A team of 21 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students is headed to the BC MBA Games at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC.
Last year the TRU MBA team placed second in the Games, beating more-established teams from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. This year TRU is looking at first place.
“Of course we want to win and have those bragging rights. Last year we were second and surprised a lot of the bigger schools there,” said Steffi Thomas, an MBA student who crossed the stage at convocation on Oct. 14 and is helping this year’s team prepare.
“It would be great to be at the top and come first, especially since a lot of our peers on the coast don’t even know where Kamloops is,” said Thomas. “There is definitely pressure but Shamir is a great captain and we’re prepared.”
TRU MBA students during dodgeball tryouts in preparation for the BC MBA Games.
How has the team been preparing? “Rowing, dodgeball practice and monitoring business news,” said Shamir Mangalji, captain of this year’s team. Everyone is feeling confident in their case study and presentation skills, so they’ve recently been focusing on the athletics chosen by the host university.
They might feel ready because they’ve been preparing for several months. In July, they hosted a mock case competition where they had three hours to analyze and then present to a panel. Working with professional speaker Jeff Torrens, they received feedback in the form of dos and don’ts related to PechaKucha (a presentation style in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds). “We learned how to present properly and how to be really captivating in a short amount of time,” said Mangalji.
“This is not the classroom, not a test or simulation but the real business world. There is more safety in the classroom. This is real life and real business,” said Mangalji during a fast and furious weekend dodgeball tryout. Dodgeball is one of the spirit components and the TRU students plan to bring the heat.
Business owners are among the special guests attending the MBA Games socials and talking with any of them can have huge rewards. “Last year Microsoft offered one of our team members a job. It’s a great networking opportunity,” said Thomas. “We’re excited to arrive and show the other schools what TRU MBA students are all about.”
About the MBA Games
BC MBA Games is an annual event and the largest gathering of MBA students in British Columbia. Participating schools will be competing for the BC MBA Games Cup and the Mann’s Cup for the fundraising challenge. Students from across the province showcase their abilities and ambitions as they challenge one another in academic, athletic and spirit competitions. This year’s theme is supporting families with children struggling and fighting cancer. Childhood Cancer Canada has been selected as the MBA Games provincial community partner.
