by Arthur Li, IMBA candidate, Executive Ambassador

Like it or not, there are two things every Schulich student cannot escape from: group projects and student club outreach.

arthur-li_finalFor December’s sake, let’s forget about group work for a while and talk about student clubs. When I first came to Schulich, within my first week I found myself immersed in the various passions of my peers at the Launch Week Club Fair. Among the sea of business formal attire, enthusiastic greetings, pitches and flyers, I met a select group of student club executives who would later reshape my first-year experience.

Now in my second year, I am happy to serve in the Healthcare and Biotechnology Forum (HCBF) and Schulich East Asian Business Association (SEABA).

From a club member’s point of view, joining a number of student organizations allows me to establish connections outside of the classroom with inspiring alumni and brilliant peers who share similar interests with me. I also think of club membership as opening many windows through which I can quickly browse what other industries look like with a comparatively minimal (or flexible) level of investment from me.

It’s also a great way to build universal skills. After becoming an executive of two clubs, I now work closely with the executive teams to bring high-quality events to our members by:

  • brainstorming initiatives
  • engaging internal and external stakeholders
  • searching for and securing sponsorship opportunities
  • sourcing talented successors to hand over the clubs when we graduate!

As business students, we are educated to create value for our organizations. In November, HCBF and the Career Development Centre successfully hosted a massive networking mixer with more than 30 reputable healthcare companies in attendance. In the January 2017, SEABA will represent Schulich at a Chinese New Year Gala that we’ll co-host with five other Ontario business schools including Rotman, Ivey, DeGroote, Smith, and Ted Rogers.

Being involved in student clubs has been a fantastic opportunity to practice what I have learned inside the classroom. My Schulich experience is better thanks to these student organizations.