On January 13, thirty-four BCIT School of Business students made history. After months of negotiating, deliberating, and preparing, BCIT was successful in officially making its inaugural appearance at the prestigious business competition—JDC West. Eleven other renowned business schools from Western Canada were in attendance at this year’s event, which took place at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. The BCIT team was delighted to be included as the first non-research institution.
“One of us! One of us! One of us!” – a chant that several hundred business undergraduates had cheered as the inaugural delegation of the BCIT JDC West team made their way through the Spirit Tunnel.
The inaugural team competed in the academic streams: Accounting, Marketing, Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Taxation. In addition to the academic streams, the team had also participated in the parliamentary debate competition and around-the-clock social challenges. The athletic team played eleven games per day – no easy feat for any competitor. Our students participated with enthusiasm and vigor and were highly recognized for their contribution to the overall spirit of JDC West.
The Road to Competition
After receiving the invitation to bring a half delegation to the 2017 Competition last May, preparations were immediately underway. The finances, the team executive, delegate selections and logistical details all required priority attention as the team didn’t even have a logo. Without the strong support and guidance from Faculty Advisors – Nitasha Naicker and Jennifer Figner as well as Acting Dean – Tim Edwards and Associate Dean Harj Dhaliwal, the initiative wouldn’t have been possible. The team was also very grateful for the support of the BCIT Student Association and corporate sponsors Omicron and Trinity Power.
The support from faculty was crucial in recruiting top talent from the Business Degree programs. In September, all recruited candidates went through a rigorous screening process for the chance to fill one of the thirty-four spots at January’s competition. The final selection of team members chosen to travel to Edmonton was formed with one common goal: to show the rest of Western Canada that BCIT’s School of Business is a worthy inclusion and strong competitor.
The team was coached by industry professionals, instructors, and local JDC West alumni with tight timelines.
Although BCIT did not place in the top three in any particular category, the team was very pleased with their rankings amongst the 12 schools. The learning curve going into the first year of competition was steep – we know that this will help to strengthen our participation as a full delegation in the 2018 competition, to be hosted by the University of Calgary.
Team BCIT Quotes:
“A weekend full of crazy challenges, endless cheers, amazing people and no sleep whatsoever” – Akshita Tripathi, BBA student & Social Team competitor
“I may have slight hearing loss but I made up for it in gain of self awareness, friendship and a sweatshirt” – Julia Malischewski, BBA student & Social team competitor
“ I had no idea what could be achieved at BCIT when I enrolled . When Jessica Graham was trying to get BCIT a spot at JDC West, she was approached by other schools who said they didn’t even know BCIT had a School of Business… that is an absolute travesty to me. For me, being a part of the JDC West vision is about more than just something to put on my resume. This is about the future of education in Canada. About showing the world what happens when you give students the opportunity for industry – applicable education.” – Tim Den Englesen, VP Finance BCIT JDC West, Incoming Captain
Thank you to Nitasha Naicker, an instructor with the BCIT School of Business, for your help with this article. – Jessica Graham