International school of life

Meet Natalie

Born in Toronto and raised in England and Singapore, Natalie Hayworth had an international perspective on her career from the outset.

“I was so grateful for the cultural exposure I had gained during my international schooling experience, however, I knew that for university I wanted to return to Canada” she says.

Natalie was in Singapore when making this decision so the fact that Vancouver was geographically close to Asia was a draw. Plus, UBC offered the best of both worlds, being located on the west coast of Canada it was an opportunity to experience a new location while enabling Natalie to be back in her home country. UBC is also known for its international student body, which is one of the main reasons she decided to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) there.

“The international school that I attended had a student body comprised of over forty different nationalities, so the international makeup of UBC Sauder was very compelling,” she says. “This factor, in combination with the beautiful campus and close proximity to Whistler, made for an easy decision in choosing to attend.” 

An incredible amount of support

Even compared to the international high schools Natalie attended, the international makeup of UBC Sauder faculty and student body were noteworthy.

“Seeing the diversity of culture and experience that my classmates brought to the program really struck me,” she says.

It wasn’t long before Natalie determined she wanted to go into consulting and started exploring the potential for doing an internship in that area. To get the tools to do that, she turned to the Hari B. Varshney Business Career Centre (BCC).

“The BCC helped me get comfortable with the consulting interview style, which is quite in-depth,” she says. “They offer an incredible amount of support in a multitude of areas that are useful when looking to begin recruiting such as resume refinement, general career coaching, and interview prep.”

Natalie also turned to the BCC when she decided to go on an international exchange.

“Going to Vienna for my exchange was one of my most memorable experiences of my degree,” she says. “I was thrown into another culture with a language that was entirely new to me which was simultaneously petrifying and rewarding. It was my experience at UBC Sauder that prepared me for this opportunity and allowed me to embrace the challenging aspects in order to maximize my personal growth – and to have fun while doing it!”

Preparing for the real world

Today, Natalie works in the Technology Strategy and Architecture Consulting group at Deloitte, where she helps clients execute on their business strategy with technology-enabled innovation. She draws on her experience at UBC Sauder, where she focused on general business management and international business, every day.

“Now when I’m being asked to calculate the impact on the earnings per share for a company making a large investment, I can turn to my learnings,” she says.

“In the consulting world I’m constantly being asked to dive into new and different areas. During these times I am able to draw on the wide array of subjects and experiences I was exposed to during my time at UBC Sauder to ensure my success.

For Natalie, developing skills at school, like teamwork and learning French, has proven invaluable to her professional life.

“UBC Sauder does an incredible job at preparing you for the real world,” she says.