Elliot was a fresh face at Collingwood when he joined the School in Grade 10. Just a year prior he had moved with his family from the endless horizon of Regina to the mountains of North Vancouver. He’d brought with him a love for sports – basketball and football specifically – and a curiosity for what high school as a newcomer might deliver. Coming to Collingwood meant he’d need to give up a year of high school basketball, but Elliot believed the sacrifice would be worth it in the end – and his admission to McGill may be the proof it was. 

Sacrifice Turns into Opportunity

Elliot’s first year at Collingwood posed an immediate challenge: a BC School Sports transfer rule meant he couldn't play competitive basketball for a full year. At many schools, a student-athlete might have felt lost. At Collingwood, this became an opportunity for personalization.

“This was a big deal for me, considering how much I played at a high level,” Elliot says.

With the court temporarily closed to him, Elliot discovered his academic interests in math, finance, and business. He developed strong new friendships and built relationships with his teachers, became a student leader, and played on the rugby team. He jumped at the opportunities that interested him, and began to think about the big decision that would soon come up again and again: post-secondary.

How University Guidance Supported Elliot

Meetings with his University Guidance (UG) Counsellor began right away after joining Collingwood. By the Grade 10 year, students are typically beginning to narrow down their interests and thinking about where they want to go after high school. The UG Department is there to guide them through the complicated process, manage their expectations, and provide deep insight into post-secondary programs locally and internationally. Every Collingwood student has an assigned Counsellor and meets with them regularly beginning in Grade 8. 

Elliot’s counsellor, Rachel Pezim, notes that Elliot isn’t the kind of student who filled his down time with additional tutoring or accumulated a list of prestigious academic achievements, accolades, and milestones to build a resume. His achievements were made out of pure interest and passion.

Fit for Finance

His love of sports and competition wove its way into his academics and Elliot discovered that a career in finance may give him the same thrill and spark that basketball does. Real-world learning opportunities like simulated investing and economics challenges gave him a glimpse at what a future finance job may entail, and he was hooked.

“I have always loved to compete and am a very competitive person. I believe this is what shaped my love for finance, as it’s also a very competitive and high-stakes environment,” he says.

Once that spark was lit, it led him to McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management, one of the top business schools in the world, and the Department of Economics. Elliot had watched his older sister become enthralled with the life and culture at McGill and was confident he too could thrive there. Their Joint Honours in Economics and Finance program would be the perfect pathway following his excellent course work in AP Calculus,  AP Economics, and extracurriculars like the Collingwood Business Organization and the Investment Club.

“When I received the offer to go [to McGill], I knew I was accepting it immediately. I had applied to other top schools, Toronto and UBC, but I received the offer to McGill before I had even done the supplements for those other schools.”

It was a slam dunk.

Basketball Champion

In his Grade 11 and 12 year, Elliot led the Cavs to the AA BC Provincial Basketball Championships as the starting point guard. In the final match up with Notre Dame this year, Elliot netted 30 points and played both ends of the court flawlessly, earning him MVP for the entire AA tournament, and a gold medal for the team. He leaves Collingwood as a Provincial Champion whose game off the court was equally as impressive – proof that when you give a student the tools to solve their own future, they never miss their shot.