Wendi Zhao is a second year Commerce student who is currently doing her first work term at the Undergraduate Advising Office, in the Faculty of Management. Wendi is interested in Accounting and International Business, and hopes to pursue a career in one of these fields. In school, she wants to get involved in more activities to build her network and gain more hands on experience. Recently, Wendi participated in the International Student Case Competition.  At the competition Wendi won Best Speaker and her team was recognized for Best Team Spirit.

“I noticed from the ISSP (International Student Success Program) that the International Student Case Competition is available to students in every year, so I took advantage of the opportunity and signed up.

This was my first case competition, and I did not know the process and the rules going into it. I attended the information session, which was led by three senior students. They shared their experiences when doing case competitions, and they gave us their advice and tips on how to do the presentation and manage our time.

The most important skills I learned from the Case Competition were critical thinking and analytical skills. It was a great opportunity to put the theories I learned in class into practice and it helped to strengthen my teamwork skills.

My first work term helped me with this competition. The case problem we had to present on was, ‘what should the company should do to gain more attention?’ I gave suggestions to the company based on what I learned from my work term.  Working in Canada helps me enhance my oral communication skills, which is essential in competition.

I believe all international students should try to get involved in case competitions. It may be intimidating for some international students to participate in opportunities like the International Student Case Competition, as English is their second language, and first one is always difficult. I felt nervous when I signed up but now I feel more confident about myself and am excited to participate in more events in the future. These opportunities not only help international students gain confidence but also help them to build their network. Solving an actual problem by using the theories they learned in class will make them more prepared for their work terms.”