Blog

On March 7, an email arrived in my inbox, my paper had been accepted at the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) 2025. A monumental milestone as a first-year PhD student. Yet, the real magic was not in that acceptance. It came later that evening. 

At 8:49 PM, another email arrived. My supervisor, Shavin Malhotra, the guiding force behind the paper submission, had shared the news with the entire department. Almost instantly, my inbox came alive, messages of joy, encouragement, and celebration poured in. What had started as a personal milestone transformed into a collective success.  

In that moment, I realized pixie dust does exist, just not as a shimmer in the air, but as something far more powerful. It’s the unseen force of people who uplift you, the ecosystem that nurtures you, the mentors who guide you, the staff who support you, and the colleagues who walk beside you, celebrating, encouraging, and making your victories their own".  

My introduction to the Conrad School and the MBET program began during my undergraduate years. I took BET 210, a course within the Arts and Business program that really opened my eyes to the world of entrepreneurship and business. The course connected the theoretical business concepts I was learning in the ARBUS program with real-world applications, which sparked my interest in pursuing more business-focused learning. 

As I began researching graduate programs at the University of Waterloo, I was drawn to the hands-on learning and the strong integration MBET has with the local KW community. I wanted to ensure that I wasn’t falling behind in terms of work experience, and the MBET program offered the perfect opportunity to develop and apply entrepreneurial skills in real-world settings. I found out more about the program online and even connected with members of the UW Athletics department, which helped me decide that MBET was the right choice for me."