Alumni

• Get involved! You develop multiple skills from extracurriculars.
• Quality over quantity. Choose one or two things you are passionate about and excel at them.
• If you are passionate about something that isn't on campus, go ahead and create it.
• Be disciplined and keep a routine.

• Hosted the CRFC 101.9 FM Weekly Radio Show.
• Worked as a Residence Life Don and a Senior Don.
• Chaired the Alma Mater Society Board of Directors.
• President of Arts & Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS).
• President of the Queen's Student Alumni Association.
• Queen's Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QISCI) entrepreneurship program.

Get involved in student government!

After his undergrad, Rico started as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company. He travelled across the globe for projects and gained experience working in diverse cultures.

Rico also joined the Queen's University Alumni Association (QUAA) immediately after graduation. 7+ years since his graduation, he’s had several different roles.

Check out the QUAA Website!

During his Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Rico developed technical skills. He then pursued a Master of Public Policy, where he advanced his transferrable and quantitative skills and gained subject matter expertise.

During his studies, Rico was involved in different student leadership roles where he gained transferrable skills like negotiation, public speaking, leadership, and communication.

Visit the club directory to explore 300+ AMS student clubs!

Rico complemented his Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Queen’s University with a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.

Several of Rico's peers hold a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Explore credential requirements for prospective careers using the Canada Job Bank’s Job Profiles.

• Know who you are working with to provide personalized suggestions when consulting.
• Say yes to opportunities beyond your comfort zone.
• Focus on fostering human relationships, not a social media presence.
• Be ready to put in the work, stay open-minded, and don’t be afraid to try new paths when one doesn’t work out.

• Find your personal style of learning.
• Find a core study group and help each other.
• Find a good group of friends for support.
• Undergrad is an opportunity to create great memories and build a strong foundation for your career.

• Volunteered with ASUS Lost Paws and at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston.
• Chaired the Queen’s Women in Science and Engineering organization.
• Worked as server and caregiver throughout the summer.

Explore the “Summer Job Search Links” tipsheet.

After moving to Calgary for medical school, Andrea joined the Calgary Queen’s University Alumni Association (QUAA) branch where she was able to meet diverse Queen's alumni from various fields.

Through QUAA, Andrea met a local pediatrician and was able to shadow them in order to learn more about being an MD.

Find your local QUAA branch!

During her Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Life Sciences, Andrea honed her own personal style of acquiring knowledge, which served her well throughout the rest of her academic career.

Andrea's coursework also provided a strong foundation for studying medicine.

Check out Queen’s Student Academic Success Services!

After her undergrad, Andrea pursued the Leaders in Medicine MD and PhD program at the University of Calgary. She then completed her Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at McMaster University.

All physicians need a Doctor of Medicine degree (MD).

Learn more from our “Applying to Medical School” Tipsheet.

• Seek contributions from all team members as diverse perspectives and experiences are valuable.
• Do not wish away where you are; soak in the present moment and be grateful.
• The vision you have for yourself evolves over time. You may reach the same endpoint through a different journey than you anticipated.

• Prioritize your personal well-being and be kind to yourself.
• Take advantage of everything the university offers that is of interest to you.
• Be open and willing to change your academic path as you develop and discover your interests

• A Queen's Residence Don.
• A Clark Hall Pub staff member.
• The Alma Mater Society - Food Bank Manager.
• The Alma Mater Society - Social Issues Commissioner.
• President of the Queen's Student Alumni Association.
• Summer internship with Countdown to Queen’s.

Check out the Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP).

• A yearlong TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Fellowship.
• Summered as an Ian Scott Public Interest Intern for the Grand Council of Treaty #3 Women's Council.
• Participated in Immigration & Refugee Intensive Program.
• Completed articles at the Office of the Children's Lawyer and was called to the Ontario Bar in 2016. 
• Worked in private practice for a few years before joining Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY).

Through her coursework, Allison enhanced her skills in critical thinking, scenario analysis, time management, and organization.

She was also exposed to a variety of perspectives, which helped her reflect on important societal issues, like gender equity.

