BBM/BMI Programs Alumni Meet | Academic Newsletter | Seneca Polytechnic

by Abdul Naveed Tariq, School of International Business and Management

in the March 2020 issue

The School of International Business and Management (SIBM) organized its first ever Alumni Meet on October 3, 2019. The main purpose of the event was to provide an opportunity to our students in the BBM (Honours Bachelor of Commerce - Business Management) and BMI (Honours Bachelor of Commerce - International Business Management) programs to meet with Alumni from the same programs.

The event started at 4:30 p.m. with Chair Sarah Arliss’ land acknowledgement of First Nations and a welcome note. The guest speaker was Peter Solala, professor in SIBM. He shared his personal experiences of the corporate world covering over 35 years. The faculty, alumni, and students all enjoyed listening to his real-life experiences full of challenges and opportunities.

The highlight of the event was an Alumni Panel discussion. The panel members were alumni from the BBM program (Christopher Mammoliti, Richard Hugh Brown, and Steven Penkarski) and alumni from the BMI program (Siavosh Dana, Muhammad Saad, Alberto Antonio, Nicolas Tzogas, and Nora Sagharian). The panel discussion was moderated by Abdul Naveed Tariq, professor in SIBM and program coordinator of the BBM program.

The panel discussion comprised of three parts. In the first part, panelists shared their memories and learning experience at Seneca. In the second part, they shared the challenges they faced in getting jobs or starting their own business after their graduation. In the third part, the panelists answered questions asked by current students and gave advice and recommendations to our students that covered the courses our students need to focus on and the importance of the following: networking, proper presentation in the job market, the co-op term, and the necessary personality traits required to be successful. The entire panel discussion was quite interactive.

After the panel session, faculty, alumni, and students had the opportunity to engage in more informal discussions in small groups over the dinner. Students asked their questions directly to faculty members, the guest speaker, and the alumni. The students were engaged throughout the Alumni Meet.

Overall, the event was a wonderful opportunity for faculty to refresh their memories with alumni and strengthen their relationships with them. Seneca students and alumni enjoyed this great networking session. This event was organized by SIBM and facilitated by student volunteers. SIBM looks forward to organizing such events in future.

View the March 2020 issue of the Academic Newsletter.