By Suzanne Bowness
At Scotiabank arena, students get a tour of the facilities as well as career options
Ordinary career exploration days might kick off in a boardroom or lecture hall. But if you're Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and you have Scotiabank Arena at your disposal, why not start there? For 91亚色 students, that's exactly where the day began on February 17, with a behind-the scenes tour of the iconic venue followed by a networking lunch and a fireside chat with employees from several departments, who shared their pathways from student to professional with the organization.
Jessie Enokela, a fourth-year international student from Nigeria majoring in Information Technology, was among the lucky ones to take it all in. Already an insider to the venue because she works there as an usher, Enokela was thrilled to go behind the scenes and learn more about the space where she has spent many hours. 鈥淚 was so happy to get access to places that I'd never got in my life. We had the amazing opportunity of learning the history of the MLSE,鈥 she says, noting that they got to see the Maple Leafs鈥 locker room, the Raptors鈥 practice court, and even some of the current renovations happening at the arena.
The panel discussion also provided an excellent opportunity for students to gain insight into operations at MLSE and ask questions. One resounding realization is that there are way more jobs at the company than what you see from the outside. 鈥淢LSE has different jobs: IT generalist, HR, communications. It's not just sports and entertainment,鈥 says Enokela. The panel included representation from several departments, including Global Partnerships, Digital Labs, Commercial Strategy Creative Group, Brand/Marketing, and Ticketing.
Enokela says she appreciated most the panelists鈥 open and encouraging attitudes about pathways into the company. 鈥淢ost of them talked about how the jobs they have, they were able to get them from putting themselves out there. You have to actually do your research, look at the company, what they like, have a coffee chat. We had an opportunity to learn what a coffee chat is, how your resume and cover letter should be,鈥 she says, adding that they also encouraged attendees to realize that it doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e a domestic or international student. 鈥淭hese opportunities are fair and open to everybody. You just have to keep trying put yourself out there.鈥
For Enokela, the closer view of MLSE confirmed what she鈥檚 already learned as an employee. 鈥淐oming to MLSE, I felt safe, like there are people who have been working in the
company for years. If you have a question, even if you've worked there for a long time, it's okay to ask,鈥 she says. She鈥檚 already spoken to her manager about the MLSE internship, who has encouraged her to apply.
Enokela has even put the lessons she learned about 鈥減utting herself out there鈥 into action, overcoming her social media shyness to recap the event on her LinkedIn profile, where she鈥檚 shared photos and her notes on the day. 鈥淚t was a very wonderful experience, seeing panelists and people from other departments, talking about their experiences, their journey,鈥 she says.
