MARS Apprentice celebrates student perseverance

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/marsapprentice2012.jpg” caption=”MARS Apprentice wrapped up April 3 after five weeks of competition. “]The ambitious nature and exceptional talents of DeGroote's student body were
showcased over the past five weeks as twelve young achievers took part in a
competition that applied their business skills to industry challenges.

The MARS Apprentice program's closing ceremonies took place April 3 in celebration of
the innovative ideas and hard work of McMaster's business students over the course of
the competition.

Mandeep Malik, assistant professor of strategic market leadership and health services
management at DeGroote and faculty advisor of MARS Apprentice, is especially proud of
the achievements of the students and the impact the program has made.

“MARS Apprentice positions DeGroote as a school that puts significant emphasis on
experiential education and invites participation from industry in the design and delivery
of post secondary education,” he said.

“This was the eighth year for MARS Apprentice and the program continued to draw
interest from the student body as well as the community as a showcase of business
talent at our school,” Malik said.

MARS Apprentice is a unique program that allows students to connect what they have
learned in the classroom to real-world challenges of the marketing industry.
Enthusiastic sponsors like PepsiCo, JAN Kelley Marketing, Sears.ca, Canadian Tire
Financial Services and Maple Leaf Foods present the two teams of six with distinct tasks,
giving the students the opportunity to create strategic marketing solutions unique to
each company. The quality of work displayed by the participants continues to impress
sponsor panels.

Two such participants include Tia Toko and Robin Kwan, commerce students at
DeGroote who each secured internship opportunities as a result of their performance in
MARS Apprentice. Toko will be taking on an internship at PepsiCo while Kwan is set to
intern at Canadian Tire Financial Services.

Toko describes the competition as exhausting and grueling, but at the same time, the
most eye-opening, inspiring and thrilling six weeks of her life. “Throughout the week
you may work endless hours, but come time for the boardroom competition it can all
crumble in a second if you don't get your intended message across,” she said. The
presentation aspect was Toko's favourite part of MARS, who describes the adrenaline
rush of the boardroom as beyond exhilarating.

Kwan has been following MARS boardroom challenges since his very first year in
commerce. As a competitive individual, his interest was sparked and he became eager
to contribute to the competition. Now in his fourth year, Kwan has been able to take on
the boardroom himself and test his skill set. “The experience was unreal. The level of
thinking and learning that we achieved as a group really allowed me to further develop
and grow as a business student,” said Kwan.

Program co-chairs Olivia D'Alessandro and Jeff McLay are extremely impressed with the
students' progress during this year's MARS Apprentice. “Jeff and I were very proud to
watch the apprentices evolve throughout this competition. They truly pushed
themselves to their limits and demonstrated major growth from both a professional and
personal standpoint,” said D'Alessandro.

The closing ceremonies were held at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, with over 160 guests
in attendance for the awards gala. A number of MARS Apprentice alumni returned for a
reunion and to support this year's competitors, making the program's lasting
impression on students evident to everyone in the room.