David Jardine

Undergrad Journey

In high school I was very focused on STEM, mainly computer science, which ended up being the program I enrolled in at Toronto Metropolitan University (called Ryerson University at the time) in 2015. I wasn't uninterested in the courses or subject but, mainly due to the many volunteer organizations I got involved with right away, I realized that my scientific interests were only half of the story. I found a deep interest in communication and the ways we interact with each other.

I realized that I didn't want a pure Computer Science career in my final year and since I couldn't afford to do a second degree (or a Masters) I switched into Professional Communication since this would preserve all my electives and general credits. So despite having completed all my mandatory Computer Science courses I graduated 2 years later with a minor in Computer Science and my Honours B.A. in Professional Communication.

Leadership Experience

I got heavily involved in campus leadership roles, especially in the students' union, after my involvement in first year caught the attention of the student union Executives. Unfortunately for me and many other students, some of these individuals operated a quasi-cult where they would recruit "promising" first years so that they could groom them for future roles within their team. While I know many were unaware of the shady business going on around them, I began to notice a lot of red flags. From so-called leaders getting underage students drunk and taking photos in order to have blackmail on them to requiring people to break rules and policy "for the greater good" - when I was presented with a list of my friends that I would have to "cut off" in order to stay part of their plans I knew I wanted nothing to do with this team.

Often against my own wishes, I spent much of my remaining time in school pushing back against these people and the massive team they had recruited and blackmailed into supporting their schemes. I saw everything from overspending on non-essential renovations because of poor planning to attempting to bully and threaten students to vote for people during student elections. I eventually helped to dismantle a years-long criminal embezzlement scheme and worked to rebuild the union in the aftermath of that international scandal.

I will never regret doing everything I could to help, despite years of intimidation, doxxing, verbal abuse against me and family members, accounts impersonating me posting slurs to get me suspended, and even an attempt to frame me for criminal trespassing. The saga (mostly) concluded with several official investigations, admissions of guilt and several hefty lawsuits [ link, link, link ].

I also had countless positive experiences in leadership roles, the one which stands out to me the most is the 3 years I spent with the Ontario Science Students' Association. I worked for two years as the lead for our annual Leadership Conference and later served a year as the inaugural VP Services. In my time at the organization we created several new conferences and competitions that brought science students from across Ontario to showcase their skills and make connections. It was incredibly empowering and rewarding to be a part of a group of passionate student leaders that were just excited to make the school experience better for everyone involved.

These experiences reinforced my belief in standing up for what I know to be just and right. While I make mistakes as much as the next person, I always was true to my morals and did everything I could to ensure that people were treated fairly. Having the privilege of holding these leadership positions confirmed for me that I have no aspiration to be directly doing any political jobs but sometimes the choice is out of our hands and I am so grateful to have learned the skills to hold people in power accountable.

Interests and Hobbies

While many of my academic and professional interests bleed into my personal life, like the homelab I'm (perpetually) building with spare computers, I do have several hobbies and passtimes that I like to fill my time with.

I've always enjoyed video games; from an early age I would play math games and puzzles (it was all my mom let me play) on the family computer. In high school I got more into "real" gaming with games like Minecraft, Starcraft, Grand Theft Auto, and Call of Duty. The game genre that I've racked up the most hours in (by far) is simulation and building games. The number of hours I've spent playing games like Cities Skylines or Stellaris is frankly embarrasing, but there is something about building up my city or empire that is so enjoyable to me. It also doesn't have a set goal and there is not a true "end" to the game beacuse you could play it so many ways which I think is the biggest draw to me. I don'y enjoy story-based games as much because I want to be able to explore and go off on my own path in the world.

While I am not very good at it I get a lot of joy making crafts and artwork. I have a small business where I make custom cards, stickers, and other stationery (mostly just for friends and family) with my Cricut machine. I also like to play around with video and audio production. I have tried several different kinds of "content creation" and while I learned that I don't enjoy doing it as a job (check out my blog post on that: Ups and Downs of Self Employment) I do really enjoy it as a hobby. In 2021 my friend Alex and I started a podcast called "Caring Too Much" and while it was a casual hobby - we were never trying to make it a career or anything - it was great for learning all that needs to go into pre-production in order to make a successful episode.