Share.Learn.Inspire.Transform
“This has been a tremendous journey and I wouldn’t have been able to complete this without my friends and family. Thank you for all your love and support. Thank you to all my Dalhousie friends! May the years to come be way better than the years we just finished!”
-Mary Tsai-Corindia, MBA(L), Class of 2021-
Mary Tsai-Corindia, MBA(L), Class of 2021
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“I recognize that my learning journey is far from complete”.
Emily Speight, MIM, (Class of 2021)
Emily Speight, MIM, Class of 2021
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Since graduating from the Master of Information Management (MIM) program in 2021, Emily Speight began a new role with a new employer focused on privacy legislation. She looks forward to the depths of this topic along with the challenges it brings.
Emily completed her program remotely from Red Deer Alberta and acknowledges the support that she received from her husband and sister. In her free time, Emily plans to expand her knowledge by taking up more reading.
Emily Speight
A few things come to my mind. Since completing the program:
I was offered a position at Deloitte working in the Privacy and Confidentiality Office. Privacy work has been a passion of mine for over a decade, and I am so excited to be in a role where privacy work is my full-time responsibility. The education I received at Dalhousie contributed greatly to preparing me for this role: I have a greater depth of knowledge, I ask better questions, and I have the self-discipline that is strengthened through the experience of completing graduate work. While there is definitely a significant learning curve in my role, I am confident that I can move through it.
I have also been reading voraciously! There were so many experts whose work I encountered in my studies, sometimes while conducting research for assignments, other times referenced by my professors. During my studies I was unable to explore these works in as much depth as I would have liked, so now I am making up for lost time. I am excited to begin reading “The Design of Future Things” by Donald A. Norman. I took User Design in my first year of studies and it completely changed my perspective.
I thoroughly enjoyed my program and I recognize that my learning journey is far from complete.
“I was honoured to be led by distinguished faculty and to have met and studied with public servants from all levels of government. I am reminded that honing my skills to serve better can be applied to all aspects of life; work, home, and community. It is with this resolve that I endeavour to serve, inspire, and be.”
-Jagdesh Singh, MPA(M), Class of 2021-
Jagdesh Singh, MPA(M), Class of 2021
“I’m incredibly thankful for the support of my friends and fellow ATB Team Members as I navigated through this MBA journey, and I feel incredibly blessed to have had my amazing family cheering me on along the way. Thank you to all the wonderful staff and faculty at Dalhousie. You have all made a lasting impact on me personally in many ways. Congrats to all my peers on your graduation. We made it!!”
-Kourtney Nelson Bernard, MBA(L), Class of 2021-
Kourtney Nelson Bernard, MBA(L), Class of 2021
“Went through the MBA journey and met some great students and professors. The MBA studies not only expanded my academic horizon but has added to my confidence to overcome challenges and barriers in a world full of complexity and in desperate need for leaders.”
-Hemi Kuarsingh, MBA(L), Class of 2021-
Hemi Kuarsingh, MBA(L), Class of 2021
“…it has been especially rewarding for me to be able to suggest tools and advice a diverse group of businesses such as Indigenous businesses, women-led businesses and businesses led by people from other marginalized groups on how to do business with the Government of Canada.”
Rona Datta, MBA(L), Class of 2021
Rona Datta MBA(L), Class of 2021
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Rona completed her MBA- Leadership degree from Dalhousie University in 2021. She brings a diverse work experience acquired through working in different industries starting from consumer-packaged goods to health care to university education and now she has recently joined Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Rona lives in Halifax with her husband and their little one. Her passion for travelling can be best described by the German word ‘Fernweh’ which translates to an innate desire to see far-flung places. She is a shutterbug who loves taking and editing pictures, a gastronome who is always ready for a culinary adventure, and a bookworm who currently has ‘Klara and the Sun’ on her bedside table.
We would be interested in hearing about your plans/goals now that you are an MBA Alumna.
Rona Datta
One of the acronyms I came across during my MBA program, which really resonated with me was ‘VUCA’ which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. I think this term embodies the multifaceted challenges faced by us and truly captures the essence of the time we are going through today. When I was in the final leg of my MBA journey, the question that larked in my mind often was how to utilize my acquired knowledge and heuristics to solve some of the puzzles faced by our society.
Whether fighting climate change, or reviving the economy upended by the pandemic or reducing barriers to create a level playing field for people from all backgrounds and different walks of life, the role and reach of government is undeniable in co-creating positive changes in the society in collaboration with other partners. The crystallization of this thought led me to seek employment opportunities with the federal government and recently I have been able to change the trajectory of my career path. In fact, the beginning of my new career path serendipitously overlapped with the end of my MBA journey, which certainly may look like a cinematic coincidence!
Each year the Government of Canada spends billions of dollars through awarding thousands of contracts. This represents a huge potential market for businesses. In my new role, at Procurement Assistance Canada (PAC) Atlantic, under Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), I am part of a team geared towards encouraging and helping smaller and diverse businesses sell their goods and services to the Government of Canada. Our focus is to inform, assist and engage with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to help reduce barriers often faced by these businesses, to ensure openness and fairness in the federal procurement process and to help increase supplier diversity. Another exciting area for me has been connecting with innovation hubs, entrepreneurial and innovative companies to create awareness about the IDEaS program, through which they can help solve some of the challenges identified by the Department of National Defence and get funding to advance their research or accelerate the development of their concepts or products.
Being an immigrant, and a woman of colour, I can relate to some of the barriers often people from under-represented sections of the society have to cross in order to stride on the path of making progress. Thus, it has been especially rewarding for me to be able to suggest tools and advice a diverse group of businesses such as Indigenous businesses, women-led businesses and businesses led by people from other marginalized groups, on how to do business with the Government of Canada.
