My Experience at SFU Beedie

I came into SFU specifically for the BEAM program. I had a couple of friends who were in it and said that it really gives you a competitive edge, especially if you're pursuing finance, which I was interested in. It really solidified my interest in finance and made me want to pursue it. In the BEAM program, you get access to training sessions and speaking-specific classes that others are not privy to, but I think more than anything it's just the sense of camaraderie that comes with being in the program. You're in a cohort with 10 to 15 other people who are very like-minded, but who are also not afraid to challenge your views and to have very constructive dialogues. The BEAM program has definitely been the highlight of my SFU experience and I'm really glad I made that choice!

Most Memorable Class

My most memorable class happens to be my first-ever class at Beedie, BUS 202 Collaborative Work Environments. I went in thinking it was going to be one of those classes that I had to take and I was not going to learn anything important. I ended up learning how to solve conflicts, how to react when someone is not very happy with you at work or how to deal with stress - which is something that's often overlooked, but I think it's important for you to at least notice the signs and triggers so you are able to deal with it when you're in the workforce. It was such a surprise and definitely one of my favourite classes

Favourite Professor

My favourite professor was Matt Martel, who I had for BUS 202, and who I went on to TA for. The moment was in one of the first few classes - I'll never forget this - he came out and said, “I know that my weakness is that I speak in a monotone and I’ll try my best to fix that. But this is something that I'm aware of, and that I need to the putting steps into shape.”

And that is kind of the premise of this class: to be aware of how others perceive you and how you can make changes to not only better yourself, but improve the effectiveness of your leadership or the effectiveness of your team. I thought that it was just so refreshing to see a professor acknowledge their weaknesses and to also show that it's okay and that he is taking steps to resolve it.