Collingwood School has a culture of involvement – whether it’s in the arts, athletics, academics, or service. There are dozens of micro-communities on campus where students find themselves chasing passions and goals while building life-long friendships. In recent years, there has been a growing surge in the interest of entrepreneurship and commerce among students and Collingwood has an impressive history of developing successful business leaders. When the School introduced a wide array of business courses in 2022, demand was high. Grant, a 2023 Collingwood grad, was among the first students to take Entrepreneurship 12 when it launched last year. 

“The implementation of business courses when I was in Grade 11 really solidified my interest in that area,” Grant says.

Grant didn’t connect with either science or art, but was fascinated by numbers. Fortunately, he was able to take advantage of Collingwood’s burgeoning business program during his senior years, turning his passion into purpose. During his Entrepreneurship course, he learned about stock market investing and was inspired to do more research into the subject on his own time. When the class participated in a national investing competition, Grant placed 3rd in Canada out of 1,780 other students and banked an impressive 70% return on his investments in just six weeks. It’s a number any Wall Street tycoon would drool over.

“Because I liked the course so much, I was able to really dive deep beyond the course curriculum. I had such a deep understanding that I could do really well,” he says.

Grant earned a 99% grade in Entrepreneurship 12 and 100% in Collingwood’s long-standing AP Macroeconomics course.

Between Grade 11 and 12, Grant took a Collingwood summer course called Financial Accounting while interning with the finance department of a motorcycle company. In his senior year, he was appointed to Chief Financial Office for the Collingwood Business Organization club where he managed all financial reporting and budgeting. As he began to apply to universities, Grant narrowed his search down to UBC and McGill. Both their business schools were impressive but Grant ultimately chose to stay in Vancouver and attend the school from which both his parents graduated. 

UBC’s prestigious Sauder School of Business is one of the top ranked business schools in North America and has an enticing Portfolio Management Foundation program that allows a small group of undergraduate students to manage and invest a $10 million portfolio of real money. Grant is also looking forward to getting more experience in business and finance through some of the dozens of student clubs and organizations on campus. And one last huge perk: UBC happens to have its own golf course. 

Being able to stay active outside on the golf course or up on the ski hills was another big reason why Grant chose UBC over McGill. He’s known at Collingwood as a soccer player and captain of both the golf and cricket team. Perhaps, captain of industry is what’s in store next!