Axel came to UBC Vancouver from Sweden to study Commerce at UBC’s Sauder Business school and to play soccer for UBC Thunderbirds. He was one of the few international students on the soccer team and unfortunately, was injured a couple of times throughout his time on the team.
Read about what it was like managing health problems as an international student at UBC and the support he received throughout his injuries, how entrance scholarships helped him attend UBC, and how his Commerce degree led him to his job at Amazon Web Services in Madrid.
From playing soccer at a national level, to having fun at the best ski-resort in the world, to traveling through Canada and working in Germany, all while studying at one of the best business schools in the world, I really could not have asked for more during my Bachelor’s degree.”
1. How did your experiences at UBC help you shape your future?
My experiences at UBC shaped my future substantially. When I first got to UBC I had been so focused on getting to a great university, I had few plans about my future and those plans changed several times during my time at UBC.
Being curious to continue to explore the world, I quickly realized that, despite how much I loved Vancouver, I wanted to move somewhere else after university. That’s why it was great to meet so many students and faculty members with international experiences. I was able to be inspired by the stories of others, and particularly one close friend who graduated a year before me and has the same role as I do now. Without him I would never have applied to Amazon Web Services where I now work, and I would never have landed the job.
I realized that I really wanted this job through the experiences I had at UBC: I spoke to people in the field, I took Business Technology courses (which is what I work with now), and I was surrounded by students who were striving just as high as I was.
2. In what ways did UBC allow you to create your own unique experiences and path?
Being one of few international students on the soccer team, I was able to create quite my own experience during my bachelor’s degree. I felt that I had a family that was always there for me – the soccer team.
I also had the experience I wished for when I moved all the way across the world. Everything about Vancouver is fantastic – I would take weekend trips to Whistler on the weekend, go swimming and hiking in the summer, and explore the city when I was not studying. UBC really is located in one of the best spots in the world, and it really enhanced the experience.
At UBC it is also very easy to meet so many interesting and cool people. Through the contacts I made at UBC, I managed to land an amazing summer job where I was running camps for the giants Real Madrid C.F throughout Canada. During two of the summers, I was able to hire my own team, plan camps for over 400 players, and travel from Victoria to Edmonton, all while representing one of the largest clubs in the world. The reputation of UBC’s Sauder Business School and skills that I was taught helped me land an internship in Germany one summer, where I spent my time in Dortmund and Munich, which was amazing as well. UBC really provided me with the tools to continue my own path, and I made the most of it. From playing soccer at a national level, to having fun at the best ski-resort in the world, to traveling throughout Canada and working in Germany, all while studying at one of the best business schools in the world, I really could not have asked for more during my Bachelor’s degree.
All of this was possible because I had the privilege to receive several scholarships which covered my tuition, including the International Varsity Award, the International Student award at Sauder, the TREK Excellence scholarship, as well as some from my home country Sweden. Without the amazing opportunities that these scholarships provided, I could never have even enrolled at UBC to start with.
3. You were injured while playing soccer for UBC. Can you tell us about that experience and what it was like to deal with health issues as an international student?
In my first official game, I got the worst concussion of my life. For months I could not leave my house, and when I finally got back to training and games, I still had severe symptoms of impaired vision, headaches, and blurriness. This persisted throughout my whole first season, but through it all the UBC health team and Sauder advisory were there for me. I was put into contact with one of the best concussion doctors in North America who I saw weekly. I also went to the UBC athletic clinic weekly to receive treatment in any form that could help (acupuncture in my neck, mental health guidance, eye exercises). While my symptoms never really went away, I got to a point where I could return to play.
Unfortunately, in my second season I broke my hand in the last game of the season, just before Canada West play offs and Nationals. But once again, I received great treatment from the UBC team and was put into contact with a hand specialist, and six weeks later I could return to light practice. That season we got silver at Nationals, and it was really tough missing out on the tournament, but injuries like this happen and I am just happy that I got really great healthcare and support from UBC. While I never wish this would happen to anyone at UBC, it is great to know that there is support if needed. Dealing with this as an international student was more difficult, but with the insurance that all BC residence have as well as the help from the UBC team, it was manageable.
With soccer being one of the reasons I came to UBC all the way from Sweden, and then not being able to perform and play at the level I wanted to, it could have definitely been a situation where I felt lonely and excluded. But my community of friends from Sauder and the team made the situation so much easier, and despite not being able to be there on the field, I never once felt excluded or forgotten about.
4. You’re now working at Amazon in Madrid. What is your role there and how was the transition from being a student? How did your Commerce degree prepare you for the role?
My role at Amazon Web Services is as a cloud consultant, working with the public sector in the Nordics and the Baltics. This basically means that I am enabling public sector organizations, such as education organizations, healthcare institutions, and government organizations to transition into the cloud.
The transition from being a student was quite an easy one, because the way that the courses are designed at UBC Sauder reflect real working life quite well. In my work I speak to people from all over the Nordics and Baltics, and meeting so many international people at UBC really helped with this. My work is quite independent, with a lot of targets and deadlines, which my UBC career helped me prepare for. I can take advantage of the structure and discipline, social skills, and excel knowledge I learned at UBC.
5. What were your favourite spots on campus? Best study spots, places to eat, best coffee?
My favourite spots on campus were definitely IKB and the pharmaceutical building to study, Bean Around the World for coffee, and to eat my roommate Dylan’s cooking haha!
6. Do you have any tips or advice for someone who’s considering UBC Vancouver?
My best tips – enroll! Going to UBC was somewhat of an impulsive decision for me as I had never visited or knew very little about the school, Vancouver, or the soccer team. But I really could not have been happier (excluding my injuries) with my time at UBC.
