After some friendly banter with his peers, Sean Bouwers (BBA ’16) decided to learn one of the most challenging languages by immersing himself in Chinese culture.

As part of the international exchange program at Brock University, Bowers traveled to Maastricht University in The Netherlands and Beijing, China. While in China he made connections he found through Facebook, met with recruiters and learned Mandarin.

“I actively participated in several business competitions through my career as a student, but I knew that in order to get the best experience possible, I needed to step out of my comfort zone,” says Bouwers.

Physically being in China pushed him forward and helped him learn the culture and the language.

Now thankful for the encouragement from his friends, Bouwers is heading back to China once he crosses graduates on Thursday, June 9. He has accepted a contract at a small investment firm in Beijing as a financial analyst.

“This new chapter will give me the comfort of working in a small firm and the challenges that come along with working internationally,” says Bouwers.

Now patiently waiting to cross the stage, he is keeping busy finalizing travel details including work permits, and accommodations to start his job on June 20. Looking to the future, Bouwers would like to offer this advice to current students and recent graduates — “Be different, take risks, and do something unconventional.”

Bouwers says he’s taking each new experience and seeing where it leads.

“I don’t know where I will be in one year from now, but I do know I will have some interesting experiences to share in the next interview,” he says with a grin.