Networking Your Way into the Commerce Society: An Interview with Victoria McCaig and Other Executives
Written by Natasha Fernandes
Thumbnail photo by the Saint Mary's University Commerce Society
Engaging in societies on campus is great for building useful communication skills and forming good networks. Saint Mary’s University has a plethora of societies that a student can choose from. In this article, I want to highlight a society that has been doing extremely well despite the virtual shift. This society has been successfully holding events with good attendance and has gained recognition for being extremely engaging with their executives and their society members. The society that deserves this much-needed spotlight is the Commerce Society. The Commerce Society is a student-led society that focuses on providing students with networking opportunities and teaching them how to use business and university resources (such as the CCR program, the entrepreneurship centre, and business-appropriate etiquette). The Commerce Society is keen on building its members’ social skills and bolstering their career paths through learning from business locals and taking advantage of their university life.
I had the pleasure of having a zoom interview with the Vice President of the Commerce Society, Victoria McCaig. We had a very engaging conversation where we spoke about the Commerce Society’s mission and the various skills the society can give to students. McCaig also emphasized how the Commerce Society is extremely flexible and welcomes students from all majors as their events are catered to helping students foster good professional skills and to have good business etiquette. This is useful no matter what field of study you are in. The keynote speakers at some of these events include Kevin Brent, who is the Chief Investment Officer for Bluesky Equities, who spoke at their Investment Banking Investment Night. This talk was popular and relevant to commerce students of all backgrounds, but also the general student body.
I told McCaig that in my earlier article, A Glimpse into the Health of Societies during the Pandemic: An interview with Salma Maliha Maisha, Salma had mentioned the commerce society as one of the societies that have been doing admirably well, even with the shift to virtual settings. Curious to know the secret behind the success, I asked McCaig how the society has maintained its morale even during these times to which she replied: “Our society values communication. Communicating with the executive team and using social media as a platform of engagement has been central to us. We have our group email chats and are most active on our Instagram group chats where we share ideas and motivate each other.”
The commerce society is continually active on its Instagram and Facebook pages. They also host weekly events on zoom (to be notified of the weekly events you need to check the Facebook page). One of the main events happening this holiday season is the 50/50 raffle event in collaboration with the Ronald McDonald House Charity (RMHC). The RMHC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help and improve the wellbeing of sick children by providing them with support. This event hosted by the Commerce Society is an online raffle that will help support families who come to visit their loved ones. This event allows students to give back to their community and help those in need. You can learn more about this extraordinary event by following the commerce society’s Facebook page and purchasing a raffle ticket here.
With the hype surrounding their upcoming events, I was also truly in awe with the number of past successful events such as the Industry Night: Investment Banking event and the CCR workshop event that were both extremely beneficial to students from all majors. To successfully carry out heavyweight events like these in a virtual setting is no easy task. The pressure to do well and have a good turnout is always high, especially with the current virtual environment, where maintaining student morale is difficult. I asked McCaig if she has any advice for societies who are struggling to cope with this pressure, to which she said:
“It is important to work as one and not as individuals. Communication is essential, whether it is your executive team or your society members, it is necessary to be in contact with them frequently. Another great tip is collaboration. It is beneficial for societies to collaborate with each other so there is more exposure and societies can learn from each other while working together. The commerce society has always been open to collaborations and is still ready to work with other societies that wish to do so.”
One of the main reasons why the Commerce Society is so attractive to students is because it provides them with essential networking skills and the opportunity to learn the right etiquette to use when attending business conferences or formal events. It is a great avenue for students to build their networks and learn how to hold professional conversations. The various workshops and events are based on what the society members want, and so events are managed as per the student’s need. McCaig did let me know that one of the main reasons for their success was their Instagram page which is handled by the talented Morgan Baker-Tucker, who is the Social Media Director for the Commerce Society. While she handles the majority of the communication, the posters are created and designed by the creative IT Director, Manav Khera.
Khera, who is also the Marketing Director for Enactus, is responsible for making the event banners and for creating and managing the Commerce Society’s online website. I had the pleasure of having a quick chat with Khera and I asked him about his experience working with the society, to which he said:
“Generally speaking, it has been a great experience. It is not easy being in the executive team with zoom as the platform for communication, but we all handled it very well. We all were going through the pandemic but we’re still committed to our goal of promoting the society and making some good events happen. We all wished it was non-virtual but sometimes our wishes cannot be granted, and we need to adapt.”
McCaig also talked about her hardworking executive team members and how a virtual platform seems to have motivated them to be more creative and more engaging. One of the things she mentioned that caught my attention was her praise for the weekly newsletter that is handled by the diligent Communications Director, Chelsea Greenham. I wanted to know more about the newsletter, so I had a quick chat with Greenham to ask her about her experience with the society and what the newsletter is all about to which she replied:
“When it comes to the Commerce Society, I can honestly say that joining this committee has been a wonderful experience. I have made lots of great connections. All members of the committee are so welcoming, and they help make everyone feel accepted. Regarding the newsletter, students can access it by providing their email either by emailing the commerce society email or there is a form on our website they can fill out! Once we receive their email, I add them to our list, and they will receive the newsletter once every week usually on Sunday or Monday. The newsletter always contains our upcoming activities within the society along with other valuable information for students to get involved in around various parts of campus. Being a part of the commerce society is ensuring that you always have a place to fit in whether you are on campus or at home.”
The Commerce Society has genuinely surprised me with their passion and drive to do more. One past fundraising event that they held last year for over a couple of months, the CIBC Run for the Cure and breast cancer research, raised over $2,000 for the cause.
These interviews and examples depict the Commerce Societies’ unshaken dedication and patience to work towards their goals no matter the circumstances. The shift to online has only fuelled their motivation, and they are already preparing more events for next term which will allow for more student interaction and participation. The Commerce Society is always open and welcoming more students. They have also expressed their excitement to work with other societies on campus and organize different events collaboratively. I do hope by the end of this article your interest has been piqued and your motivation to join a society has been reignited. Is this society a good match for you? Well, you can only find out once you join. You never know, the next interviewee here at the SMU Journal could be YOU!
P.S: If you are a member or an executive of a campus society at SMU and would like to be featured here at the SMU Journal to have your opinions heard you can email me at fernnash15@gmail.com and we can have a chat! I want to know more about your experience with societies here on campus, so do not hesitate to reach out!