Lazaridis student receives prestigious Futures Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Leadership

May 4, 2023

By Ben Forrest

Clare Livingstone, a student at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, has been recognized as one of Canada’s most accomplished young leaders.

Livingstone is a 2022 recipient of the Futures Fund Scholarship for Outstanding Leadership, a prestigious $10,000 award that recognizes Canadian business students for exemplary leadership in academics and extra-curricular activities.

“I am so honoured to receive this award; it means a lot to me,” said Livingstone, a fourth-year co-op accounting major in Laurier’s Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program at the Lazaridis School. 

“I feel as though it signifies my commitment to excellence in academics, as well as all the leadership positions I have pursued in my university career.”

Livingstone is one of 10 students recognized with Futures Fund leadership scholarships this year, with funds and mentorship provided by the Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year® program.

The 10 scholarships are rotated among participating universities every year and are available to students in graduate or undergraduate business programs.

Honourees also receive travel and accommodation to the 2022 CEO of the Year Awards Gala, where they will participate in a leadership session and a special reception and will be recognized in the National Post.  

“I’ve always naturally gravitated towards leadership opportunities,” said Livingstone, who has a perfect 12.0 grade point average at Laurier and was a two-term co-president of the Laurier Accounting Association (LAA).

“When I first started at Laurier, I really wanted to get involved,” she added. “I've always liked collaborating with people, learning new skills, mentoring and coaching people.”’ 

Livingstone joined the LAA as a junior executive in her first year at the Lazaridis School and was elected vice-president of operations in her second year before serving as president.

The LAA educates students about professional opportunities in accounting and helps prepare them to enter the workforce. Livingstone was a key organizer of the association’s major events, including its flagship Laurier Co-Op Dinner.

“It was very successful,” said Livingstone, noting 150 people attended the dinner and many provided glowing reviews. “I was really proud of that, and proud of my team.”

In the classroom, Livingstone received the President’s Gold Scholarship in all four years of her undergraduate career and made the Dean’s Honour Roll for all semesters. She also received the Myron Gottlieb Business and Economics Scholarship, awarded to the student with the highest overall GPA following the first year of BBA.

Of Livingstone, Associate Professor, Chima Mbagwu says, “Clare is an intelligent student who is personable, gracious and professional. She distinguished herself in class by asking intelligent questions that displayed a sophisticated understanding of the course. I was impressed with her leadership of the LAA dinner and the way the executives, under Clare’s leadership, handled all aspects of the evening.”

To sharpen her leadership skills, Livingstone also served as a supplemental instruction (SI) leader for BU111/121, a foundational required course for BBA students at the Lazaridis School.

This required organizing weekly sessions for up to 130 students, using engaging application activities to deepen first-year students’ understanding of course content.

“They use the Socratic method for teaching that course, and that really resonated with me,” said Livingstone. “The method is not giving people the answer right away, but opening up the topic and allowing for discussion so that students can arrive at conclusions on their own.”

After completing a co-op placement at Deloitte this spring, Livingstone intends to pursue a graduate diploma in accounting (GDip) while serving as a research assistant for a Laurier accounting professor.

Her Futures Fund scholarship will help cover tuition for the GDip, as well as future academic pursuits. In the near term, Livingstone aims to pursue Chartered Professional Accounting (CPA) designation and has accepted a full-time position at Deloitte that begins in January 2024.

In the longer term, Livingstone indicated an interest in studying the relationship between accounting and the natural environment, an emerging field that aims to record, report and valuate natural capital and environmental liabilities.

Asked for advice to current and incoming business students at the Lazaridis School, Livingstone encourages everyone to get involved in the vibrant Laurier community right away.

“I've always had something other than school that I'm involved in,” she said, noting her participation in dance classes, business competitions, personal fitness and other clubs.

“Laurier offers so many opportunities to get involved, and everyone's super inviting … studying is important, but also get involved and time-manage as well. Work hard, play hard.”