communication, and consultation and the knowledge that the work focuses on identifying the best answers for problems faced by a society deeply satisfying. In addition to his work as a policy analyst, Gabriel serves as the Toronto Metropolitan University Public Policy and Administration Alumni Association (RUPPAAA) president. In this role, he chairs executive committee meetings, oversees initiative planning and operation, attends events hosted by the program, and acts as the primary point of contact between the Public Policy and Administration program and its alumni network.

Why did you choose to get involved with the RUPPAAA?

The MPPA is a wonderful program. As a one-year degree for full-time students, it goes by incredibly fast. There are so many opportunities that it's impossible to take advantage of them all, and even doing just a few can be exhausting when combined with academics and everything else students have happening in their lives. RUPPAAA helps students navigate the program and its opportunities by connecting them with alumni who have experienced it already. It also serves to connect alumni after graduation. All of this helps strengthen relationships and professional networks. Working with the public policy and administration alumni association was a perfect opportunity to help current students in the program, just as RUPPAAA had helped me. It also provides a front-row seat to appreciate the extraordinary accomplishments of the alumni community.

Can you share some of the benefits of volunteering you've experienced?

I can't speak for other programs, but the most incredible benefits of volunteering for RUPPAAA so far are the sense of connection and opportunities for learning. I work with an incredibly dedicated executive committee that enables RUPPAAA to carry out its mandate. In addition to myself, this committee includes Summer Alkarmi, VP Communications; Mahsa Aghamiri, VP Operations; Ken Dunning, VP Finance; and Vanessa Simoes and Mireille Dube, our MPPA student representatives. Every member is working hard to move their careers forward and manage their busy lives, but they still make time to help others achieve their goals. Their skill and drive make the RUPPAAA executive committee a joy to work with.

Between getting the chance to work with brilliant colleagues and support important causes, volunteering can be a deeply rewarding experience. Just as with paid work, if you're able to find something you care about and/or enjoy doing, even volunteering that requires more significant time or effort won't feel like as much of a burden. I highly encourage my fellow alumni to consider volunteer opportunities that fit those criteria.

Do you volunteer with any other causes or organizations?

Aside from RUPPAAA, my current major volunteer time commitment is supporting the United Way fundraising campaign in my workplace. As a member of the campaign committee, I've had the privilege of working with people across the organization, most of whom I had not known previously, to raise funds for local communities and strengthen connections with colleagues at the same time. This is especially important during COVID-19 when work-from-home arrangements prevent casual hallway encounters and cubicle neighbourhoods. Recently, over 50 participants and volunteers came together for the 5km CEO Walk/Run\. For all of us hired since February 2020, it was the first time seeing anyone in person, as it was for many long-time colleagues who were seeing each other for the first time since the pandemic's start. It was a wonderful experience.