Allison completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science and Women's Studies at Queen’s, and a Master of Political Studies at the University of Toronto. Allison then went on to pursue her Juris Doctor (JD) degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.

To become a lawyer, one must complete a JD or a Bachelor of Law and pass the barrister and solicitor examinations.

Check out the ‘Applying to Law School’ tipsheet.

• Never underestimate the importance of networking with people in your field.
• It is okay to change your professional course.
• Seeking out a professional career coach is a helpful resource.
• Get out of your comfort zone and be willing to take on different opportunities.

Book a resume or cover letter appointment today!

• It is ok not to know what you want to do while you’re in University. Life is not that clean-cut and doesn’t always follow a straight path. 
• Take advantage of your time at Queen’s to take courses that are outside of your comfort zone or career.  
  • Colin entered university thinking he wanted to be a marine biologist but realized he couldn’t see himself working in a lab.  
  • He took a couple of political studies courses as electives, really enjoyed them, and decided to change majors.  
• Be kind to yourself and give yourself flexibility 
• Use your time at Queen’s to develop your soft skills such as conversation, presentation, and critical thinking 

• QSAA, where he led the organization, attended workshops, learned how to network, and how to communicate with different stakeholders. 

• SOAR, where he was a peer leader. This experience helped him develop his presentation skills 

• AMS, he was part of Walkhome and a server at Queen’s Pub. Here, he gained the ability to work with diverse groups of people. 

Colin has made quite a few key transitions in his career. He started in trade policy, where he worked on free trade negotiations with countries in Asia. He then transitioned to climate change negotiations at Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2015. He returned to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) as he wanted to become a diplomat, and worked on economic sanctions and as Chief of Staff to the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Policy. He chose the position in Minnesota to gain experience, as there were a lot of opportunities available there to advance the Canada-US relationship..  

He recommends waiting 3-4 years before transitioning, as doing so too often can raise questions about why you’re moving around so much.  

• Critical thinking, problem analysis, and research interpretation 
• Transferable soft skills are very important 
• Networking: one can gain experience in university by signing up for conferences, volunteering with the QSAA  
• Communication and writing: practice being clear and concise, the ability to dissect main points 
• Presentation skills 
• Part-time jobs: Colin worked part-time at Walkhome and as a server at the Queen’s Pub, where he got to interact with people with various personalities. Here, he learned conflict management and resolution skills.  

After his undergraduate at Queen’s, Colin took a year to explore his options before committing to grad school.  

He chose to pursue a Masters in Public Administration at Carleton.  

The program also had co-op, which helped him gain work experience and grow his network, eventually leading to a position in the Federal Public Service. 

Note: Many senior policy government jobs require having a masters degree.

1. Take advantage of your position as a student/recent graduate to make cold calls to employers you may want to work for.  

2. Use your alumni network, people have a lot of patience for students and new graduates, and are willing to help.  

3. Being a generalist opens a wide range of fantastic opportunities and a high degree of career flexibility.

• Queen’s alumni is a very close network, and people are very willing to help. So don’t be afraid to reach out and connect with them.  
• Don’t be afraid to reach out to professors and ask for help.  
  • In the workforce, you are not going to know everything, so get into the habit of reaching out and asking for help → companies prefer you to know your limitations.  
  • Through these experiences, you will learn what kind of questions you can ask and how you can get the answers you need.  
• Don’t be afraid to be yourself and be different. It can initially be difficult to find friends but hold onto things that are important to you and things that make you happy. 
• Work harder, play harder 
  • Focus on work so you can really enjoy your time off.  
• Grades matter, but they also don’t once you leave an academic setting.  
  • Soft skills are definitely more important in the workforce. 
  • Caveat: grades do matter for grad school!  
• Be strategic about the clubs you are part of (especially if you have limited time) → it’s quality over quantity  

In his first year, Galvin was the elected section representative to sit on the Engineering Society. He was also a Freck and part of the external relations committee, where he worked on outreach and collaborated with other faculties.  

He also was the co-chair of Queen’s Global Innovation Conference and had the opportunity to go to India. In partnership with Western, he organized some pitch competitions such as the Global Innovation Challenge.

