Meet Our Recruiters: Karl Renn

Karl Renn is a Student Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator who currently serves York Region and Mississauga. He holds a double major in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology, as well as a Human Resources Management postgraduate certificate from Sheridan.

What do you do as an Student Recruitment and Engagement Coordinator?

I begin each fall semester with a couple of weeks on campus to ensure new students are settling in smoothly. Then it’s a lot of time spent out on the road, connecting with high school students, guidance counsellors and support staff to inform them about Sheridan and the college system.

My current territory covers Peel South and York, but during my time at Sheridan, I’ve been to almost every major city in Ontario.

What makes this role such a good fit for you?

When I was in high school, I considered going into teaching before I chose to study Psychology as a different way to help people. Then I worked as a Resident Assistant at the University of Toronto – Mississauga, supporting students as they transitioned into university, and fell in love with working in higher education.

My double major in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology is really helpful in my role because postsecondary institutions have become so diverse. It helps me bring understanding to the conversations I have with students.

“Colleges are expanding theory and evolving for the future while universities are trying to become more hands-on, creating a nice middle ground where there's more opportunity than ever.”

What do you tell students who are undecided between college and university?

I did well academically in both university and here at Sheridan, and it’s a powerful thing to be able to relate to both experiences.

This is a beautiful time to be looking at schools since colleges are expanding theory and evolving for the future while universities are trying to become more hands-on, creating a nice middle ground where there’s more opportunity than ever. Helping students understand the higher education system leads to informed decisions.

What are your favourite things to highlight about Sheridan?

I love to bring up our small class sizes and opportunities for engagement, because strong communication and collaboration can often translate to better performance. In programs like Kinesiology or Computer Science, you can be one of 300 or 400 people in a lecture hall at university, or you can be one of 40 people in a classroom here.

I’m also proud of Sheridan’s reputation. Some of our programs have been going for 60 years strong, and we’re continually developing, reimagining or upgrading curriculum.

Do you have a favourite success story from the students you’ve advised?

A few years ago, I recommended Art Fundamentals as a backup plan for a high school student who wanted to study Animation here at Sheridan. That student did end up taking Art Fundamentals, then enrolled in Interaction Design and is now close to graduating from that program. I remember that student because she recognized me at our Open House a few months after I advised her in high school, and it was nice to be able to join her again on her journey.

I also appreciate all the times when parents or guardians ask me questions about the system and I’m able to answer them, and then you later hear that their child chose college. Even if their child went somewhere else in the college system, parents will sometimes thank me for helping them realize university wasn’t the right space for their child.