Great Grads 2020: Chris Johnson, BCom/20

On June 19th, Carleton University approved this year’s list of graduates! While celebrations have moved online this year, it gives us even more reason to celebrate all our amazing graduates of 2020. We’ve asked a few of our Great Grads this year to share their memories of Carleton and the Sprott community.

Chris Johnson is a graduate of the Bachelor of Commerce program with a concentration in Accounting and currently enrolled in the Sprott Master of Accounting program.

If you could choose one word to sum up your time at Sprott, what is it and why?

‘Caring’ is the word I’d choose. Throughout my time at Sprott, my professors, the incredible staff at the Business Career Management Centre (BCMC), my colleagues and Sprott’s leadership showed time and time again that they cared about my well-being and success. From providing me with countless opportunities to grow as a person and business professional to taking the extra time to help me refine my resume and cover letter to saying hi and catching up in the halls, my impression was that Sprott cared.

What were your goals when you started at Sprott? Did you achieve them?

When I started at Sprott, my goal was to figure out where I fit in the broad field of business. Sprott provided me with the networking opportunities I needed to determine where I wanted to go in my future. Once I had my sights set on starting my career as a financial auditor, Sprott prepared, supported and enabled me to get started in the field between semesters through my co-op terms.

Now I’m working full time and pursuing my Master of Accounting (MAcc), I can gladly say I’ve achieved my initial goal and am working on my next goal of obtaining my CPA.

What is your favourite Sprott memory?

My favourite Sprott memory would most definitely be representing Sprott at the Ontario Universities’ Fair (OUF). At OUF, I had the opportunity to share my passion for Sprott with many bright, enthusiastic students and explore Toronto with a crew of incredible colleagues.

What was your favourite course or professor?

Despite not working in tax and possessing what one might call an ‘ingrained aversion’ to it, personal taxation was my favourite course I took at Sprott. My appreciation of the course was due entirely to Professor Rebecca Renfroe, as well as my class colleagues. Professor Renfroe is an immensely talented and altruistic educator who made Canada’s convoluted and asinine (in my opinion) tax code relatable, comprehensible and deeply useful. I’m incredibly happy to have her as a professor as part of the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program as well, and she remains an inspiration for me.

What was the most important lesson you learned during your time at Sprott?

People are the most crucial part of anything. The most important lesson I learned was through my group work at Sprott. I learned that it was best to first focus on enabling the members of my team and afterwards push for results. Enabling my team was done by ensuring that they had the tools they needed and the support, structure and opportunities to shine. I found that high-quality output followed in a more fulfilling and natural way than if my primary focus was simply on driving immediate results.

What will you miss the most?

I already miss running into colleagues, professors and administrators around campus spontaneously.

What’s next for you?

I’m currently completing my first summer of the Master of Accounting (MAcc) program at Sprott between my work as a financial auditor at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers).

Is there anything else you would like to share with the Sprott community?

The people I met at Sprott were by far the most significant thing I got from my experience. I don’t think I can overstate the value of the connections I made during my undergrad; they are worth more to me than any other part of the experience, full stop.