Ethics, Society & Law Stream

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 on your Convocation! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to interview an outstanding alumna of the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program who is part of the graduating class: Megan Campbell (Ethics, Society and Law ‘20). She shares fond memories of the program and is excited to enter a new chapter of her life.

Megan emphasized the excellent experience she had in the Trinity One program, where she developed strong academic skills that she will always carry with her. Megan shares that she felt intimidated to speak in her other first-year courses. By contrast, her Trinity One courses encouraged her to speak up, which prepared her for upper year seminars. Megan says that the program laid a great foundation for her future courses and solidified her choice to study Ethics, Society and Law in her upper years.

As an active student who loves to be involved, Megan shares some of her achievements during her time at the university. Megan took part in an exchange program to France and multiple political fellowships in the States and with the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. However, her proudest accomplishment is being able to make time for extracurricular activities, such as organizing the French Language Global Café, being the editor in chief for the Ethics, Society and Law student journal, and involvements in the Arts and Sciences Student Union. Over the course of her university journey, she learned to “do things for herself” and not just for her resume. Megan was especially happy to have performed in two productions of Connections, the Musical with the Trinity College Dramatic Society.

Megan shares her biggest takeaways as an undergraduate student. She says that attending university during the pandemic taught her to be resilient and willing to adapt. In her words, “You can’t predict everything, but everything will be okay.” Megan encourages incoming students to embrace uncertainty and to be open to change. Additionally, she advises Trinity One students to “speak up even when it’s a little scary” and to hold themselves accountable to what they’re learning.

Megan will be attending law school at McGill University. I would like to thank Megan for sharing her valuable experiences with us, and I extend my sincerest congratulations to her on behalf of the Trinity One community.

Written by: Jessica Wang, Trinity One Program Assistant, Ethics, Society and Law ‘22.

Long Description

I loved my time in Trinity One. While the materials were initially a bit daunting, I found myself embedded in a close-knit community. I was able to build relationships with both my professors and my peers. In fact, I met some of my best friends in Trinity One. The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online learning really showed me how valuable that network I built for myself in first year was. One thing that sticks out to me at the beginning of the pandemic was the support that my Trinity One professors offered us. They were so understanding about how we were feeling and altered assignment structures and deadlines accordingly. They also offered additional office hours to us if we wanted to come by and chat about things that were worrying us. I’ll always remember that care, especially considering our profs were probably also experiencing the same anxieties. I would not have been able to succeed in online courses, or in my courses generally, without the friendship and care of my friends, family, and roommates. A lot of those people were folks I met in Trinity One or in Trinity College residence. I am super grateful that I had the opportunity to embed myself in those smaller communities given the sheer size of UofT. I had always thought about attending law school or working in the legal field in some capacity, and participating in the Ethics, Society and Law stream exposed me to many flaws in our socio-legal system and the many possibilities for reform. As such, my time in the ES&L stream influenced my decision to major in ES&L and, eventually, my decision to work in policy analysis for Manitoba’s Department of Health after graduation. I still hope to pursue a Masters in Criminology and Sociolegal Studies and, then, a law degree, but my courses in the ES&L stream showed me that there are many possible approaches to working within legal frameworks.

Long Description

The Trinity One Ethics stream was a highlight of my time as an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto, as it helped me with the transition into university, as well as provided me with skills and relationships I still have today. I looked forward to my Trinity One seminars every week as they were small classes which were highly engaging, heavily discussion based, and focused on what I was interested in studying while at university. I was able to meet like-minded students with similar interests to me, and I was able to create friendships which I will carry with me long past my time in university. Due to the small class size I was able to develop personal relationships with my professors starting in first-year, which I was able to build throughout my undergrad. My professors in Trinity One provided me with tools that allowed me to succeed in my undergrad, through providing feedback and advice on my writing, and helping me work through and build on the course material and questions that arose. I was required to critically analyze the course material as well as my own writing and thoughts, which allowed me to achieve academic accomplishments I thought were beyond my abilities. Trinity One solidified and confirmed interests I held, as well as introduced new interests and areas to pursue academically and professionally. In my undergrad I studied a double major in Bioethics and Ethics, Society, and Law. I am starting at Ryerson University in the fall to pursue my Master of Arts in Criminology and Social Justice and will be applying to law school this fall. My research interests and what I hope to continue studying during my Master’s, as well as what I hope to pursue professionally, were sparked in my first-year in Trinity One. I was introduced to differing concepts of justice, the impact and implications of our criminal justice system, as well as the marginalization and lack of access to our criminal justice system and institutions of certain communities and groups. I am grateful to Trinity One for introducing me to these concepts so early in my academic career and providing me with confidence and skills both academically and personally that I will continue to carry with me.