ZON 100 Student Testimonials

"The value was the people in the course working with people who are working on their own project is inspiring and really motivated me to work on my project. My personal takeaway was the confidence it builds when you work on a project for the first time, as it feels like you are not alone. It has surpassed my expectations of what I thought I would gain from this course."

Ikjot, Second-Year

"The value of this course has been immense. I don’t think I would have gotten this far and developed my project to this degree without the support and encouragement of my instructor, squad session leader, and peers (many of whom I now call friends). Compared to my expectations, this course went further into the parts that helped make my project into what it is right now and what it will be moving forward. I never thought about how influential it would have been working in an environment surrounded by other creative individuals and having the ability to get their feedback and criticism."

Gurjot, Third-Year

"The biggest takeaway is that there are no bad ideas and everything can be seen through to completion with time. My project would not be where it is if it wasn't for the course. It would still be in the back burner, it would still be an idea, and it wouldn't exist at this point in time."

Jonathan, Third-Year

"There are many people who are much more successful and knowledgeable than me in this course, and they have much wisdom to share. I feel like this course is almost like a tailored networking and communications platform, which I think might be the main goal. This is exactly in line with what my expectations are for the course."

Bande, Third-Year

"I really loved that everyone was working on different things, it made the course so much more interesting and enjoyable. This taught me the importance of surrounding yourself with likeminded people because it will help motivate, inspire, and push you to become the best that you can be."

Benet, Third-Year

"I learnt a lot. Seeing everyone's passion project and presentations was very inspiring and opened my eyes to a more open perspective and to creative ideas. I believe the value of this course was to believe that we are capable of doing what we are most passionate about and all it takes is for us to believe in ourselves".

Mairah, Fourth-Year

"This course has given me a‬‭ sense‬‭ of‬ accomplishment‬‭ and‬‭ feasibility. I‬‭ had‬‭ the‬‭ opportunity‬‭ to‬‭ actually‬‭ act‬‭ on‬‭ my‬‭ passion‬ instead of letting it wane indefinitely. I did my best to apply myself.‬"

Léo, Third-Year

"It's an incredible course. I'm so grateful to have been able to experience it with my peers. I genuinely believe that everyone should take it, even if you don't have a very set passion project. The course is a place that you explore outward but more importantly, inward about who you are and what you want to be in life."

Rasika, Fourth-Year

"My takeaway is to not give up, and be proactive. Despite the many obstacles I had to face, I was still able to achieve certain goals I am satisfied with. I was able to set aside time to actually reflect and work towards my goals and be held accountable. It was everything that I expected and I am very grateful for the opportunity."

Dara, Second-Year

"The value of this course has been to hold myself accountable not only to my team member, Jason, but also to the class. The squad sessions are really great for gathering feedback and it makes me look forward to making progress to share with others. This course has gone above my expectations so far."

Murilo, Fifth-Year

"It's a very meaningful, valuable, and philosophical course. I found it very mind opening and very supportive. There's a lot of focus in being successful with yourself, with your values, and in taking time to consider what those values are."

Margot, First-Year

"This course shines when it comes to accountability and peer support. It’s motivating to work on your project when you’re surrounded by other people also working on theirs. Your peers can point you towards resources that are very helpful for you, not to mention supporting you through the highs and lows."

Aronno, Second-Year

"The biggest takeaway has been accountability. Regularly submitting assignments and participating in group discussions have kept me on track, ensuring that I set goals, reflect on progress, and take action. Having structured check-ins has pushed me to stay disciplined, make real progress on my startup, and continuously refine my approach."

Hameez, Third-Year

"The biggest take away for me was definitely the networking, the people that I met, making a bunch of new friends who are doing really cool things every day, and trying to break into their industries, as I am."

Parker, Second-Year

"I very much enjoyed my time in this course. I feel as though the semester went by before I could even fully utilize the resources this course has given me. It’s lived up to my expectations and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to be involved in it."

Allegra, Third-Year

"It was incredibly valuable in providing real-world experience in managing an e-commerce project from the ground up. I initially expected more theory, but the hands-on approach has allowed me to quickly adapt and learn through action. This has exceeded my expectations and given me very practical skills."

Nicola, Fourth-Year

"It's a great opportunity for creatives to succeed and meet other creatives. I am grateful I got to take this course and hold it to a high value. It exceeded my expectations, as I went into this course not really knowing what I wanted or my limits were, but I ended up being able to do more than I ever expected. I will be sharing this course with everyone I know."

Alexandra, Fourth-Year

"It completely met my expectations by providing a platform where I could focus on my project while earning academic credit. This arrangement addressed a crucial equity issue, allowing me to pursue my passions without compromising my academic progress. Additionally, the main value of the course stemmed from the community of like-minded individuals. Their collaboration and support were instrumental in developing my project."

Jason, Fourth-Year

"This course is about people. Do not think the world is out to get you and that there is not enough money in the world, yes there is just put yourself out there. Does not matter who you are or where you come from but you can. I didn’t think this class would be so supportive in that sense but it has been."

Thalia, Second-Year

"Throughout this course and the associated process, there are countless opportunities to learn and improve based on the course material but also the invaluable lessons provided by sharing a space with like-minded peers."

Majd, First-Year

"In addition to the skills that it taught me, this course prompted a lot of self-reflection. Each presentation allowed me to reconsider how I prioritize and deal with ethics, accountability, and other types of thinking. My passion project has greatly benefited from it. This course has become a catalyst for my own self-discovery."

Destiny, Third-Year

"I have many takeaways from this course, specifically the importance of starting and putting ideas out there without them being perfect or complete. This course forced me to put myself out there and do something outside my comfort zone."

