University News

Bishop's Students Selected for the Next36 Program Three Years in a Row

December 21, 2012

Sherbrooke, QC – Bishop’s University students Sandra Cinq-Mars and Jarad Plato will join 34 other undergraduate students to form the Next 36. Intense pressure, fierce competition and a highly stressful competency-based selection process are only a few of the factors that well over 1,000 students from participating Canadian universities recently faced when they made their pitches to founding patrons W. Galen Weston, Jimmy Pattison and Paul Desmarais Sr., amongst many other business leaders. The final 36 students represent some of Canada’s most promising future entrepreneurs.

“Students go through a grueling selection process and have to sell themselves to no less than 20 business leaders from various fields. It’s wonderful that Bishop’s students from various majors have been chosen year over year since the Next 36 was created,” said Calin Valsan, Dean of the Williams School of Business at Bishop’s University.

Bishop’s students and the University’s Entrepreneurship program are drawing the attention of some of Canada’s foremost business leaders. Following in the footsteps of alumni Philippe Vennes (2010) and Samantha Juraschka (2011), Sandra and Jarad are the third and fourth Bishop’s students to be chosen since the inception of the initiative in 2010. Selection criteria have become more discerning each year. Their success in this prestigious competition proves that the University’s model for liberal education, combined with the optional Entrepreneurship program, supported by the Dobson Lagassé Entrepreneurship Centre, prepares students to deal with complex issues and adeptly drive results.

"This was the most stressful, challenging experience of my life. I felt proud to stand and promote myself in front of a group of Canada's top business leaders,” said Sandra Cinq-Mars. “At a gathering during the competition weekend, Mr. Paul Desmarais Jr. (also in attendance) asked my opinion about entrepreneurship in Québec. That’s not something I would have been likely to experience if I hadn’t chosen Bishop’s."

Sandra Cinq-Mars, comes to Bishop’s from Québec City. She is a fourth-year B.B.A. Finance major who is also taking a minor in Hispanic Studies and opted to participate in the Entrepreneurship program with an aim to develop ventures that make a positive change in our economic environment. Sandra is now fluent in French, English, and Spanish. She is also past president and an active member of Enactus Bishop’s. Enactus is a worldwide organization with numerous global economic partners. Together with member universities, it encourages students to work with local business leaders and academic advisors to apply business concepts towards the elaboration of outreach projects that benefit communities in need.

“As a student majoring in biology and economics, I look forward to the incredible challenge of building a new business with the support of Canada’s top business leaders. This will no doubt be a life-changing experience for me,” said Jarad Plato. “I’m appreciative and cannot thank Bishop's enough for providing and preparing me for this opportunity."

Jarad Plato, from North Vancouver, BC is a fourth-year Health Science and Pre-medicine student seeking a B.Sc. with a minor in Economics. Among his achievements, Jarad is the recipient of a provincial Millennium Scholarship for leadership and community initiative. He has earned the Australian DEEWR Endeavour Scholarship and applies his leadership skills through his involvement with the student government as well as various sports. Jarad coaches, captains and coordinates the operations of the Men’s Soccer Team at Bishop’s University, which he hopes to raise to full varsity status through strategic planning and fundraising.

About The Next 36
The goal of The Next 36 is to increase Canadian prosperity by developing Canada’s next generation of high impact entrepreneurs. Started by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, The Next 36 provides a series of life-changing experiences and relationships to young Canadians with the potential to build and lead great organizations. Each year, thirty-six promising undergraduates are selected from a variety of academic disciplines, and from across Canada, through a rigorous national selection process. The young entrepreneurs build a business in the mobile or tablet space together in teams of three. For eight months they are provided mentorship from some of Canada’s top business leaders, up to $80,000 cash from top venture capitalists, a comprehensive offering of in-kind resources and academic instruction from some of the world’s top faculty.

For more information, please visit: www.thenext36.ca

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