Congratulations Asper grads!
Meet some exceptional Asper students graduating this spring
Nardos Ghebremeskel [BComm(Hons)/23]
“Even though I have done a lot for Asper, it does not compare to how much Asper has done for me.”
Nardos Ghebremeskel receives her Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Asper this June. Majoring in Leadership and Marketing, she reflects on her involvement at Asper during her undergraduate degree and considers what is next in her career journey.
Ghebremeskel kept busy during her degree. She was co-chair of the 55th annual Commerce Students’ Association Business Banquet and VP of Events for JDC West. She also competed in multiple national and international case competitions, landing on the podium with her team at Creative Shock, UBC Impact and the IG Case Competition.
As she moves into the next chapter of her professional life, she hopes to pursue her passions for event planning and entrepreneurship. Ghebremeskel is moving to Toronto to set up an event planning business with a friend and will look for online learning or even graduate opportunities to bring a competition pitch idea to life—an app she pitched at a University of Winnipeg competition earlier this year.
“There are so many opportunities out there, and I believe we need to be proactive in taking advantage of as many as we can. It is never easy at first, but I know taking one step at a time will help me achieve my goals,” she says.
Arifin Zaman [MBA/23]
After completing his bachelor’s degree at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, Zaman came to Winnipeg in 2021 to pursue his MBA at the Asper School of Business with a focus in Marketing.
Zaman led the Asper Professional Graduate Student Association (APGSA) as president. In collaboration with APGSA director of finance Stéphane Lacroix-Pouliot [MBA/22], he took an organization previously open only to MBA students and expanded its scope to welcome all Asper professional graduate programs including the Master of Finance and Master of Supply Chain Management and Logistics.
“I am driven by change and improvement, and I strongly felt the need to create an inclusive association that represents all the programs and gives students a voice. Recognizing the importance of inclusivity, I embarked on the journey to establish APGSA,” says Zaman.
Though he is graduating, Zaman will hopefully stay in the Drake Centre as a business/professional development consultant at the Asper Career Development Centre, a position he started during his MBA.
“My commitment to Asper and my desire to make a meaningful impact drives me to stay engaged and continue giving back to the institution that has provided me with so many valuable opportunities,” he says.
Lianne Huberdeau [MBA/23]
Huberdeau graduates this spring with an Asper MBA. Beginning in Winter 2019, she focused her coursework on Leadership and Organizations while also becoming a star on the graduate case competition circuit.
Huberdeau worked frequently with fellow students Daniel Kokan, Elliot Codispodi and Kaushal Patel, typically under the team name Vanguard Consulting. Together, they brought home multiple first-place victories including Asper’s first international graduate case competition win.
Her experience with case competitions brought more than accolades. She reflects on the opportunity to grow with and learn from her team members and to be coached and mentored by talented leaders. Saying goodbye to the team is bittersweet, she says, but the trust and flow they developed was invaluable and unforgettable.
Huberdeau now hopes to continue growing as an HR executive focused on transforming the employee experience.
“I’m excited to take my broad business and strategic education to add more value and support business transformation and organizational development. Case competitions and the MBA provided me with this foundation and the ability to think critically and solve some of the most common and complex business challenges.”
__
Congratulations to the graduating class of 2023!
More Asper convocation stories:
Jamie Theroux, MBA – MBA grad champions Inclusion and strives to create more opportunities for women