When Marley stepped onto the Collingwood School campus for the first time, she was not thinking about becoming a business leader. She wasn’t dreaming of the prestigious UBC Sauder School of Business or mapping out a future in green energy. At that moment, she was simply a cheerful, driven student whose family believed Collingwood would give her the best shot at a bright future.

She found a launchpad.

Fast forward to today, and Marley is preparing to join one of the most competitive business programs in the country, already armed with a resume that could rival a junior executive. But ask her how it all came together, and she’ll point not just to her own determination, but to the personalized support, rich opportunities, and vibrant community she found at Collingwood.
Her story begins with a spool of thread and a good idea.

Marley’s entrepreneurial spark was lit in Grade 8, when she launched her own business selling handmade accessories online. From market research to branding to logistics (and yes, she really has shipped orders to Slovakia), Marley built something real out of pure passion. But it wasn’t until she enrolled in Collingwood’s entrepreneurship courses that her passion found direction.

“I took every business-related course offered at Collingwood. These were classes I was excited to show up for,” Marley says – scoring top marks and winning “Best Presenter” in a mock product pitch. She even took AP Economics just to challenge herself.

But perhaps what set Marley apart wasn’t just what she did in class—it was how she turned every opportunity into a stepping stone. She led the Sustainability Council, expanding it from seven members to over 25 and launching initiatives from fresh produce pop-ups with crops from our School garden and representing Collingwood at Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Conference, to fast fashion awareness workshops and a school-wide sustainable transportation challenge. She served as Chief of Marketing for the Collingwood Business Organization, mentoring other students while creating a cohesive brand for school fundraisers. She even taught entrepreneurship to Grade 7 students at Wentworth, Collingwood’s junior campus.

Outside the classroom, Marley pursued enrichment experiences that reinforced her career aspirations. She attended the NSLC Business & Entrepreneurship program at UC Berkeley, where she pitched her product to Silicon Valley investors in a “Shark Tank”-style finale—and won. 

“As soon as I walked into that community of passionate entrepreneurial students, I felt right at home,” she says.

That clarity made choosing UBC’s Sauder School of Business an easy decision. “Being the driven and self-motivated person I am, I set my aspirations high and knew that was exactly where I wanted to go,” Marley says.

Still, navigating university applications is never easy — especially when you’re also leading school-wide initiatives and captaining the cross country team. That’s where Collingwood’s University Guidance (UG) department came in.

“It was very comforting to have my UG counsellor there throughout my application process for any questions I had.” Marley and her UG counsellor, Rachel Pezim, worked together on course selection and searching for programs on offer that would fit with her driven, entrepreneurial spirit and sustainability-related goals. She also took advantage of UG’s university application-writing workshops in Grade 11 to learn what to expect the following year. 

“Marley is someone who goes the extra mile,” Ms. Pezim says. “She does it all, but still manages to have a healthy work/play balance.”

As Marley prepares to begin her next chapter at UBC, her vision is clear: “I want to own and manage an up-and-coming sustainable company,” she says. “I want to be at the forefront of an international business, leading, and managing it.”

And thanks to the foundation she built at Collingwood — one rooted in curiosity, courage, and community — she’s ready.

Collingwood has taught Marley not just facts, but how to use critical thinking, how to lead, and how to make her passions mean something. When she crosses the graduation stage in June, she’ll walk away with more than just an education – but also a purpose.