BBA graduate Fahad Yasin: Continuing a family tradition
Jun 18, 2012
The following story was published on SFU News on June 7, 2012.
By Ross MacDonald-Allan
When undergrad Fahad Yasin collects his degree in business administration this month, his family’s association with Simon Fraser University will have returned to where it started.
His father, Mohammed, graduated 30 years ago after leaving his home country, Fiji, to study at SFU.
His two older sisters also attended SFU, one of whom will join him at convocation when she graduates with a bachelor of arts degree.
“My family spoke so highly of SFU that it was an easy decision to come here and carry on the family tradition,” says Yasin.
“My dad always said his years at SFU were the best of his life and now it turns out they were the best of mine so far as well.”
Yasin has certainly made the most of his time at SFU. He took part in four different co-op placements during his studies, including working for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and placed in the top three at several international case competitions while representing SFU.
He also took his SFU experience global, with an exchange to Copenhagen for a semester. He then travelled to Mumbai on a co-op placement working with renewable energy, where his second language of Hindi was a huge advantage.
Yasin’s father now runs his own accounting firm in Vancouver and helps immigrants find gainful employment.
“As a former international student, he knows what it’s like to deal with a new culture. It’s his way of giving back,” Yasin explains.
Even with his time at SFU nearing an end, the young Beedie School of Business grad has no plans to slow down now.
He will spend this summer in Sri Lanka on an Education Generation fellowship, measuring the sustainable impact of education in the communities.
“It’s funny how things change over time,” he says. “Originally, my dad came to Vancouver from a developing country and now today I am doing the opposite, leaving here to pursue work in a developing country.
“Everything has come full circle.”