Goodman graduates Rafay Rehan (BBA ’21) and Mark Rosario (MBA ’21) have left an indelible mark on Brock University through their commitment to enhancing the student experience.

Their leadership was recognized at the University’s Virtual Spring Convocation Friday, June 18, when they each received the Board of Trustees Spirit of Brock medal.

Rehan, a Marketing major from Guelph, chose to come to Brock in part due to the involvement and leadership opportunities the University offered. He made the most of the experiences available to him during his studies.

His participation in campus clubs, the Business Students’ Association and Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) shaped his out-of-class experience, and also offered him a platform to make a tangible difference in lives of fellow students.

In his final year, which will be remembered for its online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rehan served as BUSU’s Vice-President of Finance and Administration. It was during this time that he was able to work with his team to offer home-country health and dental benefit coverage to students unable to study in Canada; lobby for an extension of Brock’s winter holiday break; and champion increases in investments to mental health initiatives.

“Throughout my time at Brock, I made sure to use my voice wherever possible to help enhance the student experience,” Rehan said. “I love seeing students engaging in their community and going outside of their comfort zone, because along with your classes, that’s where a lot of personal growth happens.”

Rehan is currently serving as BUSU’s President, overseeing an organization that has a $13.5-million budget, more than 200 employees and is responsible to more than 18,000 student stakeholders.

“It’s a lot of responsibility for the average 22-year-old,” he said, “but it’s my experience at Brock University and the Goodman School of Business that has prepared me for this leadership role and many others to come.”

When Rosario began his Master of Business Administration degree concentrating in operations in September 2019, the engineer from Mangalore, India, knew that he wanted to get involved and enjoy the opportunities Goodman provided after spending a few years working in his field.

“I was very hungry to come back to school and perform well,” he said. “I wanted to be involved in as many extracurriculars as possible on campus.”

During his first semester, he jumped at the opportunity to join the School’s MBA Games competition team. He quickly became the team’s co-captain and got the opportunity to help organize a team of 40 students as they prepared for both the sports and academic competitions at Canada’s largest MBA competition.

When Rosario stepped onto the court for Goodman’s first dodgeball match at the MBA Games, he ended up breaking his left arm. For some, an inconvenient injury while living and studying in a new country may have been a setback, but he persevered.

“That journey helped me to be stronger in life,” Rosario said.

During his second year, he served as the Graduate Business Council’s Vice-President, which helped him develop his leadership and communication skills.

He’s currently applying the leadership and professional capacities he developed by working as the Goodman Group Ambassador for the business school’s community-focused learning and development services unit.

For Goodman Dean Andrew Gaudes, both of this year’s Spirit of Brock recipients exemplify how strong experiences inside and outside the classroom can combine to create business leaders ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow.

“Rafay and Mark took the opportunity to get involved and enhance the student experience for themselves and others,” Gaudes said. “They’ve both become exemplary in their leadership at Brock and we look forward to following their journey as Goodman alumni.”