On September 17, the Arthur L. Irving Entrepreneurship Centre welcomed more than 100 students through its doors for an afternoon of exploring, creating, connecting and most importantly, feeling at home.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Centre became a “home away from home,” with each room offering something different for students to discover. From trading keychains for the chance to win Magnetic World tickets to building robots, exploring AI and enjoying free ice cream, there was plenty happening throughout the afternoon.
At the front door, the “Ask Us Anything” booth gave students a place to start, whether they had questions about entrepreneurship programs, courses, resources, student opportunities or simply wanted to learn more about the Centre.
From there, students could take part in the Trade-Up Challenge, starting with a small item and trading their way up in hopes of winning two Magnetic World tickets. Four special trades were hidden around campus, making the challenge a little more exciting. The custom keychains and special trade items were created by BW Works, an alumni business founded by Brayden White BComm’26.
The Imagination Station gave students a chance to get up close with one of the Centre’s latest featured products, the SmartDuvet. Students could also test their problem-solving skills in the AI Playground Escape Room, build a mini 2D drawing robot with alumni entrepreneur Mohammed Issa, BComm’16, in the STEAM Lab, or grab a free ice cream sundae from Saint Mary’s student Arsh Shaikh’s Flynn’s Dairy Bar.
In the podcast studio, students were invited to pull up a seat by the “fire” and share an idea they would bring to life or a problem they would solve.
More than anything, the Open House gave students a chance to see the Centre not just as a place to access programs and resources, but as a space where they can ask questions, meet people, try new things, and find a community.
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