I can vividly remember the moment I started saying “yes” again. It was the Discover Year Orientation Week and all new students were in the Byward Market in Ottawa, nervously yet excitedly getting to know one another. The sun was shining, and that early September day felt much more like summer than fall.

All 30 students were split into teams for a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Ottawa. My team—comprised of four other students who would soon become my close friends—were off to a great start, and got through some of the easier challenges, like “Take a photo in front of the Parliament Buildings” and “Locate three major monuments in downtown Ottawa”. 

I can vividly remember the moment I started saying “yes” again. It was the Discover Year Orientation Week and all new students were in the Byward Market in Ottawa, nervously yet excitedly getting to know one another. The sun was shining, and that early September day felt much more like summer than fall.

All 30 students were split into teams for a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Ottawa. My team—comprised of four other students who would soon become my close friends—got through some of the easier challenges, like “Take a photo in front of the Parliament Buildings” and “Locate three major monuments in downtown Ottawa”.

The next challenge, however, was to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger on the street. I was terrified—but so was everyone else on my team. I knew I wanted to win the challenge, and I told myself that I would never see this person ever again, so what was there to lose? I took a deep breath, walked up to a stranger, and said hello. They did not speak English, so I quickly switched to French and we carried on an entire conversation for several minutes while my team listened intently.

Before Discover Year, my high school experience was characterized by saying “no”—but this conversation with a stranger in the Byward Market marked the moment when I switched my mindset and started saying “yes” to new opportunities, new challenges, and new unknowns.

Growing up, I was always a very outgoing and enthusiastic child. I was involved in numerous activities and camps, I had a great group of friends, and I was confident in myself and my abilities. I also said “yes” to everything. I loved adventures, trying new things, and meeting new people. But after switching schools in Grade 7, I started to develop anxiety and became consumed with other people’s thoughts of me. Looking back on it, I recognize now that I created a false narrative about myself and who I thought I was because I was scared of being judged.

Rather than putting myself out there and making new friends, I told myself I was an introvert and kept to myself.

Rather than getting involved in school clubs and extracurriculars, I told myself I was too busy with my academics.

Rather than thinking about what I wanted to do after high school, I only thought about what I should do, which was to pursue university.

By the time I got to Grade 12, I had convinced myself that this was who I was: the smart introverted girl who would graduate with honours and head off to a well-known university to study STEM, or computer science, or some other field that signalled to the world that I was intelligent, hard-working, and capable. However, by leaning into that narrative, I closed a lot of doors and said “no” to a lot of opportunities. I was blind to the many other options and paths that stood right in front of me.

That is, until I started my Discover Year.

At first, my fear of judgement made me hesitant to take a gap year. I worried that I would “fall behind” or be seen as a failure because I didn’t follow a traditional path to post-secondary school. I quickly realized, though, that Discover Year would not make me fall behind, but propel me forward at a rate I hadn’t experienced in my entire four years of high school.

This growth started the very first week of Discover Year when I striked up that conversation with a stranger. This was the first time in a long time that I stepped outside of my comfort zone and said “yes” to something that terrified me. It was also the first time that I felt like I was the outgoing one in our group—the one who was courageous, who took risks, and who stepped up to lead when no one else wanted to. That single moment helped me dispel all the narratives I had told myself throughout high school about who I was and what I was capable of. It set the tone for the rest of my Discover Year, which was filled with immense personal growth, incredible new friends, and a lifetime of memories.

While at Discover Year, my fear of failure and judgement were non-existent because I knew my peers were rooting for me, just as I was rooting for them. It was the most open, inclusive and supportive learning environment I’ve ever experienced, and it gave me the space to re-learn how to say “yes” to new opportunities, even if they scared me.

I said “yes” to handing out my resume at the mall and learning how to “sell” myself to potential employers.

I said “yes” to travelling to Vancouver on my own for the first time, for an entire week.

I said “yes” to leading a group of my peers through two community service projects to help give back to our community and those in need.

By pushing myself outside of my comfort zone time and time again, I learned that I am capable of so much more than I previously gave myself credit for. But perhaps more importantly, I learned that I am someone who is interesting outside of school. For so long, my sense of worth was tied to my grades and academics, but Discover Year helped me realize that I have so many other skills, interests and abilities that I hadn’t let myself explore before.

Since graduating from Discover Year, my renewed ability to say “yes” has led to some of my best memories at Queen’s University, where I am currently in my final year of computer science. After being heavily involved in Orientation Week during my first few years, I now manage the logistics for the entire Queen’s O-Week across all faculties and programs. I am also working as the COO for a startup that my friend recently launched, which focuses on enhancing the student experience. In addition to all of this, I am currently writing my thesis on a topic that genuinely excites me—and I’m loving every part of it.

I truly would not be where I am today had it not been for Discover Year. My gap year helped me step back into myself—my true self—and learn what was possible when I wasn’t afraid to say “yes”.