Bachelor of Accounting student Simar Sanga may be graduating soon, but not without leaving his mark at the Goodman School of Business. Described as outgoing, spirited and dynamic, in this "Five questions...", Simar talks about his experience with DECA U Brock, his upcoming career plans and his secret to success.
You are a proud DECA U Brock member: what made you get involved?
I joined DECA because I started at Brock as a super shy and timid individual. The DECA president in my first year said it completely changed who he was and he would do it [join DECA] over again if he could! I was nervous to compete and was very bad at public speaking, but took it as an opportunity to build up my communication and presentation skills. After my first competition I wanted to do better and this motivation has led to me to competing every single year.
You placed twice in November’s DECA U Ryerson Social Entrepreneurship conference with a 2nd in the Human Resources category and 3rd place in the Innovation Challenge. Can you tell us more about the cases you worked on during the competition?
On day one of the conference, all 130 delegates were given a case regarding a new business incubator. I had initially misunderstood the case facts and realized I made a mistake as we were walking to our presentation rooms. After quickly brainstorming new ideas and modifying my presentation, I advanced to the final round in which I presented in front of 130 students and six industry professionals from companies such as Deloitte, CPA Ontario and the Investors Group. I placed third with my improvised ideas that included a national campaign to bring the incubator to every university in Canada.
After already winning an award, my confidence helped me to do well when presenting my Human Resources cases on day two. The cases entailed real life difficulties that some companies face in regards to their HR policies. At the networking event preceding the awards ceremony, I spoke to one of my judges who was a human resources manager working for the Ministry of Transportation. She stated that she felt as if I was a real HR consultant who worked for the company since I used many industry terms and laws that most students did not know about. She was surprised when I told her I was actually studying accounting, and I came in second place.
You are a dancer with Brock North American Culture Show Dance Team – talk about showcasing both sides of your brain! How did you get involved with the Dance team?
I heard about this dance team while I was in high school because they compete in an annual competition with 9-16 other universities in Canada, with thousands of spectators attending. Because I’ve been doing hip hop since grade 6 and cultural Indian dancing since grade 8, I wanted to pursue this opportunity to continue doing dance performances. I subsequently realized that the main reason I loved participating was due to the family feeling that the 30 member team gave me.
Your time at Goodman has almost come to an end and you will be starting work with Ernst and Young in the fall. What Goodman experience helped you ace the interview?
I’ve held various executive positions within Goodman student clubs and attended many workshops and seminars. I feel that constructively, they’ve all played a crucial role in securing the job with EY. Effective communication skills were absolutely vital throughout the recruiting process and the interview, and I’ve vastly improved those skills over the years. If it wasn’t for DECA, BUEC, BSA and public speaking workshops, I probably would still be looking for a job right now.
What is Simar’s secret to success?
Never say no! (Within reasonable limits)
These university years are priceless and will never come back. It’s important to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible because some of them can completely change who we are. If I was never to participate in anything from first year until now, I would be the exact same person that I was when I started university, lacking a lot of practical knowledge and vital skills. If you are not aware of something, you don’t think it exists. A lot of students are unaware of what Goodman Spirit and Goodman Experiences can do for them and that’s why it is so important to try new things.
“If you don’t step forward, you will always be in the same spot.” –Unknown