As SMEs play such an integral part in our economy, being able to steer them in the right direction, evokes a sense of making a purposeful contribution to the society for me. After all, when shrouded by VUCA, we all need to do our part in lifting each other up. As famously quoted by Robert Ingersoll- “We rise by lifting others.”
“The MPA(M) program greatly broadened my perspective and enhanced my ability to think critically about an increasingly complex environment. I have practically applied knowledge obtained in each course and feel well-equipped to meet my future objectives”
-Stefania Cerisano, MPA(M), Class of 2021-
Stefania Cerisano, MPA(M), Class of 2021
“I enjoyed completing my MBA at Dalhousie University alongside classmates from across Canada. The instructors, course content, and students all added value to the program that helped me grow in ways that could not have been accomplished on my own. I am excited to put this knowledge to practice both in my family life, as I embark on fatherhood in a few short months, and in the workplace, as I continue to grow and develop my career. I am looking forward to watching the class of 2021 moving on to accomplish great things in the not too distant future.“
-Matthew Allen, MBA(L), Class of 2021-
Matthew Allen, MBA(L), Class of 2021
“I made the most of my experience in the program and ended with great friends, a strong professional network, and the confidence to take on more challenges”.
Mary Tsai-Corindia, MBA(L), Class of 2021
Mary Tsai-Corindia, MBA(L), Class of 2021
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Mary Tsai-Cordina is a recent MBA, Leadership Alumna. After the three plus years to complete her degree, Mary now has more time to take on new challenges.
The sentiment often heard from graduates is despite the time commitment to complete the program, the benefits are immeasurable.
Mary shared with CEGE Connection her favourite moments in the program, her thoughts on feedback, and what she gained from the MBA experience.
Mary Tsai-Corindia
The Dalhousie MBA program offers a wide span of topics and faculty with real-world experience. The Blended Online program was appealing to me compared to traditional MBA programs as I was able to move across provinces and continue in the program with minimal impact. I made the most of my experience in the program and ended with great friends, a strong professional network, and the confidence to take on more challenges.
Favourite moments in the MBA:
Sharing thoughts on feedback:
Feedback can always be a motivating factor. One thing I’ve definitely learned throughout this program is that the phrase “if its not broken, don’t fix it” no longer applies. We should always be open to change, which is easier said than done. At minimum, we should be open to suggestions. I also enjoy observing others and try to absorb their best attributes to see how I can apply these findings to my own life, whether personally or professionally.
Another inspiration to learn from is the passion in which the faculty bring to the various topics. Most Professors in this program are very passionate about what they teach. The faculty and staff always made themselves available and provided the help and support I needed throughout the program. The program provided me with the opportunity to expand my knowledge, fine tune my leadership skills and help me become a better global citizen.
“I gained a wealth of knowledge and built a network of professional relationships and personal friendships”.
Maya Churbaji, MBA(L), Class of 2020
Maya Churbaji is now an MBA Alumna after graduating in 2020. Maya’s critical thinking, analytical skills and teamwork approach are a testament to her leadership qualities.
CEGE Connection got to hear firsthand of Maya’s MBA journey, including the challenges, the rewards, and, of course, the connections along the way.
Maya Churbaji, MBA(L) Class of 2020
Photo by: Maike van Niekerk
Maya Churbaji
As I proudly look at my framed MBA degree and Dalhousie University’s bright gold crest on it, I can’t help but get emotional as I draft this blog. My MBA journey was challenging at times but it was, and still is, extremely rewarding. It took me a little over four years to complete the program, but this is the beauty of Dalhousie’s blended learning MBA – you can complete it as fast or as slow as you can or need to. I was able to take my MBA with me wherever I went. I moved both my kids to university, my family relocated from Halifax to Toronto, and I changed jobs twice during the program.
Joining the program after having been out of school for two decades was daunting, and being an immigrant, I also faced the challenge of being unfamiliar with the Canadian classroom experience. When the online discussion board of my first course opened up and I read some of the posts, I thought to myself: I would never be able to write something that insightful! Two courses down the road and discussion boards became my favourite component of the courses. Having people in each course at varying points of the program and at varying points in their personal and professional lives was extremely enriching. My most profound learning was peer learning from debating on the discussion board with my classmates and from the exchange of information and real-life experiences during the intensives. I did not just gain a degree; I gained a wealth of knowledge and built a network of professional relationships and personal friendships. Connecting with professors outside the scope of the course deliverables was another very enriching experience. The program has outstanding professors who recommended excellent books, articles, and resources; were readily available to help out with real-life workplace management challenges; and were generously willing to impart their wisdom and experiences.
If you are reading this blog because you are contemplating an MBA, I highly encourage you to embark on this amazing journey. I gained indispensable business dexterities in strategic management and was able to quickly make connections between the material covered in the MBA courses and my daily workplace experiences. I developed a deeper understanding of how different functions in organizations work and how they interconnect. I honed my critical thinking and analysis skills, as well as my writing and presentation skills. Being in a classroom is a true privilege, and I am confident that you will find your time at Dal MBA very rewarding. Most rewardingly, you will get to put the three MBA letters next to your name on your email signature line!
My family’s support was key to my ability to complete the MBA program successfully. To my husband and children, I want to use this platform to express my eternal gratitude for all the hugs when deadlines piled up, and for the hours you patiently read and edited my papers. Thank you for all the laughs we had at the airport while I worked on a case study during a flight delay. I love you eternally!