When Vipin Pal Singh Ball enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at Yorkville University, he became the first person in his family to pursue a university education – fulfilling his father’s lifelong dream.
Leaving his family and loved ones behind in India to embark on a whole new chapter in Canada wasn’t always the easiest path, though. Ball had no idea what to expect, much less did he know that the experience would mark the beginning of what would ultimately become a transformational journey.
“Being an international student and studying through the pandemic crisis was very hard. After my first semester over here, I used to cry and call my dad, telling him it was a big mistake sending me here alone. I went through a lot of struggles at first,” the 22-year-old said of his early days at YU’s Ontario Campus.
As he settled into his new life as a university student and began immersing himself in campus life, however, things started to turn around for Ball.
He began earning top grades and took on the role of a student leader, signing up to become a peer tutor and helping to launch the fledgling Yorkville University Project Management Guild – becoming its president within two weeks of joining.
“With hard work and enthusiasm, I have achieved the goal of making my and my peers’ educational journey successful,” he said, crediting the mentorship he received from his “excellent, experienced, and expert professors” for his success.
This past December, Ball completed his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a specialization in Project Management and successfully applied for his Post-Graduation Work Permit to stay and work in Canada. With help from YU’s Career Services team, he recently landed a job as an Area Manager for Amazon – a position he’ll start at the beginning of April.
“I’m really excited, because at the age of 22, I’ve had success as the first person in my family with a university degree, and now a job. It would not have been possible without my professors and support from Career Services, who helped me prep for my interview,” he said.
“That’s the kind of support Yorkville gives to students – helping them at every step. I never felt alone.”
While Ball is now looking forward to launching his career with the multinational ecommerce giant, his ultimate goal is to go back to school to earn first his Master of Business Administration, then his PhD, so that, one day, he might follow in the footsteps of his YU instructors and become a professor.
“I see myself as an inspirational and motivational person in my field and for the international student community,” he said.
In the meantime, Ball plans to stay involved with Yorkville as an alumnus, both through maintaining his connections with the YU Project Management Guild he helped build, and as a recently joined member of the university’s BBA Program Advisory Committee – a group that meets twice a year to give input on possible program improvement.
“I’m thankful for the emotional and academic support I received from the YU family during my university journey,” he said, urging all incoming international students to embrace every facet of their new lives at Yorkville and to learn from the experience.
“I feel proud to be a YU graduate and I will walk, holding my head high with honour, representing YU even after my graduation.”
