School of Business

The waters around Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay are shark infested. The currents are cold and treacherous. And while swimming in shark-infested waters is just a metaphor for most of us, there are some people who have been there, done that, and have marked it off their bucket list; BBA student Sufyan Shaikh is one of them. Sufi is an accomplished open water swimmer—the Alcatraz circumnavigation is only one of many swimming accomplishments—who was recruited by former swimming head coach Chris Stone. Having swum the English Channel and the Seven Seas besides, what lured him to Acadia? "Wolfville is perfect for me because I want to focus on swimming and study, and a university outside the urban area will help me do that." In his native India, such schools away from family are called "Gurukul," centres of specialized study located in isolated places to avoid distractions. Acadia, a residential undergraduate university in rural Annapolis Valley, reminds Sufi of that special place, conducive to study, to which one withdraws in order to become a better individual. A BBA student with a Business Technology Management major, Sufi’s achievement in swimming is directly correlated to his academic study. "For me, staying in shape, having a good diet, and going to the gym, keeps me focused. I don’t have motivation to do well in my studies if I’m eating poorly and sleeping late. The discipline in one area helps me be disciplined in the other."