Participants in the University of Windsor’s EnRoute 2026 event, including MBA students, faculty and industry partners, pose during a Toronto visit from April 28 to May 1. (SUBMITTED BY TARA DAVIDOVIC/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
MBA students from the University of Windsor stepped beyond the classroom this spring, as part of EnRoute, a multi-day experiential learning program, in the Greater Toronto Area.
The program, held April 28 to May 1, brought students face-to-face with several organizations, including TD Securities, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, SickKids, the Michener Institute of Education, Flybits and Geotab, exposing them to industries ranging from finance and technology to sports and health care.
Organized over several months by student leaders and university staff, the program aims to give participants a deeper understanding of potential career paths while building professional networks outside Windsor.
“The purpose of EnRoute is to give students an experiential learning opportunity beyond the classroom,” said Ronak Doowd (BComm ’20, MBA ’22), former employer relations and career adviser. “It’s a great way to network with alumni and gain insight into industries they may not yet be familiar with, all as part of the broader student experience.”
Doowd said this year’s cohort visited seven employers. Extensive planning went into ensuring students had meaningful exposure to each organization.
For Andreya Lafontaine, vice-president of events and communications with the Odette MBA Society, the goal was to reflect the diverse interests of the cohort.
“My main goal in organizing the EnRoute trip was to create an experience that exposed MBA students to multiple industries and companies that aligned with the interests of everyone attending,” said Lafontaine.
She measured success by student engagement and the quality of connections made, and acknowledged the logistical challenges of coordinating multiple employer visits.
“We wanted every company tour to feel different and provide value,” she said. “We overcame those challenges through organization and teamwork.”
Brianna Zakaria, vice-president of alumni with the Odette MBA Society, said the trip emphasized direct engagement with professionals and alumni.
“Our main goals were to give MBA students hands-on exposure to industries they were genuinely excited about, help them build out their professional networks, and connect them with alumni and industry leaders across the GTA,” said Zakaria.
She said exposure to sectors including finance, consulting, health care and technology gave students a well-rounded experience, adding that organizers looked for companies that could offer real insight into workplace culture, leadership and career opportunities.
For Martin Stavroski, president of the Odette MBA Society, the experience reinforced the importance of understanding how organizations operate at a strategic level.
“The most valuable takeaway from this trip was seeing all the businesses that are in Toronto and learning how they all operate as companies from a different perspective,” he said. “Speaking to higher management and understanding their visions and goals helps shape our vision as future leaders.”
Stavroski said visiting different workplaces also highlighted the role of organizational culture.
“Visiting all these different companies made me realize the importance of work culture and understanding the variety of different work environments throughout these organizations,” he said.
Beyond the professional exposure, he said the trip also strengthened connections within the cohort — particularly during travel.
“The one specific experience that I’d like to highlight is the train rides to Toronto and back to Windsor,” said Stavroski. “We spent hours together … getting to know each other better. These train rides definitely got me closer to some of the people that I wasn’t as close to prior to this trip.”
The trip also highlighted a recurring theme voiced by industry professionals: that career paths are rarely linear.
“Hearing that directly from directors and industry leaders was both reassuring and motivating,” said Zakaria. “It gave many of us a stronger sense of direction in our own career paths.”