I selected McGill sight unseen, based on its reputation as the premier place to study in Canada and one of the top schools internationally.
Given my international background – having lived in various countries growing up – I didn’t have a clear picture of where I wanted to be, but I knew I needed to be at an institution positioned to provide global opportunities. McGill also offered the opportunity to be with an incredibly diverse group of people with a vast set of different experiences. The international student body and diversity of languages in Montreal were very appealing to me, as someone who speaks four languages.
My McGill rowing experience defined me. As a student, I was on the varsity team and later became the team president. Those were very successful years where I built lifelong friendships. I didn’t have prior rowing experience. I had been a cross country runner. It was by chance that someone in Royal Victoria Residence where I was living approached me to try out. This was the year after Canada had swept the gold medals at the Barcelona Olympics. I was fortunate that my coach taught me to row on both sides so that I wouldn’t fall prey to limited opportunities. It was through this experience that I learned to be versatile in any given environment.
I loved living in Montreal – those were such special years. My Montreal experience was very much enriched by my time at McGill. I also experienced day-to-day life in Montreal, having stayed in the city after graduation.
In terms of my career, I have always been interested in fixing things and making them better. Upon graduation, I first interviewed with investment banks. But it was a McGill classmate who ultimately recruited me for my first job – I jumped on the opportunity to join a telecom company right as the market was deregulating and exploding, and never looked back.
My advice to students today is to be broad in your studies. It’s not what you study, it’s what you learn. As it happens, many people in leadership positions in Silicon Valley don’t have business degrees. What never left me is something I read inside the cover of an economics textbook: “What’s in this book isn’t important, it’s that you learn to analyze.” University is about the skills you learn and having enough opportunity to think about and look at things differently. What’s important is the diversity of thought and study, and what you learn along the way. Always be intellectually curious.