Having worked for RE Royalties for almost a year, I have shared my RE experiences with many business students through coffee chats and daily conversations. Still, it is at this moment when I am solidifying my reflection that I realized how much time had gone by and how the company shaped my career path and personal values.
Among the tasks that I was given at RE, I was fortunate to get the opportunity to speak with many student candidates looking to join the team as part of their learning journey. Many times during that process, I was reminded of my earlier self going through the same experience a few months ago: a young, inexperienced student looking to break into the fascinating yet mysterious finance industry. I first learned about the deep passion and interest the RE team held for their mission during my two rounds of interviews and had been lucky enough to be able to witness their actions daily over the past eleven months.
Looking back, I had done my fair share of preparation going into my first co-op internship. I chatted with past student interns, talked to my co-op manager, and spent many nights searching on the internet for what to expect and how to behave. However, my time at RE was nothing short of a ride full of surprises. The extent to which I was allowed to identify my own development goals, work at my own pace, and take my time to learn about the aspect of the business that I am most interested in was nothing like the intense, repetitious work that I had imagined beforehand.
I was lucky to witness some of the milestones of RE and shared a few of mine with the wonderful team. Over the past year, RE Royalties closed their first investments in both energy storage and renewable natural gas, crossed the threshold of over 100 royalties in their portfolio, and was named on The Globe and Mail's ranking of Canada's Top Growing Companies. However small my contribution mattered in reaching those achievements, I am proud of my development and the team’s effort for these fantastic accomplishments. Personally, I celebrated my 20th birthday in June and decided to pursue a CFA designation in the future. I have received heart-warming support from the team throughout, and I am very thankful.
In addition, I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the students with whom I had the pleasure of working with over the past year. Lucas referred to RE as a "perfect place" to work and expand his skill set in his reflection blog. I agree with his assessment and would add that my RE experience would not have been perfect without his and my other student colleague Massi's generous sharing of their time, thoughts and advice with a younger student like me.
Every end is a new beginning; with a clearer picture of the industry and more skills under my belt, I am now ready and excited to take on the next journey in my career. I have found my passion for sustainability and realized the invaluable potential of the finance industry to create tangible social and environmental changes for a better future.
There have been many wonderful and talented students who joined the team before me, and there will be many more to come. Among all of us, we have created a shared experience of learning and discovery that has been passed down through documents, tips, LinkedIn messages, and a joint interest in renewable energy investing. I have no doubt that the interns who come after me will continue to contribute to RE's success and find their own long-term goals in the process of doing so, and I hope that my work has made their journeys and everyone at RE's a bit easier. Best of luck to the RE team, and I cannot wait to see the company's impact in the future.
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