Connor Hasegawa, a recent graduate from the Odette School of Business with an HBA in commerce, was among the first students to graduate completing both the Outstanding Scholars and thesis programs. Entering the business program, Connor admits he had no intention or awareness of the research opportunities available at the undergraduate level. "I didn't know research was an option in any sense until I was invited into the Outstanding Scholars program," Connor explained, "I probably would have never pursued research at the undergraduate level if it weren't for the OS program." Through his OS terms, Connor was exposed to a research project involving a local squash club whereby he examined coaching practices and the effect on athlete and organisation performance. His background as a high-level figure skating athlete gave him the insight and experience he needed to help move the project forward.
After developing an interest for research in this subject area, Connor decided to participate in the thesis program. Connor described his thesis as "an examination of the leadership characteristics of innovative coaches and the resulting transformation of the sports organisations they're part of." Fortunately, Connor was able to partially prove his hypotheses-but he expressed his concern for the complexity of the project and explained that he will be continuing this research at a higher level of education. Connor expressed that he feels much more prepared to take the next step in his professional career because of his experinece in these two programs-and that the Outstanding Scholars program was the defining experience in his time as an undergraduate student. "Within the business world, research is undervalued as merely an academic exercise-but it truly helps prepare you for the uncertainties in the professional world-it is far more than an academic exercise."