• After graduating from Queen’s, Galvin went backpacking in South America for seven weeks. For him, travelling was a nice transition that provided him with the opportunity for introspection, to decompress, and to see the work differently.  

• Out of Queen’s, he prioritized staying connected with his friends

• Communication! Be part of different clubs and committees, learn how to talk to diverse people and what to say 
• Time management: your degree and heavy course load will prepare you for this. Use calendars and schedule in personal time to prioritize and protect your well-being. 
• Active listening: listening to other people’s experiences and journeys can help you gain more insights and inform your decisions.  

• Electrical Engineering + Innovation Stream (entrepreneurship)  

• During his time at IBM, he attended their six month onboarding training program, which provided him with a solid technical foundation.  

• Prestige does play a factor: his work experience at IBM, his degree at Queen’s. All of these opportunities represent (to a certain extent) a baseline standard.  

• Work-life balance is very important. There’s always more work to do so find a job where you enjoy most of it, but protect your time outside of work.  
  • Enjoy the little things in life, appreciate the small things, and be grateful and happy 
• Don’t take opportunities for granted 
• Say yes to everything:  
  • Through the process of elimination, he was able to narrow down his interests 
  • Don’t turn down opportunities that allow you to establish more credibility 
  • Take these opportunities to show your abilities and to find a mentor to advocate for you 
• Don’t be afraid to try new things: 
  • Take a risk/chance 
• Be able to recognize what stress looks like for you and how you can manage/overcome it.  
  • You can take a vacation, spend time with your friends, or even find a new job

• In your first year, keep your options open, take the time to try out different tracks, and take any courses you think you might be interested in 
• Join clubs, develop different mentors 
  • Within the Arts & Science faculty, there are so many opportunities that it can be daunting post-graduation; therefore, having mentors to talk to is very helpful during the transition period. ​ 
  • It is key to network and look for ‘ins’ at an organization versus applying to jobs blind ​ 
• Don’t do something that only looks good on a resume or purely for the resume 

• She was a basketball coach at the Queen’s summer camp. 

• She was the captain of the varsity Women's Basketball team.  

• Executive on the Varsity Leadership Council, where she represented the interests of all student-athletes.  

• She also volunteered at an infant cognition lab within the psychology department. This led to her realization that she wanted to pursue something else, something more dynamic.  

After graduating, Liz had three options: work, pursue a master’s degree, or play basketball professionally for a year. 

She, ultimately, realized that she wanted to gain work experience to provide her the opportunity to explore different industries to find her interests.  

She started applying to many jobs via Queen’s Career Services before accepting an offer at Top Hat, where she stayed for five years.  

She then chose to move to Coursera to change her market vertical, as she wanted to diversify her skill set. After a couple of years, she moved to Raftr, as she was interested in the opportunity of building something​ and being a part of an early stage start up​​Click here to enter text.​

• Skills gained from university and extracurriculars are relevant to your career 
  • Resilience, grit, hard work → skills Liz gained while playing varsity basketball 
• Science skills: writing laboratory reports 
  • ​​​Analytical thinking ​​ 
  • Good writing skills 
  • Effectively communicate your ideas 
• Fundamentals of research: excel, dashboards, business metrics 
• Sales specific skills 
  • Hiring plans, training
  • Setting quotas, capacity planning  
  • Defining territories, sales rep 
  • ​​Coaching, messaging, unique value edge, pricing and negotiation ​​​ 
  • ​​​Strategy and operations​​ 
• Interpersonal skills to build relationships

Liz studied biology at Queen’s and added psychology as a subject specialization as she wanted to add a human element. Liz decided to stay for a fifth year partly because she wished to continue playing for the Women’s Varsity Basketball team. During that time, she took many business courses, in which she took great interest.  

Liz did not pursue additional training after graduation. She chose not to pursue an MBA as it was not personally worth it.  

• When applying for jobs, don’t blindly apply via job boards. 
  • Always see if you can leverage your network (e.g. someone who went to Queen’s) 
• Never stop learning 
  • The industry is fast-paced, and to stay on top of it, one can take advantage of all the resources online. 
• Don’t burn bridges 
  • Relationships can take you farther than most skills