From a young age, my goal was always to be a McGill student. This was due to the academic standing McGill has around the world, the amazing teachers and environment and the support they provide to help their students flourish and become leaders in society. Moreover, I wanted to follow in my mother’s footsteps and become a McGill alumna.
In medical school we have a five-week public health block and several longitudinal classes which help us learn about the importance of public health and how to become advocates for members of the community.
When the COVID-19 pandemic started to unfold, two of my classmates and I noticed that many student groups at McGill were mobilizing to help the community. Wanting to be a part of this movement, we decided to do some research to identify a pressing issue that we could address.
We noticed a striking surge in the demand for aid from food banks. Not only were regular members seeking help but individuals needing to self-isolate and elders that needed to stay indoors also became dependent on the food banks. We quickly came together, made a plan for how to help, and founded Meet the Need MTL.
Our mission has been and continues to be to provide relief to food banks via monetary and food donations, volunteer recruitment and sustainable innovation development. In a little over one month, we raised over $4,000 which we allocated to our partner organizations, dispatched volunteers to work in the food banks, and developed an engineering division to revamp logistical platforms.
The skills I learned at McGill have given me the tools to work in partnership with members of my class to build this initiative, to be a leader, to understand the importance of interprofessional work and community engagement and to share and disseminate impactful messages. I learned time management through juggling my course load and extracurriculars, which taught me how to balance my work on this initiative with full-time schoolwork. Whether directly or indirectly, McGill has allowed me to learn and grow and has contributed to the person I am today.