This article is part of a series focusing on the fall grads of the Dalhousie Class of 2020. Visit our to share in the excitement with our newest graduates.
For Ay艧e Dai-Gammon, finishing her last three MBA courses entirely online during the pandemic lockdown offered an opportunity to build special connections. 鈥淐OVID-19 made students and instructors more aware of each other鈥檚 life challenges,鈥� she says. 鈥淒oing an MBA is a brave undertaking for working professionals at the best of times. COVID-19 took it to another level.鈥�
鈥淢any of my classmates had to support their kids鈥� homeschooling while trying to balance their work and MBA courses. I have deep respect and appreciation for my classmates and instructors for their resilience, adaptability and resourcefulness.鈥�
It also highlighted what Dai-Gammon calls 鈥渂ringing those sweet moments of life to our online coursework and video calls: newborn babies, family members, pets. It鈥檚 a very intimate experience and you establish deep relationships with classmates.鈥�
Dai-Gammon graduates in October; in 2015 she was one of the first students to enroll in Dalhousie鈥檚 blended in-person/online MBA program with leadership specialization offered through the Centre for Executive & Graduate Education (CEGE).
鈥淭his program leverages the co-creative learning model, combining theory, award-winning professors鈥� expertise, and the diverse professional backgrounds of the students鈥攁ll accomplished mid-career professionals. It really enriches and maximizes the learning experience.鈥�
Helping employers and students connect
Since 2011, Dai-Gammon has been the employer development manager with Management Career Services in Dal鈥檚 Faculty of Management. She supports employers鈥� campus recruitment strategies and recent grad and co-op student recruitment needs. She is also the force behind the Dalhousie MBA Network on LinkedIn, created recently to help current students and alumni connect with and support each other. The private group already has more than 60 participants.
Dai-Gammon was born and raised in Turkey, graduated from Istanbul University School of Law, and had established a career as a corporate lawyer specializing in foreign investments before immigrating to Canada. She leverages her corporate experience to help businesses and organizations connect with Dalhousie鈥檚 impressive pool of talent.
Although she had always wanted to pursue a master鈥檚 degree, 鈥淚 was really waiting for this degree, especially the leadership stream,鈥� explains Dai-Gammon. 鈥淚t goes beyond the traditional MBA course curriculum, challenging people鈥檚 paradigms and introducing complexity theory into strategic management. The program provides a solid foundation for personal and organizational boundary spanning, value creation and growth.鈥�
鈥淭he program also challenges conventional ideas of leadership that glorify heroic and charismatic leaders. We had a lot of heated discussions because there are as many leadership styles as personalities! I believe there鈥檚 a leader in each of us, and you can evoke and motivate that leader that lives in every employee and citizen to make a difference.鈥�
Flexible learning a plus
Although being a Dal employee was an important consideration in choosing the program, it wasn鈥檛 the only reason Dai-Gammon chose Dalhousie. The high academic standards, as well as the flexible learning model, were key. 鈥淲ho has the luxury of taking two years off if you鈥檙e a mid-career professional with family responsibilities? The program is designed for busy working professionals so you can 鈥榚arn as you learn and pay as you go.鈥� One of the advantages is not having a big tuition payment up front. You pay for the courses you鈥檙e taking and don鈥檛 need to quit your job to get an MBA.鈥�
Wrapping up her degree as COVID-19 hit also gave Dai-Gammon a deep appreciation for Dal鈥檚 two decades of established expertise in online and blended learning. 鈥淭he program was well positioned to make the necessary adjustments quickly without sacrificing educational quality. It didn鈥檛 have to happen overnight because the pieces were already in place.鈥�
Dai-Gammon credits her MBA experience with giving her a new appreciation for quiet leadership. 鈥淲e all have the opportunity to make a difference as who we are, where we are, right now. We don鈥檛 need to fit into a popularized leadership mould. In our quiet ways, we can initiate ripples for incremental change and progress that can lead to significant waves of transformation. This is a refreshing and powerful approach to leadership that energizes people to become progress-makers for organizational and social transformation.鈥