This past weekend, a group of alumni reunited to celebrate the Arts & Science Students’ Union (ASSU), which has been representing thousands of undergraduate students in the Faculty for 45 years. About 50 past executives happily reminisced about their time in student government and shared stories of where they’ve ended up.
Jane Seto, executive coordinator of ASSU, has been the constant backbone of the union for almost 28 years, and deserves credit for getting so many alumni together again. The last reunion was 15 years ago.
Our alumni have moved on to really great things and done well for themselves. I think this is a nice way to show, especially to our current executives, that they can do this too.
“I started as a student, and never left,” Seto says. “I’ve seen a lot of different faces come through; it’s a family. It’s so nice to see all the generations together, whether it’s getting people who used to work together back in touch or introducing people for networking and advice. Our alumni have moved on to really great things and done well for themselves. I think this is a nice way to show, especially to our current executives, that they can do this too.”
Bill Gardner, ASSU president from 1986 to 1988, for example, is now a managing partner at CRM Dynamics, where he works on strategies for client-facing software for many mid- to large-sized companies across Canada. But he’s remained heavily involved with ASSU since he’s left, especially since the union launched the annual William Gardner Leadership Award in his honour.
If it wasn’t for ASSU, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.
“If it wasn’t for ASSU, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today,” he said. “Going to school to learn things from books is important, but learning how to work with people was my biggest takeaway from university.”
Peter Guo, who was ASSU president in 1990 agrees. He is now British Columbia’s leader of Enterprise Risk Services for MNP, a national accounting, tax and business consulting firm.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but now I can see all of the skills I learned from ASSU: the ability to think things through, debate and present issues,” he says. “I was always in a conversation with people, and those skills are invaluable. The ability to be able to see other people’s perspectives is so important. Being able to put yourself in others’ shoes can also help you be successful in selling your point of view.”
Recent graduate Lisa Chen now works as a consulting analyst at Accenture. She was in ASSU from 2013 to 2017, including serving as treasurer, a role that put her in charge of the budget and explaining it to over 60 student unions in the Faculty. Even just a few months out of her undergraduate degree, she knows how much ASSU influenced her.
My time in the union included some of my happiest moments at the University.
“If I hadn’t gotten into ASSU in my first year, my entire university experience would’ve been different,” she says. “My time in the union included some of my happiest moments at the University. When you’re a part of ASSU, you gain a network into the wider U of T community, and you get to help influence the way students get their education. I really do want to stay connected and give back because I know it was such a good experience for me.”
Lawyer Susan Guzzo, an executive from 1993 to 1996, joined ASSU because it gave her a connection to the University when she was a mature student living off-campus. She was happy to gather with her peers and to meet recent graduates at the reunion.
“It’s inspiring to see them with the same level of enthusiasm I had when I was here,” she says. “They’ve picked up where we left off, fighting the good fight.”
Seto hopes ASSU doesn’t go another 15 years without a reunion – she’s already thinking about the 50-year celebration.
“People were telling me how much they enjoyed themselves and how happy they were to reconnect with old friends and make new acquaintances,” she said. “I’d call that a huge success!”