For John Wilkin, BCom’94, the path to the commerce program at Queen’s University wasn’t an obvious one. The son of a homemaker and tool and die maker, John was just the second in his family to consider post-secondary education, and his family had no connections to the university an almost four-hour drive east from his hometown of Brantford, Ontario.
The engineering path his older brother had taken didn’t play to John’s strengths, and while he had a keen interest in history, he also had thoughts of a law career and was looking for something more practical. A little research steered him toward business, and tagging along on a trip to Kingston with some friends to visit Queen’s, he found the commerce program. “I came across it almost by accident,” he says.
That happy accident laid the foundation for John’s 25-year (and counting!) law career with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. “Not coming from a background in the professional world, I got my initial exposure through my experience at Queen’s,” he says. “It helped me develop skills that allowed me to successful.”
Now, John is leveraging that success to help ensure that the path to business education at Smith School of Business is clearly marked, through the creation of a scholarship for young people in Brant County in Southern Ontario, which he initiated during his return to Kingston for Homecoming last month.
“I wanted to create a link to the community that I grew up in,” he says, explaining that outside of the larger city centres where many young people are aware of and focused on Smith Commerce, there are smaller communities with really bright students who aren’t necessarily considering it as an option.
The scholarship is the latest example of John’s ongoing commitment to giving back to the institution he credits as having a profound and lasting influence on his life.
John’s philanthropic support of Queen’s started before he crossed the stage and became an official member of the Commerce alumni network. During his time as president of the Commerce Society, the group launched a giving program called Commitment with the goal of encouraging the graduating class to think about donating to the institution that played a role in their development. It also sought matching donations from some of the leading companies that were recruiting students at that time.
“When you are part of a community and you derive value from that community, it’s important to — in whatever way you can — give back, whether it’s volunteering your time or contributing financially, if you have the resources,” John says. “That’s an important lesson I learned from my parents.”
Since graduating, John has remained engaged with the business school through mentoring, delivering talks to clubs like the Queen’s Commerce Law Association and through the Class of 94’s class giving campaigns.
“Comm’94 has a bursary and I’ve been a part of the team during milestone homecomings that tries to boost that fund,” he says. Established in 2014, the BCom’94 Bursary is awarded based on financial need to students entering first year of the Commerce program. This year, John championed his class to boost contributions to this fund as part of their 30th anniversary Homecoming.
“I really believe in directing resources to help open access and keep the burden off students and their families,” John says. He wants to ensure that other young people have the same opportunity to experience the quality education and community he did.
That community aspect is something he highlights in discussions with two of his three sons, who have followed in his footsteps and are Smith Commerce students. “I tell my kids, when you’re at Queen’s you have this opportunity to meet a lot of great people who, professionally or personally, will be part of your entire life… Members of my class and Queen’s Commerce alumni are my friends, my colleagues, they’re my clients, and they have been my mentors. You become a part of that community early on and it’s such a gift.”