Student Spotlight On Victoria Chok

Tayo Rockson: So I usually start off a lot of my interviews by having them introduce themselves. Why don't you tell me about yourself and how you got to where you are today?

Victoria Chok: I'm going to my third year, pursuing dual degree in Medical Sciences and Business Administration at the University of Western Ontario and Richard Ivey School of Business. I've always had an interest in trying experimentation and trying new things. This included founding a charity while in high school, trained professionally in ballet, and operating Canada's largest youth operated non profit. In addition, I served as an advisor for Pearson Education, a writer for Thomson Reuters and held summer internships with Royal Bank of Canada and PepsiCo. I was also awarded as one of Canada's Top 20 Under 20, a Global Changemaker by the British Council, a Global Teen Leader by the We Are Family Foundation and a Scholar by the Aspen Institute.

TR: What would you say is the biggest lesson you have learned in life? VC: Time goes by fast and it's not worth playing by the rules. Take calculated risks, fail fast but never twice. TR: What is your biggest aspiration?

VC: I don't have a 'concrete' aspiration. But-I would like to wakeup everyday looking forward to leaving an impact, surrounded by a group of great minds that continue to push me over the limits.

TR: What do you think is the biggest problem facing millennials today?

VC: Millennials are faced with an overabundance of resources; which, from my observations, can actually be quite the challenge. We are so accustomed to ease and simplicity, that we take many opportunities for granted and do not take the "extra effort" to differentiate ourselves.

TR: What does Victoria do for fun?

VC: I see myself as an eccentric. I'm extremely into fitness, so I usually run 10km everyday or hit the gym to keep me active. Call me a crazy cat lady, I also reside in a "Cat Kingdom" filled with my 5 beloved "children". On the side, I enjoy following fashion blogs and inventing vegan dessert recipes.

TR: How would you like to be remembered?

VC: A quote I live by daily is "Never forget what made you smile". I'd like to be remembered to be the one that accomplished that.

TR: What projects are you working in now and where can we find you?

VC: Currently, I'm the Senior Vice President of Nspire Innovation Network, a national organization fostering the next generation of leaders in the business and technology space. We're working on expanding our online portfolio to engage young leaders across Canada to professional opportunities. I'm also interning at PepsiCo as a financial analyst working on their marketing finance team to design valuation models and launch innovations this summer. In the fall, I will continue pursuing my academic students as well as speaking at various international conferences in Australia, United States and Asia on the importance of youth innovation. Feel free to connect with me at victoria.chok@gmail.com! Or add me on: Linkedin http://ca.linkedin.com/in/victoriachok Facebook https://www.facebook.com/victoria.chok Twitter https://twitter.com/victoriachok