Jason Motkoski

1) What is your personal philosophy on leadership, and how have you demonstrated leadership in your involvements at the U of C?

To me, leadership is about passion. It is more than a decision to get involved, a desire to serve others, or an ability to give directions. At some point, leadership becomes contagious: others catch a vision, become inspired and follow in step. In every situation, leadership is unique, yet its core values are universal. Leadership transcends disciplines, encompassing athletes and business executives, politicians and academics, religious leaders and individual families.

At the University of Calgary, I have been very active in community-based initiatives on the Residence Education Team for over 3 years. I am presently the Senior Community Advisor in the University’s newest Residence Building and first Living Learning Community, Global Village. In this role, I oversee the development of a cohesive multicultural community, and work hard to create a sense of “home” and “belonging” for students. I educate my community on issues of diversity and respect, and handle many administrative duties in the community. When I am “On Call” overnight, I serve students by completing security rounds, emergency response, and lock out duty.

I serve as the Senior Community Advisor Liaison for the Residence Academic Mentoring Program, a Residence-wide tutoring service for over 1700 students. I am lucky to be involved with the creation of the inaugural Global Village Council: a unique multicultural leadership opportunity for students. I ensure the Residence Education Team and GV Council are working together on event planning within the community. I support students in fundraising initiatives and community events. One day, residents from Global Village will live everywhere in the world, starting their own charities, running their own businesses, changing their country’s political systems and caring for those around them. This, friends, is what the University of Calgary is about: embracing students from all walks of life and all areas of the world, providing a world-class education, fostering new ideas, and then supporting graduates as we all, one day, will change the world.

When I am not in Global Village, I serve students in a number of other leadership roles. I am currently the Vice President Academic on the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society. I have served as a Student Representative on the Students’ Union Committee of 10,000, as a Student Ambassador, and as the First Year Representative on the Biomedical Engineering Students’ Society.

2) How have you become involved in your community during your time at the U of C?

One of the most significant experiences of my life was the decision to spend 2 weeks building homes for the homeless in Tijuana, Mexico before starting my studies at the University of Calgary. This was the first time I saw poverty on a massive scale, and was privileged to make a difference in a few people’s lives. I was amazed at how happy the locals were, in spite of most not owning their own house! Rather than complain, these people built strong relationships with each other and lived their lives to the fullest. This attitude inspired me, and is one of the reasons I have become so active in community-based programs in my current home in Residence.

When I am not on campus, I spend time at a number of Calgary-based organizations. I have volunteered at the Calgary Drop-In Centre, the Calgary Community Kitchen, and assisted in preschool educational programs with the City of Calgary. I hosted an annual Christmas Party for underprivileged children in Calgary as a Student Ambassador. I was responsible for the allocation of $16,000 in donations from the Students’ Union to Calgary charities as a Student Representative on the Committee of 10,000.

In 2007, I participated in a leadership program at Centrestreet Church that was led by Damon Dunn, an Ex-NFL player. This challenged my understanding of leadership, and inspired me to push my skills to the next level. I have also created an endowment fund of $10,000 through The Calgary Foundation that will give annually give money to a Calgary Charity of my choice. I feel this is a way for me to give back to the City of Calgary for all it has given to me.

3) What is your approach to academic success?

I can start with quick advice: show up to class, ask questions, do simple homework problems and short textbook readings frequently; manage your study time well. But the biggest key to academic success is to study something you love! If you are genuinely interested in what you are learning, I guarantee you will excel.

I also believe practical experience is essential to a great education. For me, I began to enjoy Engineering when I got involved with Biomedical research. I suddenly needed course material that I hadn’t focused on before. I looked beyond the course notes to apply engineering analysis to real world problems, and began to understand the significance of my classroom education.

Currently, I am a Research Student with Dr. Garnette Sutherland’s Project neuroArm, the world’s first image-guided MR-compatible robot for brain surgery. This project challenges me to think like an Engineer, to understand how things work, and piece together my own technologies for the operating room. I am currently integrating laser technology with neuroArm so neurosurgeons can control a laser tool with the precision of robotics, leading a new frontier in Medicine.

I am also pushing the limits of my 4th Year Engineering Design Project by designing a large-scale clinical trial for the treatment of spinal cord pain using stem cell therapy. This project is a natural extension of two previous research terms at the Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility. This project is exciting because we are coupling Engineering with Medicine to create cellular therapies that will not only mask pain, but also regenerate and restore functional tissue. We are pushing the boundaries of medicine beyond costly acute interventions to cost-effective long-term solutions.

Each of my research positions challenged me to dig deeper into my course material than I had before. Seymour Schulich once said, “Many successful people arrived at their niche in life through exposure and experimentation in areas that interested them.” This is especially true of me, and I think many other students benefit from the research programs, internship opportunities, work experience and international study-abroad programs at the University of Calgary.

4) What does being a U of C student mean to you?

For me, attending the University of Calgary has been the most challenging, dynamic, exciting, and rewarding experience of my life. I have pulled a few all-nighters, written some hard exams, and finished some challenging group projects. But I have also made some of the best friendships of my life, learned more than I ever imagined, and have come to understand the world in a different way.

Starting at the UofC 4 years ago was intimidating, but I could not have made a better choice! As a city, Calgary has grown remarkably over the past 4 years. I know this growth will continue, and benefit the University. I am lucky to have studied here, to have been in some of your classes, and to have been inspired by you.

I am so excited for the graduation ceremonies in June! My goals as a Class Ambassador would be to (1) represent and involve you in the planning of the graduation ceremonies, (2) work hard to pull off the best ceremonies possible, (3) transform your moments at the UofC into lifelong memories, and (4) contribute all I can to the excellence that is known as The University of Calgary.

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