Christina Meagher is a 2015 MBA Candidate working on wrapping up her degree. Christina is involved in many extracurricular activities, most notably her involvement in the Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management (DJIM). Christina shares her experience working with DJIM and lends some advice for students:

“I started with the Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management (DJIM) in September of my first year of my MBA. DJIM is a student-led journal that publishes works of undergraduate and graduate students that are in the Faculty of Management. In September, the DJIM executive team sent a call for volunteers – and I responded with an application. I am the PR Co-Chair, meaning I help with the external marketing and communications. This included lots of Facebook and Twitter promotion, posters, class visits, and helping to plan our various events (like the Journal’s launch a few weeks ago!). DJIM executive positions are two-year terms, which was perfect for me. Each role has an incoming and an outgoing chair, meaning that while I was learning the ropes in my first year, I had someone who I could always go to with questions. Having two people in a role also means that responsibilities are shared, and when school and life get busy, there is always someone to help with the role.

I have benefitted from getting involved much more than I ever anticipated. Through DJIM, I’ve met all kinds of other students from different programs under the Faculty of Management umbrella. In addition to being a mentee and learning a new role, and I also got to be a mentor to this year’s incoming PR Co-Chair. DJIM has also opened my eyes to the world of publishing – I had no idea how much work goes into something like this. Publishing is a side of academics that not many students get to see – it’s very different. Finally, for me, being a part of DJIM is a way of proving on my resume that I have strong communication skills. It’s a skill that a lot of people say they have, but is difficult to prove on paper.

With a Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA)and an MBA, I finally feel like I’m ready for the “real world”. To students who still have a bit of time left at Dal: make the most of it. Don’t hit the end of your degree and realize you never made the time to get involved. Go meet people outside of your own program; you’ll find new perspectives. Find at least ONE team/committee/organization/event to become a part of and help out with the little things, like short-term volunteering for Movember, Ethics in Action, or even DJIM. It’s quick and easy, and helps you connect with different people in the school. Ultimately, it makes you feel like you made an impact on the school’s community”.