Inside Ivey
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For six months, HBA '27 candidates Esra Osman (VP Student Events with the HBA Association) and Luke Ducheck (Head OWL) worked with their team to plan an O-Week for 780 incoming HBA1s. In the Q&A below, they reflect on the planning behind the week, the challenges they faced, and their goal of helping the new class feel connected, supported, and ready to begin their Ivey experience.
Q&A with Esra Osman and Luke Ducheck
Why did you want to take on a leadership role in planning this year’s HBA O-Week?
O-Week is such a special and fundamental part of the HBA experience. It is one of the first opportunities students have to form meaningful relationships, find a sense of belonging, and begin shaping what they want their Ivey experience to look like. Some of the friendships and support systems built during that first week can last throughout HBA and well beyond it.
We wanted to take on a leadership role because we understood just how impactful those first few days can be. Entering a new environment can feel overwhelming, and O-Week has the ability to turn that uncertainty into excitement, comfort, and a genuine sense of community. We wanted to create an experience where every incoming student felt welcomed, supported, and excited about the people they would be spending the next two years alongside.
It was also an opportunity to give back to a community that had already given us so much. After experiencing O-Week ourselves and seeing the impact student leaders had on our transition into HBA, we wanted to create that same feeling for the next class while hopefully making their experience even better. We can confidently say that we are in these roles today because of the incredible leaders who came before us.
Looking back, what were your top goals for the week, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
Our main goal was ultimately to deliver a successful O-Week experience for everyone involved. For us, success meant strong attendance and engagement from the HBA1s, a positive experience for our O-Week Leaders (OWLs), strong collaboration with faculty and staff, and as few concerns or complaints as possible across all groups.
Looking back, we feel we achieved that goal extremely well. Attendance and engagement remained consistently high throughout the week, and the energy from both HBA1s and OWLs showed how invested everyone was in the experience. We also maintained open communication with faculty and staff throughout the planning process and during the week itself, which allowed us to address challenges quickly as they came up.
With an O-Week involving 780 HBA1s, nearly 180 OWLs, multiple days of programming, and countless moving pieces, we knew it would be impossible for everything to go exactly as planned. Our goal was never perfection. It was to make sure that whatever challenges were happening behind the scenes never took away from the HBA1 experience. The overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from HBA1s, OWLs, faculty, and staff made us feel that we accomplished what we set out to do and created an O-Week that people genuinely enjoyed and were proud to be part of.
We focused on two areas: academic class preparation and connecting students to recruiting and their great careers ahead. In terms of academic focus, we worked with Ivey faculty to co-deliver our Ivey Essentials day, where we emphasized effective approaches to aspects like class preparation, navigating exams, and course-specific primers.
In terms of the recruiting support side, we really thought about how we can use one of our greatest assets: our amazing 180+ OWL student leaders. We spent significant time using our OWL base to compile a very authentic approach to seeking jobs and thinking about the many potential career paths ahead. We built out time specifically for OWLs to share their experiences and be able to connect with their section more intimately to make OWLs easier-to-access mentors. Our new Ivey Day had a two-hour block, specifically on OWL-made presentations to help bridge the gap to recruiting and show that, as OWLs just a year ago, we could share the steps we took to help make the path forward for HBA1s as clear as possible. We reached out to club leads and invited them to share resources and information to help give HBA1s a leg up in getting involved. Overall, we felt that as student leaders, we are much more than just orientation week leaders for HBA1s; we are mentors and, more importantly, Ivey students who want every single student to feel confident entering this new phase of their life.
What changed in this year’s O-Week structure or timing, and what was the thinking behind those changes?
This year’s O-Week structure came with a number of changes compared with last year, largely because of the later Labour Day. That pushed our timeline back and meant some O-Week activities overlapped with the HBA1s’ first days of class. We worked closely with the HBA program team to make sure the academic and O-Week schedules complemented each other and that everyone’s priorities were aligned.
Ultimately, the new structure worked extremely well. We were able to create a more continuous O-Week experience, maintain OWL involvement throughout the entire week, shorten Essentials to a day and a half, and introduce entirely new programming.
Our Vibez Executive OWLs, Maya Smith and Ben Murphy, introduced new activities, including an LT Talent Show to replace the traditional Amazing Race. We also introduced an entirely new day, “Ivey Day,” led by our Bootcamp Executive OWLs, Brooke Williams and Vadim Melnik. Ivey Day combined the fun of O-Week with OWL recruiting advice through a carnival-style experience featuring inflatables, popcorn and cotton candy machines, photo booths, and more.
Which moment or activity best captured the spirit of this year’s O-Week?
The moment that best captured the spirit of this year’s O-Week was the opening ceremony for Olympics Day on the University Heights field. It was a new initiative this year, and the goal was to bring every section together in one place at the same time.
After a morning of building section spirit through poster-making and face-painting, each section walked onto the field dressed in its respective colour. Seeing every HBA1 and OWL together in one environment, full of energy and chanting their section cheers, really showed the strength of the community we have at Ivey.
Even standing at the front as leaders, we were taken aback by the size of the group, but even more so by the energy and spirit coming from the field in front of us. It was one of those moments where you could really see what O-Week and the Ivey community are all about.
What was the biggest logistical or creative challenge your team faced, and how did you work through it?
The biggest logistical challenge was coordinating the movement, programming, and needs of 780 HBA1 students and nearly 180 OWLs across a constantly changing schedule. With the later Labour Day pushing part of O-Week into the first week of classes, we had to work around academic programming, classroom and space availability, catering restrictions, transportation, vendor schedules, and venue access, all while making sure the student experience still felt seamless.
