With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1494678
MARCH/APRIL 2023 BCBUSINESS.CA 49 him to apply what he learned in school and from his years in business development in a Canadian work environment. "I wanted to be able to immerse into the Cana- dian local culture as quickly as possible," he explains. Up to 95 percent of VIU students come from other countries, says professor Laurie Dean. It's a 20-month, full-time program, but many domestic students prefer part-time studies for their MBAs. "It allows them to continue to work full-time," she points out. Lin graduated in 2020 and dove deeper into the Canadian experience. He worked as an economic development officer—splitting his duties between Flin Flon in Manitoba and Creighton and Denare Beach in Saskatchewan—before returning west for a similar role with the City of North Vancouver. His "mom" asked if he was sure about braving the frigid Prairies. "I said I really wanted to give it a try now that I'm in Canada," he recalls. "More importantly, there was the opportunity to serve three communities at once." Lin learned to use a block heater to start his car at -30 degrees Celsius, and he saw the beauty of the northern lights. "I got through all of that and I totally enjoyed it," he says. "It's really amazing." Vancouver Island University EDUCATION GUIDE 2 0 2 3 " I wanted to be able to immerse into the Canadian local culture as quickly as possible " –Brian Lin B rian Lin's first thought when looking abroad for a graduate school was: "I hope I don't end up somewhere super cold." He grew up in Belize, where he earned a business degree and became a senior manager developing trade and investment for the Caribbean country. "It's quite a little paradise," he says. Lin embraced Canada despite the weather. He earned his MBA from VIU in Nanaimo, rent- ing a room from a woman he calls his "Cana- dian mom." He chose the university because its internship program stood out. It would allow STEPPING STONE An international student from Belize, Brian Lin was able to apply his prior experi- ence in a Canadian context after taking Vancouver Island University's MBA program