“If you’re not constantly achieving something, you’re falling behind.”
Lindsay Lam flies in from Vancouver with a suitcase in each hand and a rising, flickering passion for consulting. She attends her health science courses, bakes on the weekends and heads to the gym, sending LinkedIn requests while walking from one building to the next. Yet, like many other students, her self-doubt begins to creep in after the thousandth rejection email.
Sitting in her Business 2257 class every Monday and Wednesday (the common enemy!), Lam found herself intimidated by the unfamiliar course structure and pressure to contribute each week. The challenging coursework, coupled with her own burnout, led her to feel frustrated and overwhelmed during the first few months of her AEO2 year. To confront this, she set aside her pride, going to office hours every week and raising her hand even when she wasn’t fully confident in her answer. By pushing away the intimidating course reputation and refusing to let it get to her head, she slowly built a growth mindset centered around sustainability and improvement, applicable to other areas of her life.
When Lam entered HBA1, she noticed the stark difference between the environment and health sciences. “The workload wasn’t necessarily ‘harder,’’ says Lam. “But it’s fast paced.” Facing a new balancing act between exams and recruiting timelines, she was forced to be more selective about where she invested her energy, but always ensured that her efforts align with her true values and personal goals. To develop new skills, she also joined several clubs, such as Ivey Health Sector Club, to meet other students with a STEM background and ground herself amidst busy school days. While she’s been able to develop lifelong friendships with many others in her section and learn from HBA2 mentors, Lam also emphasizes the importance of maintaining relationships before HBA1 to avoid exclusively staying within the Ivey bubble.
Bolstered by her experience with Western Management Consulting and her intersectional coursework, Lam worked as a technology consulting intern in EY’s National Health Care Practice the summer before entering Ivey. She attests to their positive and supportive office culture, enabling her to build practical Excel and verbal communication skills while strengthening relationships with her intern cohort. The tangible responsibilities and deliverables she completed solidified her interest in working in both healthcare and business but also led her to reflect on her long term goals. Rather than chasing the next shiny job offer, she aims to find a career that allows her to serve her community while surrounded by the people she loves.
“Back then, I think I saw success as just hitting the next step,” says Lam. “Like maintaining AEO, [or] landing the next internship.” Yet, after reflecting on her past victories and struggles, Lam’s perspective on what constitutes a victory has shifted. In Ivey, she’s constantly faced with new benchmarks and surrounded by ambitious peers, yet has learned to focus on her natural strengths rather than chasing the most common career paths. She encourages AEOs to reflect on what they really want out of the program, and to use Ivey’s recruiting resources intentionally, in a manner that best aligns with their personal goals. While Ivey has helped her achieve her short-term career ambitions and develop a supportive community that make 8:00 a.m.s more palatable, her long-term priorities have stayed consistent: using her talents in a way that best uplifts others.
Now, Lam sits at her desk, staring at her color-coded, time-blocked calendar. She diverts her gaze to check on the batch of cookies in the oven, scribbling down answers to the next case as she watches the kitchen timer. And when the timer does go off, she doesn’t frantically pull up LinkedIn or send out several dozen cold emails with a shaking hand. She eats the cookie.