Mervyn Mendonca

Year of Graduation: 2012

University: Schulich School of Business, York University

Program: Bachelors of Business Administration, 2016

Work Experience: My work experiences relate to public sector finance at both, the provincial and municipal, levels of government. I started as a summer student at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) in the Corporate Services Division. I later held intern positions at the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Accounting Policy & Financial Reporting Division, and the Ontario Treasury Board Secretariat, Infrastructure Technology Services. Currently I am an analyst at the City of Toronto, Financial Planning Division.

Notable Experience:

Soon into my first year at university I realized something that Mrs. Devitt had been preaching all along in high school, but I never believed: don’t worry, you’ll be fine! Grades aren’t everything! I pass this same message on those of you looking forward to starting university in the coming months/years, along with the added note of: Use your time in university to develop new ideas by leveraging the knowledge and experiences of your peers and profs. Join various clubs and try different courses and activities that will put you out of your comfort zone, connect you with new people, help you build your network, develop a new perspective and learn more about yourself. The highlight of my university experience was the time I spent outside the classroom during my semester abroad. I definitely recommend doing one if you get the opportunity. PS: after reading this please don’t throw your books in the trash and skip your classes, grades are important. There are many things you can do to boost your GPA like … studying hard… doing ‘bird courses, connecting with upper years to get their course material, etc… PPS: Do a Program that provides co-op experience! It eases the transition into the traditional workplace by hundredfold.

Words of Wisdom: Travel! You’ll learn that there is a HUGE world out there filled with possibilities. You will meet great people, see great things, and learn many valuable lessons that I cannot being to summarize here. Enjoy the experience when you’re young and responsibility-free. Just know that it’s not as expensive as you may think; there are a million videos on YouTube on how to travel on a budget. There are so many different jobs that you can do abroad, or experience that you can bring back home to develop a new career for yourself. Also, with the social media and the integration of technology it is very easy to stay in touch with loved ones while abroad. Moreover, when you’re bogged down or you’re feeling stressed or trapped in your current situation, the experiences you gain when travelling will help you realize that there are other attainable alternatives out there, should you decide to make the change… Hope this inspires you to take a chance and go somewhere different. Safe travels!

Contact: Mervyn Mendonca on Linkedin