Fourth Cohort of BEST Certificate Graduates Announced

Vana Victoria Tabrizi (Civil Engineering)
“I believe that developing strong business acumen and entrepreneurial skills are important elements for a successful future career. This unique program, which focuses on technological entrepreneurship, allowed me to gain the knowledge required to develop an effective business model, which could be utilized to launch a future tech start-up. As a Civil Engineering and BEST Certificate graduate, I am now ready to transition into the professional engineering industry with entrepreneurial competencies and a strong technical background. I hope to become an effective technological entrepreneur in the industry and use my knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on society.”

Andre Chen (Mechanical Engineering)
“The BEST program complemented my studies by providing me with a big-picture approach. In engineering, it is very easy to get caught up in a solution and “how” to solve a problem. The BEST Certificate courses challenged me to think about all the moving parts that must be considered for a venture to be successful. They gave me the foundation and tools to be able to be confident in making uncertain decisions in my academic and personal life. The program has very passionate and caring faculty teaching all the courses which made the experience truly stand out.”

Ariel Yerushalmi (Civil Engineering)
“Through these courses, I was prompted to provide an opinion rather than a clear-cut answer which helped me develop my critical thinking skills. Being exposed to various new concepts throughout this certificate helped me expand my thinking beyond just science and math, which is extremely useful in the workplace.”

Allen Kaplan (Software Engineering)
“In terms of skill development and personal growth, the BEST Certificate provides the opportunity to take courses that cover the blind spots in traditional engineering education. By learning other perspectives in business and law one can think more critically about what businesses are doing and the ramifications of their strategy. I would recommend that everyone looks into the BEST Certificate. Not only is it a fantastic way to complete your degrees through complementary studies, but you will be engaged in classes that will help you throughout your career no matter where you end up.”

Vamsi Lingamaneni (Computer Engineering)
“I would definitely recommend the BEST certificate to other Lassonde students who want to improve their arsenal of skills before graduating with their respective degrees. Anyone who has an entrepreneurial mindset will benefit from this Certificate.”

Matthew Zemel (Mechanical Engineering)
“The BEST certificate program has provided me with the unique opportunity to expand my skill set and professional knowledge in areas aside from an engineering perspective. The business and law courses that I completed provided me with the knowledge of how to successfully develop my own start-up company. I also learned about intellectual property which is crucial for entrepreneurs to understand.”

Adam Silverman (Computer Engineering)
“I believe the BEST courses really helped me in my current career. I work in the field of robotics, in which there are several startups operating. Knowing basic financial literacy and accounting practices helps me get a sense of how a company is doing, which is important for many reasons. Secondly, because I present often, being well-prepared for this part of my job really boosted my confidence.”

Elim Lemango (Computer Science, Honours)
“As a computer science student, I’ve learned how to write software for apps and websites, as well as all the technical aspects that go along with that. With the business and law courses through the BEST certificate, I was able to understand the business side of things and what goes into it.”

Elie Lithwick (Electrical Engineering)
“If you ever had an idea in engineering and thought, what would it be like to try and take this product to market? Then these are the courses for you. You can learn what it takes to create a startup company and the strategies to best succeed in building it into a multi-million-dollar company. You will walk away from this certificate having learnt the key components of what it takes to build a successful company.”

KaiXuan Chin (Computer Science, Honours)
“The courses helped me to get motivated and more prepared to start my own startup, as it equipped me with all the basic business and law knowledge that I need. Professors are very professional and knowledgeable about their fields.”

Kathursan Loganathan (Civil Engineering)
“It’s been an honour to take part in the BEST Certificate and to graduate with the Certificate as an add-on to my Civil Engineering Degree. Each course provided a new gateway to an additional place we can be investing our time in to become wealthier intellectually and financially.”

Gurveer Bains (Mechanical Engineering)
“Taking these courses helped me see engineering from a different perspective, a more non-technical perspective. It was fascinating to see how many different factors need to be considered from other industries when engineering a product or a product system.”

Hossam El-Shebiny (Space Engineering)
“This certificate will allow you to traverse the STEM world with a solid understanding of how innovations can be protected and monetized in a practical way. Helping engineers and scientists become more business literate is essential for better regulations and policies in the tech world. I would recommend this certificate to anyone that is not pursuing a business-related degree.”

David Umansky (Bachelor of Science)
“With great certainty, I can say that the BEST Certificate defined my university experience. Starting engineering felt very daunting at the beginning, but the BEST Program has filled my worldview with unlimited potential. I believe that as an engineering student, being able to complete the BEST certificate is one of the smartest and easiest choices you can make.”

Michael Kyeremateng, Mechanical Engineering

Mohammad Yasir Azizi, Computer Science Honors

Hashim Reza Naqvi, Mechanical Engineering