Journeys to success

In 2023, over 100 Asper students participated in the international exchange program. Spanning continents, disciplines and universities, these are just a few snapshots of the Asper School of Business exchange experience.

By a beach in Portugal

Tallon Sparks [BComm(Hons)/24] spent his first day in Lisbon, Portugal finding the places he would come back to again and again on his international exchange journey, from groceries and sundries to the best place for a beverage at the beach and the Nova School of Business and Economics campus.

Sparks, also an Indigenous Business Education Partners alum, graduated from the Asper School of Business this year with a BComm, staying busy in the first half of his degree as a Bison track and field athlete. His decision to go on exchange was spontaneous, just something to look into until he found himself in the midst of a 14-hour travel day.

Now an actuarial intern at Canada Life, Sparks reflects on this unique learning experience. “One of my greatest takeaways from exchange was developing soft skills. It forced me to grow in a trial by fire, where I was thrown into an unfamiliar situation, and I developed new skills to adapt,” he says.

As his daily life grew outwards from his Lisbon apartment, so too did his global network, meeting people from across Canada and throughout Europe.

In the fall, Sparks will bring his adaptability and ability to make connections back to Europe once again, moving to Germany to begin a Master of Science in actuarial mathematics.

Between Brazil and Hong Kong

Asper alum Julya Zan [BComm(Hons)/19] was determined to experience a new place on her own.

“I wanted to go to a country where no one else from Asper was going. I didn’t want to know anyone there—I really wanted to get out of my comfort zone, meet people and figure things out on my own,” she says.

This motivation took Zan to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to study at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (she would later complete an additional exchange term in Hong Kong). Thriving in business classes and connecting with fellow students on campus in English, she quickly felt the language barrier of not understanding Portuguese in life outside of school. Unable to speak with people on the bus, at the market or in the street, Zan felt the conversations of the world around her dim.

She soon began private Portuguese language courses and felt the barrier between herself and locals thinning. “I got to the point where I could understand people again and became so much more comfortable in the country,” she explains.

Today, Zan works as an investment banking associate at CIBC, advising and assisting clients on mergers and acquisitions, as well as debt and equity financing. Five years in, she reflects on what her time in Brazil (and a subsequent exchange in Hong Kong) taught her about keeping a world of connection open to clients, colleagues and leaders.

“It’s very important knowing who is in the room and being open to learning and adapting to their communication style—a lesson I have certainly learned from my experiences abroad,” she says. “It is crucial to be able to connect with people from diverse backgrounds and build relationships. In my current role, I prioritize making personal connections with the analysts and students who report to me, ensuring they feel comfortable approaching me and speaking up.”

Sometime soon in Germany

For Asper BComm student Megha Jaryal, an exchange is on the horizon. Jaryal has been involved with the Commerce Students’ Association, JDC West, the Price Student-Managed Investment Fund and the University of Manitoba Finance Organization, covering most corners of the Drake Centre.

In September, she will travel to Vallendar, Germany, to study at the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, one of the country’s top ranked business schools.

With goals to pursue a career in investment banking, Jaryal hopes to round out her business knowledge in a new context. “In European financial sectors, the thought process and reasoning behind valuation differs from what we have in Canada, and learning this side of the process will be very beneficial,” she says.

“Canada is a such a diverse country where you work with people from all over the world. I hope that this exchange will broaden my understanding, empathy and familiarity with other people.”

Being in Europe (and especially Germany in October) is also sure to bring many more exciting and unique travel experiences, as Jaryal hopes to visit other countries while she studies.

It might be that Jaryal’s journey resembles that of Sparks’, who in travelling to one city now has connections across Canada and the world; or, it might be that her journey more closely resembles that of Zan, who in stepping out of her own comfort zone has gone on to support colleagues in doing the same at work.

More likely, Jaryal’s journey will be entirely her own, a thoroughly informative, unexpectedly transformative experience of a lifetime.

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The Asper School of Business exchange program gives students the change to study at one of over 60 business schools around the world. Learn more about the exchange program and partner schools here.

Emily Wilson