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Undergraduate Students, Convocation, Alumni
Student leadership translates to career success for this BBA graduand
When Wesley Yiu enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at 911吃瓜 Beedie, he didn鈥檛 have a clear plan鈥攋ust a belief that business would give him the greatest number of opportunities. Now, he鈥檚 graduating this October convocation with dual concentrations in Human Resources (HR) and Management Information Systems (MIS), a resume shaped by years of student leadership, two co-ops, and a role at Fortinet, one of the world鈥檚 leading cybersecurity companies.
鈥淚 chose business because I still had no idea what I wanted to do,鈥� admits Yiu. 鈥淢y thought was that eventually, I would find something that called out to me鈥攁nd that鈥檚 exactly what happened.鈥�
An unexpected pairing
After switching his concentrations three times, Yiu landed on a combination that might seem unlikely on paper: HR and MIS. 鈥淭hese two concentrations seem so different, but they both interest me so much,鈥� he says.
鈥淚 gravitated toward HR because at the end of the day, organizations are just people. Taking good care of your employees is vital to a company鈥檚 success,鈥� says Yiu. 鈥淚 want to work in a role where I can see my work having a positive impact on those around me.鈥�
Meanwhile, MIS gave him a technical outlet to explore data, systems, programming languages, and tools like Power BI, Tableau, and SQL. 鈥淢IS allows my inner nerd to shine,鈥� he says.
The breadth of Yiu's degree translated directly into his professional experience. BUS 481 Recruitment and Selection gave him frameworks he applied to BASS鈥檚 hiring processes, while BUS 336 Data Analytics and Visualization introduced him to Tableau鈥攁 skill he later put to use in his co-op at FortisBC, where data analysis and presentation were central to his role.
Five years of leading, learning, and growing
Yiu spent the entirety of his undergraduate degree involved with the Business Administration Student Society (BASS). He joined as a mentee in the BASS Mentorship Program in his first year, which he highly recommends to all BBA students. He progressed through roles as an operations coordinator, vice president of human resources, and eventually served as president in his fourth year. In his fifth and final year, Yiu continued to be involved with BASS, serving as a senior advisor. Yiu was also a teaching assistant for BUS 360 for six semesters.
鈥淚 knew 911吃瓜 Beedie had a strong student club culture, and that was something I wanted to contribute to,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eing involved in clubs played a huge part in shaping who I am today. I鈥檝e made lifelong friends, learned technical and soft skills, and gained confidence in myself.鈥�
Yiu credits his club experience for equipping him with a solid foundation for his co-op roles. He spent eight months as a gaming events and operations coordinator at the PNE and one year at FortisBC as employee development and experience co-op.
鈥淏ASS was a huge factor in why I got these jobs,鈥� he says.
His involvement with BASS also opened the door to represent 911吃瓜 Beedie at national conferences in Montreal, Winnipeg, and Kelowna鈥攅xperiences that broadened his perspectives to a more national and global outlook and a highlight of his 911吃瓜 experience.
鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid of failing. Student clubs are the perfect spot to try new things and then learn from your mistakes,鈥� says Yiu.
What鈥檚 next?
Yiu is working at Fortinet as a talent operations coordinator, where he manages onboarding, benefits administration, and data accuracy for Fortinet鈥檚 Canadian team鈥攁 role that sits perfectly at the intersection of HR and MIS.
Yiu is also pursuing his Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation as he works toward a management role that leverages both the human and technical dimensions of the work he loves.