Fresh Juice magazine editor found true calling at U of G
Colleen Tully originally planned to attend the University of Guelph as a stepping-stone to becoming a veterinarian. With that goal in mind, Tully pointed out the obvious that attending any other university for agriculture just seemed silly. “I mean, why would you go anywhere else if you want to do that?” she explained, adding that Guelph’s well-rounded reputation was also something that piqued her interest. “[Guelph] has a really strong arts program, and I knew I was kind of interested in that, too.” An interest in literature, although she was unaware of it at the time, would soon thrive and become the true passion of Tully’s post-secondary education, as well as her career to follow.
In addition to the strong academics, the Elora, Ontario native felt the attached level of comfort that came with attending a university less than 30 minutes away from home. There was also no hesitation from Tully in stating the very first genuine thing that attracted her to U of G. “I have to be honest,” she explained. “They had the best meal plans with the best food. It was a big thing.” With a clear perspective and keen nose for the important things, it is no wonder that Tully is now the Senior Editor of the food-based Fresh Juice magazine – a sister magazine of Canadian Living.
Before reaching this point, Tully faced several decisions and challenges along the way. The first, and most defining, came at the start of her second year. “I would be at the library or even bookstores constantly buying literature because I missed it so much,” Tully explained of her first year in the Agriculture program. “Instead of studying for calculus or chemistry, I noticed I was losing myself in this literature.” Tully described the decision to change her major to English as “the perfect storm,” as reality sat right there on paper. “The courses with essays [that were] more language based, I did really, really well in,” Tully explained, adding that she was barely getting-by in her core sciences. When it came down to it, Tully leaned towards philosophy for the final decision. “I just thought ‘life is short, why can’t I do something that I really love?’” she explained, outlining her pros and cons list. “Compared to something I feel like I should do just because I told everybody that I was going to do it.”
After switching to major in English, Tully admits that she was still faced with the usual struggles of a university student; there were classes she enjoyed, and others not so much. “I really enjoyed the seminar courses,” Tully explained, giving credit to the discussions and debates for really engaging her as a student. “You know, you’re a small fish in a big sea, so sometimes I struggled paying attention in lectures. But seminars always got me going – I really loved those.”
Following graduation, the small-town Elora native showed no signs of backing down from even bigger seas, as she took off to teach English in Korea for a year. “I grew up a lot that year,” Tully recalled of the experience. Left to be independent while teaching adults, the Guelph graduate felt the need to really prove herself. With the opportunity in front of her, Tully developed courses on her own, including one specific to creative writing – a course that drew on her passion and degree. “I used to have these scenarios in my head where I was in a dark basement in some lab, you know, with my science degree I worked so hard to get, with these flickering fluorescent lights, hating my life,” Tully explained. “I just needed more to my day-to-day life. Going overseas really solidified that I was in the right direction – language was something that I should pursue.”
Tully’s hard work and change in major finally paid off when she was hired on by Canadian Living. Now the editor of Fresh Juice, she adds in humour with her sense of pride, making light of her desk moving about five feet to the left with the new position. Remembering the motivation it took to get there pushed Tully to her proudest moment. “Finally landing that job in an arts-based career – it blew my mind that I actually did it, that I was here,” she explained. “I kept visualizing and visualizing it. I did two internships here, worked part time at the Beer Store, was commuting in from Newmarket… it didn’t seem like it was going to come together, but it did.”
Thinking back to the time and hard work spent in getting to where she is now, Tully quickly paired it with the standard pressure felt by students. “One, listen to your gut. Second, don’t be afraid to course correct. It’s scary, but it’ll be worth it,” Tully said of her three-step plan of advice. “And third, visualize what you want and go for it.” Tully added that your gut could be wrong, as hers sometimes was: “You’re never perfect all the time, but those times that you aren’t are the most important learning experiences of your life. Listen to your gut. It does work out in the end.”