Idil, Fouth-Year

"Having classmates and my squad as resources and support has been the greatest part of this course. I was expecting it to be more “go do your own thing with the remaining time," but I'm glad that I was placed in a group of like-minded peers."

Fatima, First-Year

"The main value I have learned from this course has been about collaboration and the importance of being open to new ideas even from people who are doing things you wouldn’t expect to be related to what you’re doing. It has also taught me the importance of being critical about myself and what it is I am really after. I’ve learned to recognize the difference between material success and true success which is happiness and the knowledge that I did all that I could."

Vincent, First-Year

"It has many people in the same boat as me and I can just ask for help since others might have been through it before. Also there are many like minded people which helps me know there’s a community instead of just doing it alone."

Minh, Second-Year

"I really appreciated the course in that I was able to network with many peers and share my passion with them."

Aiden, Fourth-Year

"I expected this course to open my eyes to new experiences in university. All of my required courses are very similar, so I wanted to take something to balance my semester. This course did exactly that, it allowed me to work on myself personally and not just my knowledge of maths and science materials. It allowed me to intentionally engage with important skills and to employ them in my project."

Patricia, First-Year

"It has given me the confidence to move forward with my ideas once I graduate, and do myself justice by putting in the work to make my ideas come into reality."

Max, Fourth-Year

"This course has been extremely useful to reflect on the lessons I've learned, not just in a critical way, but in a constructive way as well. It has been a driving motivator and has given me all these new perspectives to consider, which has been something I've really needed. To have time every week that is dedicated to working on my dream project is really inspiring and encouraging."

Jess, Third-Year

"This course has taught me that building a meaningful project requires balancing technical ambition with user-centered design. I have learned the value of consistent reflection, daily documentation, and making decisions based on real data instead of assumptions. The iterative approach encouraged by the course helped me stay flexible and open to unexpected insights. Compared to my expectations, the course is far more focused on personal growth, reflection, and mindful experimentation, and that has made the work more grounded and rewarding."

Syed, Second-Year

"I've learned the importance of sharing one's work. As someone who has been called a perfectionist, I understand the intent behind bottling everything up until you're ready to share. Being selective about who you shared it with is absolutely key, but regardless of how it's done, I believe it's one of they key takeaways from the course into my professional work, my creative pursuits, as well as my schooling."

Brennan, Fourth-Year

"In every class I learned something valuable to my growth as a person. However, the value of the course is the environment. It's very hard to come across any other course at TMU that curates this type of environment."

Jonny, Third-Year

"What you put into this course is what you get. If you want it to hold you accountable, it can do that. If you want to network with other creatives, it can do that. And if you want to get feedback for your project, you can most definitely do that."

Vivian, Third-Year

"This course has been extremely valuable to my student career as well as my professional growth. It is a course that allows students to take charge of their education by learning from each other’s experiences. The course was also extremely valuable because it equipped me with the knowledge of transferable skills I would need for my own project while also giving me the opportunity to practice these skills in a real-life setting."

Stephanie, Third-Year

"Takeaways have been the community that has come out of it, seeing how supportive people can be even if they’re basically strangers is really uplifting especially as an artist, where the main part of the work is knowing not everyone will like it, or want it. The course has definitely exceeded my expectations."

Shailyn, Fourth-Year

"I find it so valuable and I'm grateful for a structured way to work on my project."

Star, Fourth-Year

"My takeaway from this course is that it gives participants a refreshing taste of the real world. In most other classes there is a clear structure, clear goals, and milestones laid down by someone else. Outside school people need to do that for themselves. It's great to set your own goals and work towards them on your own terms."

James, Fourth-Year

"This course was highly valuable because it combined theoretical knowledge with hands-on project work, allowing us to apply skills in real-time. It exceeded my expectations by emphasizing practical application and fostering a mindset of resilience and innovation. The blend of creative freedom and structured learning made the experience both very enjoyable and transformative."

Alexis, Fifth-Year

"This course holds a deep value for me, as I was able to have a true, hands-on experience which pushed me to try new things that no other course would support. I applied theoretical concepts to real-world situations, enhancing my understanding of the music and fashion industries."

Jacob, Third-Year

"My primary takeaway from the course is how engaging and encouraging it is. I firmly believe that if it weren't for this course, my project would have never come to life, but since I always had someone pushing me and holding me accountable for my goals such as my peers, squads, GA, and instructor, I was able to meet all the goals and even exceed my own expectations. I believe the course is very valuable for the reason that it is one of the only courses that truly allows you to explore your creativity, in a low-pressure, inclusive and diverse environment."

Maria, Second-Year

"This course taught me how to learn from myself through trial & error and grit & resilience. It has been incredibly liberating because I have been able to truly do something for myself, be proud of it and know it will make a difference."

Salome, Second-Year

"This course has helped me to stay focused on my objective, and has given me the motivation to pursue what I have wanted to do for the past while in my life. The value of the course has really been in it’s ability to keep me accountable and feed the desire that I initially started with. It has met my expectations in being able to push me towards a set goal."

Harleen, Fourth-Year

"The course has helped me appreciate how important it is to ask for feedback, test, and have support from peers. It has been great to be kept accountable and it went far better than I expected."

Simone, Third-Year

"I took away so much from the course. I learned so much throughout the semester about myself and my project. I didn’t really have many expectations coming into the semester, I was just excited to have a place to work on my project. My major takeaways from the course were in my personal life: It’s okay to not be perfect, It’s okay to ask for help."

Jack, Third-Year

"I learned that there are many different ways to get to the same place in the end, even if that means changing your idea or how you view how to achieve your goal. This is something I will keep with me throughout my studies and career because I'm always going to have set goals, and if they change along the way, that's OK."

Eliana, Second-Year