03 Speaking:The Stage

Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame Gala, Vancouver

That same night, JABC inducted five new members into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame: Dr. Julia Levy, former CEO of QLT and a UBC professor whose pharmaceutical research reshaped an entire field; Amar Doman of Futura Corporation; Bob Gaglardi, who built Northland Properties from the ground up; Jake Kerr, chair of Mosaic Forest Management; and Barry Lapointe, chairman of KF Aerospace.

Getting to speak on the same stage as five people who have spent decades building the companies and institutions that shape this province was incredibly inspiring, and it’s something I still carry with me, working toward that same kind of impact.

At the beginning of this year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Junior Achievement British Columbia Company Program, a 16-week program where teams of high school students launch a real business, taking on executive roles and running it with mentorship from local business professionals. My team created Mind Over Media, a deck of 50 open-ended philosophy prompts with no right answers, priced to actually turn a profit while donating 10% of every sale to Foundry BC. I was also able to make new connections and new friends that I’ve since competed alongside in case competitions and still keep in contact with today. This program therefore allowed me to apply for and receive the Oratory and Presentation Skills Award: it’s given to four students across BC every year who are awarded $2,500 in recognition of their speaking and presentation skills, with the chance to give a one-minute speech at the Hall of Fame Gala, in a room that runs past a thousand seats.