This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the AV俱乐部 Class of 2019. Spring Convocation kicked off May 10 in Truro, with Halifax ceremonies from May 27 to June 1. Read all our profiles here, and for more information visit the Convocation website.
For Sagar Sahota, every minute of his time in the Bachelor of Management program was an opportunity: for friendship, for networking, for learning and building an exciting career.
鈥淧eople ask who I am, what鈥檚 makes me unique,鈥� says Sagar. 鈥淢y interpersonal skills: I can have a conversation with people from all walks of life and learn something. Everyone in the Rowe School knows my name. The custodian knows my name, the Dean knows who I am. I developed my brand with integrity and just being who I am.鈥�
The new grad comes from a small town in rural BC, the first-born son of an immigrant farmer. 鈥淓ducation is really important to my family. My dad came to Canada with $10 in his pocket, and just wanted to give me and my brother every opportunity. He raised me to take risks, and not to settle. He told me to dream as big as I can and shoot for the stars, work hard and put the time in. Sometimes things don鈥檛 go to plan, but you鈥檝e got to roll with it.鈥�
Sagar chose Dal because it offers a lot of flexibility. He took the usual business courses, as well as classes in political science and philosophy. His aim? Law school.
鈥淚 want to be a sports and entertainment lawyer,鈥� says Sagar. Last March, the AV俱乐部 Management Society provided funding to help him attend the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a conference in the sports industry. The owners of the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics were there to talk about using analytics with their teams.鈥� He鈥檚 working with his professors to figure out how to combine analytics and law into a career.
Developing an edge
A highlight of Sagar鈥檚 time at Dal has been the Bachelor of Management Internship Program. Participants gain eight or 12 months of valuable full-time work experience, earn a full credit and typically graduate on schedule. All 2017 Internship grads secured employment within six months of graduation, compared to 83 per cent of non-Internship grads.
Sagar鈥檚 internship was with Dal鈥檚 Management Career Services (MCS). 鈥淢CS has been such a cool experience, because I got to see the variety of career opportunities and the ways that Dal builds the brand. It helped me understand the next steps for career and grad school.鈥� 听
Sagar also participated in the Scotiabank Ethics in Action Conference鈥攈is case competition team came third. Other employment experiences included working part-time for the Dal AV department as a classroom tech and volunteer interning for Sports Entertainment Atlantic (SEA), the company behind a range of elite sporting events in Halifax. 鈥淯sually sports are based in Toronto, but there鈥檚 so much opportunity in your backyard if you put yourself out there.鈥� At the end of April, he took part in the Management Career Services Corporate Tour, visiting 12 businesses and networking with alumni in Toronto. The highlight was meeting Shael Green (BComm 鈥�02), Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics at CIBC, who also worked at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
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What鈥檚 next for Sagar? 鈥淚鈥檓 waiting to hear from four or five law schools. I鈥檓 also pursuing a fellowship opportunity with the Toronto Raptors. It鈥檚 super competitive, but I feel like I have an edge because of my education and experiential learning.鈥�
Sagar鈥檚 personal development since starting at Dal has not gone unnoticed. 鈥淢y dad told me 鈥榚very time you come home you鈥檙e a better human being鈥�,鈥� he laughs. 鈥淚鈥檝e made a lot of good friends here, lifelong friends. My time at Dal is something I鈥檓 going to cherish for the rest of my life. I can鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 coming to an end.鈥