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On Monday, June 13, graduates of the Rotman School of Management Master of Finance, PhD, Full-Time MBA, EMBAs and Morning/Evening MBA programs took the stage at Convocation Hall to receive their degrees. Rotman’s Stephen Watt asked the MBA and MFA class valedictorians about this special day.

Krishna Ruthnum: Valedictorian to the full-time MBA Class of 2016

Q: What does it mean to be chosen as the valedictorian of the graduating class of the Rotman Full-Time MBA?

A: It’s quite an honour. It’s a reflection of the relationships I’ve been able to develop as a student in the program. I consider it the greatest achievement I could walk away with after my two years here at Rotman.

Q: And yet you won’t actually be convocating until the Fall, later this year. Tell us why.

A: Earlier this year, I faced a medical challenge that required me to take a temporary step back from my studies. Around December, I started getting headaches and I went to the hospital and I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. The tumour was at the base of my skull, which is a challenging area to access.

Fortunately, Toronto is a world leader in brain surgery. I underwent surgery on March 1 and the growth was benign. Needless to say, I was not able to maintain a full course load in the winter, and I’m finishing my semester right now. That means I won’t be graduating with the rest of the class. Which is funny, because I'm still the valedictorian.

Q: What did the experience teach you?

A: One of the outcomes was a sharper clarity about myself. I realized that, before this experience, I was a very driven and motivated person, focused on success in everything I did. For example, I graduated Summa Cum Laude in my undergraduate. I wrote and passed all three CFA exams while working. I had a good job with Export Development Canada.

What I’ve learned over the past few months is that I didn’t always place as much value as I should on relationships that I had with people, with friends and family. Coming out of surgery, I realized that those relationships were most important to me. They’re one of the things that helped carry me through a difficult period in my life.

In my valedictorian speech at Convocation. I talk about community, and how important it is to surround yourself with good people who care about your well-being. And trust that they’ll take care of you. Back when I was working, when I was Mr. Ambition, I often found myself battling with anxiety and stress. While I still have the same goals and drive, I don’t allow myself to worry as much.

The approach I took to dealing with my tumour is how I intend to approach the rest of my life. Not worrying about things that are out of my control. It’s a message I’d like to share. Surround yourself with the best people, and trust that things will work out for the best.

William Scott – Valedictorian to the morning MBA Class of 2016

Q: What does it mean to be chosen as the valedictorian of the graduating class of the Morning MBA?

A: It’s an elected position, which means it’s entirely determined by students. That’s what makes it so meaningful. To be chosen by my peers to represent the class is a real honour, and I’m grateful for it.

Q: Why do you think you were chosen?

A: Because it’s a three-year program, you have plenty of opportunities to really get to know your class, and build close relationships. There's a bonding experience when timelines are tight and the pressure is on and everyone wants to do well. We’re all going through the same thing in terms of balancing school, work and our personal lives, and we have to rely on each other to succeed. Certainly that’s been my experience. Being chosen valedictorian was in some sense a testament of all the terrific friendships I’ve made along the way.

Q: What is driving you when you're going through the program?

A: What motivated me, personally, was looking around at my workplace and seeing that many of my colleagues had advanced degrees. It was about being able to compete and be considered a valued team member. I was competing against my industry, rather than my classmates.

Q: Work-life balance comes up a lot when we talk about MBA programs for working professionals. What did you learn in terms of time management?

A: Time management skills are essentially prioritization skills. You have to know what to pursue and what to ignore, and be disciplined about it. You have to learn to become effective and efficient: you can't be pulling all-nighters when you have to go to work the next day. You need to learn when to walk away from things, and be effective and efficient with both your professional life and your MBA life.

You have to learn to become effective and efficient: you can't be pulling all-nighters when you have to go to work the next day.

There are other advantages that you can only get from a comprehensive MBA program. I learned how to work with teams, and how to build trust. These are soft skills but they’re also leadership skills, and they’re essential to succeed in business.

Jingqi Guo – Valedictorian to the evening MBA Class of 2016

Q: Is there anything you’ll miss about the program?

A: I'm going to miss my class. We are a very experienced group of people, from a range of industries and backgrounds. Because the class was so diverse, I gained a lot of mentors along the way.

Our class was all about solving problems. Typically the professors would teach a concept or theory, and someone would raise their hand and say, “I understand that, but this is what happens at my firm.” The other people in class would jump in and share their insights. It’s a very unique, live-case approach to understanding business.

Q: How was the diversity of the class helpful to you?

A: Many problems are universal. But because of the nature of their particular job or industry, people solve problems in a very particular way. Through the MBA program, you learn to take on more perspectives when facing a challenge, and combining those yields better results.

The curriculum is designed to be very well-rounded. It was never an accounting problem, a finance problem or a marketing problem. It was always a business problem. The faculty was really helpful in leading you through the different perspectives.

Q: Did you experience any breakthroughs at work, based on what you learned in class?

A: Definitely. There was a time when one of my fellow students came to the class with an IT challenge that had him stumped, even though he was quite experienced and had analyzed the issue from every angle. We started asking him questions. “How do you select your team? What’s your process?” We figured out there was a key step where he chose people at a different time he chose his approach and they weren’t aligned.

The world is so big, and there were so many possibilities out there, I wanted to learn more and see more.

I came to Rotman for a sample lecture and looked at the diversity of the class and how people were learning, and really liked it. I wanted the broader perspective. To learn a new way to think.

Q: How has it paid off for you?

A: I came out of the program very different from how I started. I have a better idea of what I want to do in life. I’ve gained new perspectives on myself and on how to think about the world around me. I've grown and my world is bigger.

Morgan Pampe – Valedictorian to the MFin Class of 2016

Q: How does it feel to be finally done?

A: I miss coming back to Rotman because I made so many great friends here.

Something people don’t appreciate or understand about the Master of Finance is the closeness of the friendships you form here. Because the program is so intensive, you end up spending a lot of your free time at the School, working on challenges together. It’s like when you’re younger and you're doing everything together at the cabin, or going on a canoe trip. I really enjoyed that aspect, because I was a camper and I like that idea of closely bonding with people.

Q: Aside from the friendships you made, what's the biggest take away from your experience?

A: I couldn’t imagine how smart the professors would be. I'd learn something in, let's say, John Hull's or Peter Christoffersen's class, and the next day I would be doing it at work and showing people. They'd be, like, “That's good. We've never done that before. Keep doing that.” So I got to see in real time how worthwhile the program is.

Coming out as a graduate, you feel confident in talking to anybody about their job or their line of business. And if you don’t understand it, you know how to find out.

Q: Any MFin experience that stands out in your mind?

A: Right at the beginning of the program, me and three guys from my class entered into a case competition in Vancouver. We put a lot of work into it, which is great, because that’s how you get to know people. Those three guys are still very good friends of mine.

Q: What comes next in your career?

A: For most people in the program, the question is whether to go on the institutional or the asset management side. Right now, I work for an asset manager. Before that, I worked on the trading side of the market. But what I love about the MFin program is it shows how you can work with both sides. It moves you to a place where you can solve problems, and look for win-win situations. It’s about improving outcomes for the end consumer, for the general public. And making business work better for everyone.