Ten Thousand Coffees at BU

Truth and Reconciliation: five years later

Samy Cauvet, Economics & Busimess Editor » thecampus.editor@gmail.com

Battle on Bay is still on despite the pandemic

Maxime Toguri-Laurin Contributor

Ryerson University’s Battle on Bay is a unique and long-standing case competition that gives participants an edge when it comes to standing out in the job market. Undergraduate business students from across Canada are invited to participate in this four-day conference (Jan. 7 – 10, 2021), which, of course, will be held online for the first time in its 14-year existence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delegates are battle-tested in the ability to best use their problem solving, communication, and analytical skills to solve real-life financial issues within a given time frame. Delegates will have the opportunity to compete among other universities, participate in networking workshops, and listen to guest speakers. Top industry professionals will gather to be judges and provide valuable feedback, as well as network with the delegates throughout the conference.

Additionally, this competition allows students to expand their network with other undergraduates and professionals. This is an integral part of securing a role at any organization upon graduation given that professional networks for recent graduates are generally limited at this moment.

Finally, over $6,000 in prizes will be awarded to teams that podium, who will receive other awesome perks in the process. Jay Sharma Contributor

Thanks to the hard work of RBC Student Ambassadors Alexandre Bourque-Labbé and Jean-Francois Cardinal, the online networking platform Ten Thousand Coffees was implemented at the start of the Fall 2020 semester and is currently available to all Bishop’s students. networking platform. First, Alexandre Bourque-Labbé spoke of his excitement about the arrival of the platform at Bishop’s: “What makes me excited about Ten Thousand Coffees coming to Bishop’s is the opportunities to learn more about peers and alumni that once were in my place. Indeed, I have been using Ten Thousand Coffees at RBC since last year and I have been able to make the most of it. From meeting with fellow student interns at RBC to colleagues in senior positions, I found mentorship for my career using this platform and I widened my network within the firm as well.”

Then, Jean-Francois Cardinal talked about his experience with the platform: “Ten Thousand Coffees was mostly Alexandre’s idea. So far, I have met with two people, one alum and one first-year student. We discussed our experiences at BU, our jobs and our personal interests. Unfortunately, I did not get the time to do a virtual coffee chat yet. Instead, I have been communicating with them via messages. People using Ten Thousand Coffees are current students, new graduates, and alumni, so it represents a great opportunity to network.” about the origins of Ten Thousand Coffees and he replied that “in 2014, founder David Wilkin came up with his wholesome networking platform that allows students and professionals to meet and share their knowledge and experience with each other in an informal setting from anywhere in the world. I think that over the years, technological innovations have become a key to successful networking. Keeping in touch with friends, mentors and colleagues has never been this easy and I am glad that I could help bring this wonderful resource to my fellow Gaiters.” that “the app works like [the] popular dating site Match.com, where users are surveyed about what they are looking for [and] what they have to offer, and then asked to write a few icebreaker blurbs. After the survey, users’ profiles are thrown into a database where an algorithmic matching system goes to work. Based on interests and what users are looking for, they are matched with other users and given the opportunity to set up a virtual coffee date to share their knowledge, goals, and experiences with each other.” platform to BU is easily understandable because this will bring many benefits to the BU student experience. Indeed, Bourque-Labbé mentions that “using this resource will be of great help to students, young professionals, and Bishop’s alumni seeking to give back to students through mentoring and internship opportunities. This is an exciting addition to the university’s continuously expanding reservoir of student services.” We learnt that an invitation to join Ten Thousand Coffees was sent to Bishop’s students’ webmails at the end of August. When accessing the website (TenThousandCoffees.com), BU students can join the university’s community by clicking on the “Sign In” button on the home page followed by “Join your school’s community.” Bishop’s appears near the top of the list. semester has been uncovered, we can only wish all Bishop’s students interested by this new platform “happy networking!”

The theme for Battle on Bay 2021 is The Paradigm of Asset Management. In the past few decades, the continuous growth in technology has created a more even playing field for firms, regardless of size. Thanks to the advent and rapid advancements of the Internet, many new companies have emerged with the ability to reach markets and clients in every corner of the world. Meanwhile, older firms have either adapted to the push for technology or vanished due to the fierce competition.

Last year, this experience served as the first case competition that I ever took part in, and I had a blast. I was nervous at the time because my presentation skills were not great, but the environment was full of pressure, urgency, and competition, which brought the best out of my skill set; I had to come up with the most optimal solution to the problem at hand whether I liked it or not. Although we did not win, this gateway experience allowed me to grow both personally and professionally while reemphasizing the importance of teamwork, communication, and innovation – crucial business aspects.

Bishop’s University has consistently attended this competition over the years, and I encourage current business students to get out of their comfort zones; try something new, whether it is this year or the next; and make the most of an experience that contributes to