Take me Back to CCPR!

By Priyanka Nasta, Class of 2017, International student

I remember my first day starting the communications and public relations (CCPR) program at the Story Arts Centre.  I was new to the country, didn’t have any friends, didn’t know anyone and hadn’t even secured an accommodation yet.  Despite all this, I felt fairly confident about going doing well in the program.

On my way to campus, I thought to myself, “How difficult can it be? I have previously lived alone and graduated a very intense MBA program with people from all over the world.  I’ve got this, I think I’m going to ace this course.”  Little did I know that this was going to be the most trying year of my life!

It was a time where assignments were in abundance, early mornings became my best friend, I spent more time on campus than I did at home, had about 43,000 emotional breakdowns, made more submissions than I had ever made in my life, and if anything else went wrong, I thought, “Well, why not? This might as well happen now too!”

Also, being a hopeless romantic, I had hoped to possibly meet my soulmate during this course, fall in love and live happily ever after, only to find out later that we had no boys in our section. Sigh!

However, I didn’t realize that this course was polishing me so I could shine like a diamond.  As much as I complained then, I have learnt some of the most valuable lessons of my life during this year.

I learned to pace myself and find a balance between vegetating in front of the television and working on my homework. I learned to stay ahead of the game and complete my assignments before they were due for submission.  This probably made me seem like a geek, but for the first time in my life, I learned that geeks are cool! They are dependable and reliable, and they get the work done.

I also learned the art of active listening.  By allowing my peers the opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas, I learned to lead rather than manage.  I believe that people never forget how we make them feel, so during classes, I would consciously try to listen to my classmates, appreciate them, motivate them, help them, and most importantly, uplift them!

The most challenging learning, however, was to show up for class.  It seemed so much more convenient to stay home and sleep-in for a few more hours; instead, I learned to be present and to participate.  Well, most of the times I did.  Consequently, I built great relationships with faculty and friends that will forever remain close to my heart.

During this journey, I experienced a myriad of emotions. I was able to smile, laugh, cry, make mistakes, seek guidance and gradually evolve. I realized that it is all right to feel overwhelmed, and I can count on my friends and my community to get me through everything.

Enrolling in this course and living it has been a life-changing journey, one full of learnings and possibilities, and I realize now it was not meant to be easy. But even if it wasn’t a cakewalk, it has helped me be my best version.

I feel now that I am capable of achieving great things for my community and for me. This one year of the CCPR program, though hectic, is about endless learning, evolving, building everlasting relationships, having a lot of fun and rising high! Take me back please…