Ivey’s HBA2s began their program today with a Welcome Back event where they celebrated student achievements from the 2021-2022 year as well as an outstanding teaching award winner.
During the session, the students were welcomed by Lyn Purdy, Associate Dean of Programs; Nadine de Gannes, HBA ’09, HBA Program Faculty Director; the HBA Program Office; HBA Association; and Ivey Career Management. They also heard a presentation from Elena Simpson, HBA ’18 and MBA ’23 candidate, who shared three pieces of advice based on her discussions with fellow HBA alumni:
- Explore – Take the time to figure out what you really want in a career, rather than following what others do, so you land a role you truly enjoy;
- Support each other – HBA2 will be a tough year so be there for your classmates. It will help you both this year and later on when you’re out in the world;
- Make time to make memories – Do what you need to do for your well-being and have fun, whether it’s getting involved in student clubs or extracurricular activities or participating in social events.
“It sounds cliché to say, ‘Just have fun this year,’ but sometimes we have to remind students in their final year to actually have fun,” she said. “When I asked my [former] classmates for advice, they said they didn’t remember all the classes they took or the grades they got, but they remember the friends they made and the memories they have from all those fun events at Ivey.”
Elena Simpson
Reflections on the HBA2 experience
Citing a quote from American children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), “Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory,” de Gannes told the students about one of her own memorable experiences as an HBA2 student: a major essay project. She said she now looks back on that moment fondly because it represented her transition from HBA1 to HBA2 where she was able to weave together learnings from HBA1 core disciplines and execute on a complex project.
“You think about the multidisciplinary and the cross-disciplinary – that’s what’s at stake this year,” she said. “I hope there is not just one piece of work, but many pieces of work that you feel very proud of as you weave together your business education with the multiplicity of knowledge that you hold.”
Celebrating Ivey's 100th anniversary
Purdy told the students it’s a particularly exciting time to be at Ivey. Not only does the HBA2 cohort have the largest number of dual-degree students to date, but their graduation ceremony in June 2023 will mark the centennial of the first class of HBA students to graduate from Ivey.
“We’re celebrating the strong history that the school has had and we’re also very much looking forward to the future,” she said.
Noting that the students will soon start looking ahead to their own futures as recruiting season begins, Purdy said the values and strength of character the students have developed at Ivey will differentiate them and set them up for success.
“My advice is simple: live in the moment and enjoy it,” she said. “Explore your career options, stay connected with your friends, and be open to new opportunities.”
The event also included academic awards and recognition for outstanding teaching. Assistant Professor Tiffany Bayley received this year’s David G. Burgoyne Teaching Award.
Congratulations to the following HBA2 award recipients.
- Stephen Cuddy Memorial HBA Award – Jackson Tan;
- HBA '94 McCleary Memorial Award – Julie Van;
- Shelagh Donovan Memorial HBA Award – Firuza Huseynova, and Sarah Zhang;
- J. Wettlaufer Award – Vincent Bonus, John Cameron, Azul Goyat, Max Livingston, Waleed Sawan, David Weiss, Oliver Zhou, and Edward Zurabov;
- Suzanne Curtis Award – Sahiba Badyal, Natasha Boyd, Francesca de Tommaso, Samantha Goertz, Claire Hallsworth, Annabelle Pundaky, Anjana Somasundaram, and Kyanna Vi;
- Michael & Stefanie Block HBA Award – Chloe Macklin; and,
- KPMG Equity, Diversity and Inclusion HBA2 Award – Kelly Liu and Tesneem Rahhal.
Below is a look at the HBA2 class by the numbers.
