As I stood in front of a room full of my peers, cue cards clutched tightly in hand, I couldn’t think of a time I’d been more nervous to speak in front of people only a year or two older than me. I was 15 at the time when my favourite business teacher suggested I join the Junior Achievement (JA) Company Program. When I followed his advice, I quickly learned he was right when he said it would provide me with the type of hands-on business experience you just couldn’t get in a classroom.
I spoke with little authority as I explained to the rest of the company why I would be a great fit for the role of VP of Marketing. As the votes were counted later that evening, my heart sank when my name wasn’t called. For the rest of the year, I tried my best to contribute the ideas I had hoped to implement as a VP, but in a group where nearly everyone was older and more experienced, I often felt like my voice wasn’t heard.
The following year, I decided to return to the program for a second time, with the lessons of my first year still fresh in my mind. This time around, I was more confident, had more leadership experience, and also came in with a deeper understanding of the program. I didn’t need cue cards anymore. As I looked around the room, I made sure to engage with everyone I was asking to vote for me. Delivering my speech to be the president of our company, I spoke with confidence in the promises I was making to my peers.
When I discovered that, for the next five months, I would get to lead a team of other high schoolers as we developed our very own business, I was elated. I couldn’t wait to create something we all could be proud of and continue to enhance my knowledge of business operations — this time from the perspective of a leader. Within this role, I was determined to create an environment where every team member felt valued. Remembering my experience from the year before, it was important to me that everyone felt personally invested in the company. It was an incredible experience; not only did I learn a tremendous amount, but I was reaffirmed that my leadership efforts had paid off when I won President of the Year.
What I loved most about the Company Program was the opportunity to combine so many of my interests, many of which I wasn't necessarily sure applied to the business world. Growing up, I always saw myself doing something creative. I assumed I’d be a writer in a job that would let me travel. But through JA, I realized that even in a business setting, I could still be creative in the way I planned team meetings, worked through logistical challenges, and handled interpersonal conflicts. It was this valuable hands-on experience that pushed me to apply to
Ivey AEO. When I learned about the Ivey case method, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed handling real problems in a business context, rather than the theory I had been taught in school. I also knew Ivey would provide me with an environment where I could continue to explore all my interests and apply them to a business setting in a meaningful way.
However, it wasn’t just my business-related experiences that led me to apply. It was the many moments where I learned through challenges and mistakes. I’ll never forget the seemingly endless hurdles I faced while working as a swim instructor. One challenge I remember vividly was how hard it was when I taught a two-year-old boy who would not stop crying. Every lesson, he would get close to the water, and for the remaining 29 minutes we spent together, he would sob in my arms as I desperately tried everything to soothe him. I also worked with an adult swimmer who struggled for weeks to put his head under water, let alone make it to the first set of flags. Even with these challenges, I’ll never forget the feeling when that same little boy made it through his first lesson without tears, or when my adult swimmer made it to the end of the pool and shared how excited he was to swim with his grandkids. Through four years of teaching, I learned the importance of exercising patience, not just with others but also with myself.
Looking back, the moments that shaped me most weren’t the ones that went perfectly; they were the ones that tested my patience, confidence, and ability to try again when things didn't work out. If I had succeeded right away in achieving the role I wanted in my first year with JA, I might not have felt the need to return and would’ve missed out on an incredible experience. In the same vein, if I hadn’t had such a challenging time early on as a swim instructor, those later wins wouldn’t have felt nearly as special. As I now enter AEO 1, I remind myself that the challenges that I will inevitably face ahead will soon turn into lessons I will reflect fondly on.