Aboriginal Entrepreneur Finds Engaged Community at BCIT

Adrian Duke dreams of starting not one but many successful businesses throughout his lifetime. The ambitious, self-motivated 22-year-old already has one business venture under his belt: during summer break at BCIT he opened a student window cleaning franchise as a way to fund his education. During the three months of operation, he hired three employees and generated $25,000 in sales.

It’s no surprise, then, that Adrian is a graduate of the BCIT Marketing Management (Entrepreneurship option) diploma program. Adrian credits the program, from which he graduated in May 2009, for providing him with practical, hands-on skills to offer employers, along with critical thinking skills, experience writing business plans, and the ability to work as part of a team.

The way a person learns at BCIT is different from the typical university, Adrian explains. Rather than sitting in a lecture hall with 400 other people and listening to one person at the front of the class talking, classes at BCIT are typically around 20 people with hands-on, team-based problem solving. As a result, Adrian says, you become actively engaged in problem-solving while improving your communication skills. You also tend to better remember what you have learned, and become more aware of yourself and what your role is or can be in a team environment.

Adrian is certainly aware of what it means to be a part of a community. As a non-status First Nation of the Muscowpetung Nation, he found kinship at BCIT. BCIT’s Aboriginal Services department “felt like a second home,” he says. Supportive and dependable, it was “always there for him if he needed it,” whether that was for coffee and a chat, or to get help with specific things such as applying for scholarships.

Dedicated to learning more about Aboriginal traditions and history, Adrian attended the sweat lodge ceremonies held every month at BCIT. Gerry, the lodgekeeper, is “an amazing teacher who brings wisdom and kindness to those around him,” says Adrian.

Giving back to the community is a big part what being First Nations represents, Adrian says, explaining his commitment to various programs and causes. One of the not-for-profit organizations Adrian is involved with is the Ch’nook Scholars Program, which he worked with to find new methods of attracting Aboriginal youth to attend post-secondary education.

"BCIT changed my life," says Adrian. No wonder he wants to help others achieve the same successes.