The Governor General’s Academic Collegiate Bronze medal honours a student who has been registered in a diploma-level, post-secondary program (minimum of two years of full-time studies) and achieves the overall highest average upon graduation. This year’s recipient is Daivan Scherman.
Daivan came to the College from Battleford, Saskatchewan for the opportunity to play volleyball at the post-secondary level and because she could earn all the courses required to be eligible to enter the Chartered Professional Accountant program. Today she is graduating with her Business Management Accounting diploma with plans to continue into the College’s Bachelor of Business Administration: Sustainable Business Practices in the fall.
Daivan describes her experience at the College as being welcomed into a kind a beautiful community away from home. The small class sizes she enjoyed as a College of the Rockies student helped create meaningful relationships between peers and instructors and the supportive College community provided her with confidence in her abilities. She’s incredibly grateful for the experience she has had at the College over the past two years and looks forward to continuing to study here and play with the Avalanche in the coming years.
Get to know Daivan a little better:
1. In addition to the opportunity to play PACWEST volleyball, you mentioned being able to take the pre-requisite courses for eligibility into the Chartered Professional Accountant program is part of what drew you to the College. Did you have a difficult time finding a college that offered those prerequisites?
I didn’t find it too difficult to find a college offering the prerequisites, however, I would say the College of the Rockies provides one of the clearest pathways to complete them. The College of the Rockies had a couple perks that influenced my decision to enroll.
Being able to receive the Accounting Diploma after two years and then transferring into the third year of the Bachelor of Business Administration: Sustainable Business Practices is a perk of the College. I appreciated the opportunity to have a diploma after two years in the case that I didn’t end up wanting to pursue accounting further.
Another advantage of the College of the Rockies is our knowledgeable and passionate accounting instructors and academic advisors. Whenever a question arises about which courses are needed or when courses need to be taken to achieve all the prerequisites, any of the instructors will quickly provide insight.
2.You describe your first two years at the College beautifully – as being welcomed into a kind and beautiful community. What are your expectations for the next two years?
As I am now one of the older members of the Avalanche, I am excited to be able to share all that I love about the Cranbrook area with our incoming recruits. I am very grateful to have another two years of enjoying the beautiful scenery in Cranbrook as well as the number of events that happen within the community during the school year.
3. How did your experience at the College provide you with confidence in your abilities?
The small class sizes at the College of the Rockies have provided me with confidence in my abilities. My instructors can provide personalized feedback in a timely manner and there is always opportunity to ask questions whether that’s in class or during their office hours. I appreciate having the ability to form relationships with instructors in which I don’t feel awkward asking for clarification or help. My confidence in my abilities has been cultivated through the relationships made possible from small class sizes.
4. How has your experience with the Avalanche been?
The last two years with the Avalanche have been nothing short of exciting and fulfilling. I am very grateful to be able to play and study in such a beautiful area while also traveling to play on the coast. Being apart of the Avalanche has allowed me to form relationships I will value for life. I can confidently say that we have the best game days in the PACWEST, and that is all thanks to the amazing community surrounding us. I am very grateful for the Avalanche program and all the opportunities it has given me to grow as a person.
5. As a future CPA, how do you hope to impact your community?
I hope to impact my community by ensuring I can provide advice and services to allow small businesses and individuals to feel confident in their finances. One of my favourite aspects of Cranbrook is the number of local businesses and I hope I can one day have a role in keeping these small businesses financially healthy.