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Sagar chose Dal because it offers a lot of flexibility. (Nick Pearce photo)

For Sagar Sahota, every minute of his time in the Bachelor of Management program was an opportunity: for friendship, for networking, for learning and building an exciting career.

“People ask who I am, what’s makes me unique,” says Sagar. “My interpersonal skills: I can have a conversation with people from all walks of life and learn something. Everyone in the Rowe School knows my name. The custodian knows my name, the Dean knows who I am. I developed my brand with integrity and just being who I am.”

The new grad comes from a small town in rural BC, the first-born son of an immigrant farmer. “Education is really important to my family. My dad came to Canada with $10 in his pocket, and just wanted to give me and my brother every opportunity. He raised me to take risks, and not to settle. He told me to dream as big as I can and shoot for the stars, work hard and put the time in. Sometimes things don’t go to plan, but you’ve got to roll with it.”

Sagar chose Dal because it offers a lot of flexibility. He took the usual business courses, as well as classes in political science and philosophy. His aim? Law school.

“I want to be a sports and entertainment lawyer,” says Sagar. Last March, the Dalhousie Management Society provided funding to help him attend the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. “It’s a conference in the sports industry. The owners of the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics were there to talk about using analytics with their teams.” He’s working with his professors to figure out how to combine analytics and law into a career.

Developing an edge

A highlight of Sagar’s time at Dal has been the Bachelor of Management Internship Program. Participants gain eight or 12 months of valuable full-time work experience, earn a full credit and typically graduate on schedule. All 2017 Internship grads secured employment within six months of graduation, compared to 83 per cent of non-Internship grads.

Sagar’s internship was with Dal’s Management Career Services (MCS). “MCS has been such a cool experience, because I got to see the variety of career opportunities and the ways that Dal builds the brand. It helped me understand the next steps for career and grad school.”  

Sagar also participated in the Scotiabank Ethics in Action Conference—his case competition team came third. Other employment experiences included working part-time for the Dal AV department as a classroom tech and volunteer interning for Sports Entertainment Atlantic (SEA), the company behind a range of elite sporting events in Halifax. “Usually sports are based in Toronto, but there’s so much opportunity in your backyard if you put yourself out there.” At the end of April, he took part in the Management Career Services Corporate Tour, visiting 12 businesses and networking with alumni in Toronto. The highlight was meeting Shael Green (BComm ’02), Director of Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics at CIBC, who also worked at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
 
What’s next for Sagar? “I’m waiting to hear from four or five law schools. I’m also pursuing a fellowship opportunity with the Toronto Raptors. It’s super competitive, but I feel like I have an edge because of my education and experiential learning.”

Sagar’s personal development since starting at Dal has not gone unnoticed. “My dad told me ‘every time you come home you’re a better human being’,” he laughs. “I’ve made a lot of good friends here, lifelong friends. My time at Dal is something I’m going to cherish for the rest of my life. I can’t believe it’s coming to an end.”