McGill was the only university I wanted to study at. It was a shiny beacon on the hill when I would visit my grandparents in Montreal. The reputation of the University and the Desautels Faculty of Management were (and are) outstanding.
Being at McGill introduced me to a completely different world. As a Greville Smith scholar, I had the opportunity to have dinner with Principal Johnston, socialise with my fellow award winners and attend events that I would have never known about.
The milieu created a whole new set of expectations for me – I set a much higher standard for myself. Whether it was in athletics, student government or academically, I knew that I had to be the best that I could be. This internal drive has never gone away. It is something I am very grateful to McGill for.
Playing sports is another fond memory of my time at McGill: sitting on the bench with the football team, travelling to Harvard and other Ivy league schools with the rugby club or winning intramural championships in sports like hockey or broomball. Many of my classmates from undergraduate are still good friends of mine today.
McGill was very generous to me and gave me a foundation that set me up for life. I knew that if I were ever to become successful, I would gladly give back to the school both with time and money.
In my volunteer work with McGill in particular, I find it tremendously satisfying to work with the students because I know how much I would have valued this type of interaction. I also believe in helping the institution set and then achieve its goals. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can try and help make our society a better place to be.