A Tale Of How Vision With Action Creates A Powerful Reality By Ashishpal Singh

Many people tread on the same path, but only a few manage to make their way from the crowd and stand out. And quite often, the only secret to their success is a clear vision. Envisioning the goals, knowing the path to walk on to inch closer to achieving them, and then persevering is what gives them an edge over the rest. 

Similar is the inspiring tale that Ashishpal Singh, an alumnus of FVI, has to share. He had his mind set on where he wanted to be, and now he is turning his dreams into a reality. 

Take a trip with Ashishpal through his years at FVI and UFV Canada and now his exhilarating professional journey. 

Please shed some light on your professional journey and your current job.

My professional career started while I was in UFV only as I opted for a Co-op semester. During the Co-op, I was hired as a Management Trainee Intern at Enterprise Rent-a-Car. After completing the Co-op semester, I was offered the position of a Customer Service Associate for Enterprise while I completed my studies.

However, I had opted for business studies in the first place as I had a clear vision of my long-term goal of establishing myself in the Hardware and Construction industry. Post gaining a good experience at Enterprise, I consciously chose to shift to the hardware industry and was offered a position at Sherwin Williams.

Here I joined in the capacity of Assistant Manager and was faced with the uphill task of managing a store that was on the brink of closure and the Store Manager went on emergency leave for 3 months. With commitment, dedication, and passion, I worked so hard that at the end of the 3 months, we had surpassed the target for not only the quarter but had achieved my budget for the whole year well within those 3 months. 

Owing to these results, I was promoted to Business Development Rep for the Residential Repaint market in the Surrey area. It was a position that helped me skip two intermediary promotions and that too, in a matter of only a year. 

In that capacity too, challenges came early on due to the Covid-19 pandemic; however, that too also helped me discover even further strengths, and I was able to beat the targets. In this position, I was awarded 7 different awards and was promoted to the position of the Business Development Rep in the New Res/Commercial segment for the whole Surrey/Delta area.

What are your professional aspirations for the next 5 years?

From here, in the backdrop of the pandemic ending and things going back to normalcy, I wish to move from one steppingstone to the other. I envision that the next logical step for me is to pursue an MBA from a reputable university and eventually build on the dream of opening my own chain of hardware retail stores.

In what ways do you think UFV impacted where you are now and where you plan to be?

UFV provided me with an exceptional learning environment that fostered my entrepreneurial career by providing broad based business acumen, instilling creativity, analytical thinking, and effective communication, leadership, and networking skills.

Looking back, it seems that joining UFV was one of the best decisions, which eventually helped me in charting an excellent professional curve.

How was your experience of studying at FVI?

FVI is a learning environment that I hold sacred. It is here that I, with the help of the great faculty of professors, discovered strengths that even I didn’t know I had. The faculty here gives personal attention to each student and ensures that the students can deliver their personal best.

Also, student life in FVI is one of a kind. It is a joyous journey, full of new challenges and knowledge gained at each level.

How do you think your experience was any different from another student transferring to Canada through any other way?

FVI, as I mentioned earlier, provided the much-needed support system for international students like us to become comfortable and adjust to the new environment and culture.

Programs by the student life department, including peer resource and leadership, orientation ambassador program, and UFV lead program, provided holistic support and mentorship, fulfilling the role of an extended family in a place we would all later call our new home.

How was student life here at FVI?

University life at FVI is so much more than just classrooms and computer screens. The student community was like one tight-knit campus community at large, with students coming from different backgrounds and with endless opportunities to socialize, lead, and learn life skills.

What was the one factor that made you choose FVI?

UFV, with its strong credentials as a fully accredited public university, stood out as a clear choice for me from the very beginning. Also, UFV’s small class sizes allowed me to get to know my instructors better and learn from them in a one-on-one manner.

Tell us more about your experience of the Student Company Program.

The Student Company Program is one of the best co-curricular experiences that I’ve had in my life. The connections I built in that program and the learning experience that I got through the program are some things that have always helped me out in my professional and personal life. I personally believe that my professional journey actually started when I became a part of the program, and I would definitely recommend all the current and future students to sign up for it too.

Do you have any advice for current or prospective students?

Firstly, I would like to congratulate them on joining FVI, and would advise them to reflect on their long term goals and have a clear vision. This will help them stand apart from the crowd, help them be self-motivated, and achieve great goals in life.