BBA students graduate from Burnaby Board of Trade Access program

Beedie School of Business undergraduates were among the graduates of the 2014/15 Access Student Career Development Program.

Sixteen Beedie School of Business BBA students were among those celebrating at the Burnaby Board of Trade (BBOT) Access Student Career Development Program 2014/15 cohort graduation ceremony.

The event, held on June 18, marked the third graduating class of the Access Program, which provides senior post secondary students with the opportunity to build meaningful relationships within the Burnaby business community, develop practical skills, and become better prepared to transition into the workforce.

Each year the Access Program commences in October, and over the course of several months participants engage in a variety of professional development activities including skills-building workshops, speaker engagements, and networking events with professionals from the Board of Trade’s business membership. The signature piece of the program is the Connector component, which pairs students with a series of senior business leaders for one-on-one meetings and network building.

“At the Beedie School of Business we recognize the value the Access program provides our students,” said Casey Dorin, Executive Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Beedie School of Business. “The professional development and networking opportunities it offers are invaluable, and create tremendous added value to participants’ student experience. It very much reflects the Beedie School of Business’ evolving business education in action approach.”

“The program provides a great benefit not only to student participants, but to our local business community as well,” said BBOT President and CEO Paul Holden. “These individuals are outstanding representatives of tomorrow’s business leaders and entrepreneurs. There is top local talent coming out of our renowned educational institutions, and to ensure our businesses and organizations continue to thrive, we need to make sure this talent stays in Burnaby. I believe that the upcoming generation is going to ensure that the future in this community is bright indeed.”

The Beedie School of Business undergraduate students to graduate from the program this year include: Arsalan Sheikh; Baqar Hassan; Brandon Chapman; Chris Melnyk; David Li; Jack Zhou; Janie Tyugay; Jennifer Johnson; Jenny Mi; Jodha Garcha; Michelle Wong; Mthabisi Mhlanga; Sunny Kim; Vameesha Patel; Vicki Nguyen; and Yuchen Yao.

“The staff at the Burnaby Board of Trade really care about the development of future leaders in the community,” says Beedie undergraduate student Brandon Chapman, a member of the 2014/15 BBOT Access program cohort. “Through the program, I was fortunate enough to be connected with mentors at Electronic Arts and IBM who gave me useful advice and guidance as I weighed my career options after graduation. Now I’m working on a start-up, Artemis Technologies, using drones to survey crops for farmers.”

The BBOT is Burnaby’s pre-eminent business association and is a key part of the City’s economic development strategy. Working closely with the municipality, the BBOT supports the growth of business both locally and internationally, and fosters a sustainable business environment through networking, education, advocacy and development.

For more information on the Access Student Career Development program, visit www.accessprogram.ca