It was the summer of 2023 and Michael Mariano, HBA ’26 candidate, had just completed his second year of Western’s Engineering Science program and was working at a construction site office.
After submitting his application to Ivey’s HBA program a couple of weeks earlier, he was checking his email constantly and looking forward to updating his coworkers on his progress.
“One morning, I was coming back from a site walk, checked my phone, and saw an email that said ‘Congratulations, you’ve won the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award,’” he says. “I was really surprised and overwhelmed with joy. It made me feel really valued.”
About the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award
Established in 2021, the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award started with a commitment of $100,000 from Reg Jackson, HBA ’96. The award is given to a full-time HBA1 student based on academic achievement, community leadership, interest in entrepreneurship and/or family business, with demonstrated financial need. Worth $5,000 annually, the award is renewed in the student’s HBA2 year, provided they remain at Ivey full-time and continue to meet the award criteria — for a total of $10,000 over the full HBA program. Where possible, preference is given to a student from the communities of St. Marys, Ont., Stratford, Ont., or from Huron or Perth counties.
The award was born out of a desire to not leave anyone behind. “Being a dad, I was starting to hear stories about very bright young people contemplating not going to post-secondary — and potentially not going to Ivey — because they couldn't afford it,” says Jackson, who is a Senior Wealth Advisor and Portfolio Manager with Fairway Wealth Management at National Bank in London, Ont.
“And that's just not acceptable to me. There are ways that donors, alumni, and schools can help. I’m at the stage of my career and life to be giving back philanthropically, and one of those major things is giving back to Ivey, which started it all for me.”
Entrepreneurship at the heart of the award
Jackson knew he wanted to do something, though he wasn’t exactly sure what. So, he reached out to Ivey and discussed how he could build the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award. Because Ivey is entrepreneurial in nature and spirit, Jackson says, he wanted to put entrepreneurship at the heart of the award, too.
In his own HBA1 year, Jackson purchased the Westover Inn in St. Marys, Ont. with some partners. (Fun fact: one summer, a friend of Jackson’s was hired by Ivey to write a series of cases based on the business, which was taught to incoming HBAs for a few years.) Although Jackson is no longer a partner in the business, the experience of buying and running the inn was instrumental in his decision to include entrepreneurship in the award criteria.
I have a sense of relief receiving the award because now, instead of worrying about financial deadlines, I’m able to use that time to make sure I’m as immersed in the program as my peers.
Mariano hopes to pursue an entrepreneurial path as well. In his Ivey application, he wrote that he hopes to become a future business owner, potentially in the residential/commercial construction business.
“It was nice to know that there are people on the other side actually reading through the applications and taking my own life experiences into account,” he says. “I was grateful that I could trust an institution like Ivey to take the time to go through those details.”
Impact of the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award
Currently in his fifth year of a dual degree, Mariano says receiving the award for two years has allowed him
to show up in a way he wouldn’t otherwise be able to — “both physically and mentally.”
For instance, he now has the opportunity to embrace extracurriculars and join certain clubs. “I have a sense of relief receiving the award because now, instead of worrying about financial deadlines, I’m able to use that time to make sure I’m as immersed in the program as my peers.”
Jackson and Mariano had the opportunity to meet at Ivey in 2024, along with a few other past award recipients. “Reg shared a lot of great perspectives,” says Mariano. “It was a good opportunity to express gratitude and ask him questions about his life. It was definitely a cool experience to meet the person behind the award.”
The meeting was extremely rewarding for Jackson, too. “I absolutely loved it,” he says. “It’s very important to me to meet the recipients. I have a vested interest in their success and am interested in their stories because I feel like I’m a part of those stories.” Jackson noticed one common attribute among all of the recipients: drive. “Ivey is intimidating,” he says, “but they all had this attitude of ‘I’m going to make the most of this.’”
Education and awareness
When Jackson went to Ivey, he was the recipient of a scholarship from Campbell’s Soup. He only learned about it because his mother worked there and encouraged him to apply.
That experience is a big part of why he’s so passionate about helping others and improving education and awareness around financial aid for prospective students. He believes it’s equally important to make alumni and prospective donors aware, since some could have been scholarship beneficiaries when they went to post-secondary.
“There’s somebody out there who might read this and say ‘I’ve been thinking about giving. It’s my turn, I’m able, Ivey checks all my boxes — and I was that kid.’”
Since its inception, the Reg Jackson HBA Entrepreneurship Award has supported 10 recipients. Going forward, Jackson plans to renew it so that he’s able to help even more students. As for Mariano, he hopes to be in a position one day where he can give back to students the way Jackson has to him. “Especially to those coming from an engineering background,” he says. “I’ve seen what an award like this can do for students. I would love to pay that forward through an award and also provide mentorship to people like me.”
If you’re interested in supporting Ivey students with a scholarship, please contact Meghan Wilhelm, Manager of Annual Giving, at mwilhelm@ivey.ca.