When Milena Pilipovic crossed the stage at the University of Toronto's Convocation Hall this week, it marked the culmination of a journey that has taken several twists and turns.
After earning an undergraduate degree from the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), she spent a year abroad teaching English and eventually pursued a master's degree at U of T Mississauga - a program that's already led to a job at a major bank.
Through it all, she says she stayed grounded by focusing on what felt right for her, including a return to university to pursue a different career path.
"My path has not been traditional, to say the least," says Pilipovic, who is graduating from the Master of Management of Innovation program this week. "It's been really rewarding, though, stepping into this new space ... Every opportunity, every networking event, every class, every new subject has pushed me to think in a new way."
Pilipovic first began thinking about a change in direction towards the end of her undergrad years at KPE, after an assignment paired her with a health technology startup. As part of that team, she helped develop an app that assists patients recovering from knee and hip replacements. She also wrote blogs on physiotherapy and rehabilitation as part of the project and learned more about research and digital marketing.
"I saw how that connection between user experience and technology can actually innovate in a space," she says.
After completing her undergraduate degree in 2023, Pilipovic wasn't sure what she wanted to do next, so she took a job teaching English in Spain to reset. "It was completely untraditional from anything I've done before. However, it was during my time there that I was able to look at what I wanted to do next," she says.
After a year away, she decided the next move was a master's degree, and she looked to familiar ground to pursue it. "I wanted to go back to school, back to a program that was credible, had a network I could rely on - and U of T really has that culture that I wanted to come back to," she says.
"As an alum, I felt safe to come back to this university while I explored this completely novel space."
She applied to the Master of Management of Innovation program offered by the Institute for Management and Innovation at U of T Mississauga, hoping it could open new doors for her.
"MMI was ... the bridge for all of my past experiences, to kind of launch me into something completely new," she says. "MMI has definitely equipped me with the skill set I need to tackle these next steps."
One task she has already checked off is finding a job.
The one-year degree included an internship with the RBC Amplify Program, an intensive innovation competition that asks student teams to develop a product that tackles a real business or industry challenge faced by the bank. In her team of four, Pilipovic was the business analyst, and helped lead her team to the top three.
After completing her internship, Pilipovic landed a job at RBC as a manager of global security innovation, focused on emerging technology and cybersecurity.
She says she hopes others will look at her journey and be encouraged to try new challenges.
"I hope that people won't just try to fit into what is currently perceived as the successful path," she says. "Choose the path that is truthful to you."