So many of those logistical pieces were interconnected. A change to one event could affect food delivery, OWL deployment, transportation, or the timing of another activity. The biggest challenge was therefore not necessarily one specific event, but managing all of those moving pieces at once and adapting quickly whenever something changed behind the scenes.
Throughout the week, we relied heavily on constant communication and on the strength of our team. With such a large group involved, it was important that everyone understood their responsibilities, communicated changes quickly, and was willing to step in wherever support was needed. Rather than trying to solve every issue ourselves, we trusted our Executive OWLs and broader OWL team to take ownership of different parts of the week. That ability to communicate, delegate, and lean on one another allowed us to adapt quickly while still creating a seamless experience for the HBA1s.
What’s one behind-the-scenes effort that most students may not have seen, but was essential to the week’s success?
What most students probably do not see are the countless hours that go into planning O-Week from March all the way through to the first day. Because it is an entirely student-led orientation week, our team was balancing full-time summer jobs while also bringing O-Week together. A huge shout-out to our whole exec team: Olivia Boyd, Ruby Yang, London Luyks, Ellie Bourke, Ryan Doerr, Brooke Williams, Vadim Melnik, Sophia Emer, Arta Barzeger, Maya Smith, Will Tario, Sophie Hodgson, Lily Abboud, Luca Stojanovic, Georgina Kaloudis, Isaac Irwin, Sarah Douglas, Ben Murphy, Catherine Gao, and Pablo Godoy. They are all top-class student leaders who not only put in hours of amazing work, but also significantly shaped the outstanding culture that we are confident will continue for years to come at Ivey.
Across our entire Executive team, there were countless hours spent on calls with one another, potential sponsors, faculty, staff, and vendors. Evenings and weekends were often spent working through the hundreds of small details required to make the week happen. Whether it was coordinating food for more than 1,000 people across multiple days or building two completely new days of programming, an enormous amount of work happened behind the scenes to create the experience HBA1s ultimately saw.
Another thing students may not realize is how much thought goes into the timing and flow of each day. When you have more than 750 students moving through activities, the schedule has to do more than simply keep people busy. We wanted every day to feel engaging while also intentionally creating opportunities for students to bond.
From the flow of Olympics Day, where sections competed against one another in friendly games, to Ivey Day, where students came together in a more relaxed carnival environment, every transition and activity required careful thought about how we could move such a large group smoothly while still creating meaningful experiences.
In what ways do you think this year’s O-Week helped set the tone for the incoming HBA1 class?
The tone of this year’s O-Week was all about the Ivey experience, but more importantly, making sure that experience felt accessible to everyone.
Section culture is a huge part of what turns Ivey into a true community, and we wanted to give students every opportunity to connect not only within their own sections, but also with the broader HBA class. Through friendly competition, section activities, and Ivey-wide events, we wanted to create an environment where students felt comfortable meeting new people and being part of something bigger than their own section.
Ultimately, we wanted every student to feel like they belonged at Ivey, and we knew that started with our OWLs setting that example from day one.
What did you learn about leadership, teamwork, or community through organizing O-Week?
One of the biggest things we learned was just how strong the Ivey community is. We saw it through our team of nearly 180 OWL volunteers, but also through the incoming HBA1s and how quickly they embraced the community around them.
Ivey is only a two-year program, and it is crazy to think about how quickly you go from entering HBA yourself to becoming one of the student leaders responsible for welcoming the next class just a year later.
Our greatest strength throughout the process was our team. Our Executive team of 22 brought so many different ideas, personalities, and perspectives to the planning and execution of O-Week. As leaders of that team, it was incredible to watch each person thrive in their respective role. At every meeting, we were impressed by how much thought, creativity, and drive people brought to improving every aspect of the week.
Leading our own sections was equally rewarding. Seeing the HBA1s immediately pick up that sense of community and make it their own reminded us that leadership is not just about creating an experience for people. It is about giving them the environment and support to take ownership of that experience themselves.
Now that the week is over, what moment, outcome, or student response made all the work feel worthwhile?
Seeing the incoming HBA 2028 class smile, laugh, build new friendships, and tell us how much they enjoyed the week made the six months of work leading up to O-Week completely worthwhile.
There is something incredibly fulfilling about knowing that we have already had our own experiences at Ivey and now have the opportunity to pass the torch to a new class as they begin creating their own communities, traditions, and memories.
At the same time, passing the torch does not mean stepping away. One of the most rewarding parts of O-Week was building relationships that will continue well beyond the week itself. Our OWLs remain mentors and support systems for HBA1s, whether they need help navigating academics, recruiting, or simply the personal challenges that come with entering a new environment. Seeing incoming students feel comfortable enough to approach an OWL, ask for advice, or be vulnerable with them was incredibly meaningful. Knowing we helped create that sense of trust and belonging made all of the work worth it.
Beyond the HBA1 experience, it was equally special to watch our own team come together to bring O-Week to life. Seeing 22 Executive OWLs put everything they had into the week, bring our collective vision to life, and then have the support of nearly 170 General OWLs to execute it was incredibly rewarding.
These students willingly ended their summer vacations two weeks early because they genuinely cared about creating an unforgettable experience for the incoming class. As leaders, seeing that level of commitment, passion, and care from such a large group meant so much to us. We are incredibly grateful for the team that stood behind us and made the week possible.
