“Societies hurt themselves when women are not given the opportunity to fully participate.”
-Hillary Rodham Clinton
On March 5th, 2014 I had the privilege to become a part of history. Hillary Clinton’s keynote speech at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre drew the largest audience in The Vancouver Board of Trade’s 127-year history. I was one of the fortunate Beedie Ambassadors who got to attend the event. From the moment Mrs. Clinton walked on to the stage to the moment she left, the entire audience was fully engaged by, quite possibly, the first female President of the United States.
The first part of the evening saw Mrs. Clinton address major successes of women in overcoming cultural boundaries and pushing past the “glass ceiling”. She provided many examples of prevailing women, most notable being Joyce Banda who faced tremendous opposition on her route to becoming the first female President of Malawi. She also made a well-backed argument of the impact that women have on the economy when they are encouraged to participate in business and politics. If I recall correctly, this amounted to an astonishing 3.5 trillion dollar increase in US GDP over the past four decades.
Although the event was hosted by the Women’s Leadership Circle (WLC) and focused on the advancement of women in the workforce and government, it made me come to a strong realization; I am proud to be Canadian. It isn’t because of our success in hockey, our healthcare system, or the Country’s beautiful landscape. It is because Canada is open to embracing the idea of breaking ceilings that exist in the business world and offering equal opportunities to everyone, male or female.
After the keynote speech, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Frank McKenna, joined as the moderator to Mrs. Clinton’s discussion on her political views. She addressed the growing crisis in the Ukraine, the United States’ rocky relationship with Iran, and the progress of the Keystone pipeline. Even though it was my first experience as an Ambassador, hearing first-hand from such an empowering and engaging speaker has left a mark on my undergraduate experience within the Beedie School of Business. I am humbled to have had this opportunity and look forward to sharing many more of my future Beedie Ambassador experiences with you.
Manraj is a fourth year student at the Beedie School of Business, concentrating in Finance and Accounting while pursuing an Economics Minor. His most notable experiences within SFU involve various leadership roles including: President of SFU Finance Club, Executive on Punjabi Student Association and Leader on BASS FROSH. Manraj has taken advantage of the multitude of opportunities that the school has provided, especially serving as an Analyst with Beedie Endowment Asset Management (BEAM). He hopes to continue this trend with involvement in case competitions in order to become a competitive business professional upon graduation. Manraj is excited to start his internship with KPMG, but more importantly, share his Beedie experiences through representation as an Ambassador.