By Jake Kivanc
Contrasting the quiet nestling of a Scarborough suburb he calls home, it’s the sensory orchestra of downtown Toronto that brings Anders Marshall alive.
As a first-year journalism student, Marshall finds himself caught between the life of a choir school graduate and a budding urbanite.
“It’s a totally different world despite being a 9-iron away from my high school,” he said, reflecting on his new university life.
When Marshall was in the third grade, he was scouted by St. Michael’s Choir School — a Catholic-based, all-boys high school found just south of Ryerson’s campus.
“Getting shoved into an environment that’s totally new and being told to get on with it sucked as an eight-year-old,” he said. “An hour on the train to school. And then school. And then an hour back. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.”
Marshall’s daily commute from the suburbs is something he said is “regulated,” and has made appreciate the time he spends in the city more. It’s a habit he attributes to much of his growth.
“Being downtown so much has made me a more outgoing person I feel.”
“I’m kind of all over the place,” he said. “I think it’s more of a state of mind — not to let things like where you’re from define you.”
When Marshall was in the third grade, he was scouted by St. Michael’s Choir School — a Catholic-based, all-boys high school found just south of Ryerson’s campus.
For the next 10 years, Marshall’s mental fortitude was tested as he pushed through the challenges suddenly given to him as a young boy. It was a prestigious institution.
“Getting shoved into an environment that’s totally new and being told to get on with it sucked as an eight-year-old,” he said. “An hour on the train to school. And then school. And then an hour back. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.”
Marshall’s daily commute from the suburbs is something he said is “regulated,” and has made appreciate the time he spends in the city more. It’s a habit he attributes to much of his growth.
“Being downtown so much has made me a more outgoing person I feel.”
A frequenter of the transit system, Marshall said he can’t pick a single favourite place in the city, as there are too many. He said he likes to go to King St. to eat, Queen St. to shop and the financial district to people watch.
“I’m kind of all over the place,” he said. “I think it’s more of a state of mind — not to let things like where you’re from define you.”
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