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30 GEORGIANVIEW 2019-20 WINTER The road to success is seldom a straight line, every turn can bring opportunity or obstacle. Georgian alumnus Arjun Batra's evolution from new immigrant to respected businessman illustrates just how unpredictable the journey can be. Arjun immigrated with his parents to Barrie in 2004 from their home in India, where he had been a student at the Continental Institute for International Studies (CIIS). The first eight months in his new country were anything but easy. He struggled with the transition, feeling disconnected and out of place, but found a home in Georgian's Segal International Centre. Arjun found employment quickly after graduation, but his world was upended in 2007 as the global financial crisis hit Ontario and the plant he worked at was shuttered. Six months in, everything seemed hopeless until he had a revelation. He had always overcome obstacles in his life when he challenged himself to find solutions. So Arjun reframed his problem. If there were no jobs to be had, he would have to create one himself. "I realized I could utilize all the technical and communication skills I learned at Georgian," says Arjun. "I was always great at tutoring other students so why not take that talent and use it to start my own school?" He launched the Doon School in 2008. Today, over 1,000 alumni have graduated with their Ontario Secondary School Diplomas and have gone on to attend leading Canadian and international universities. Arjun continues to turn obstacles into opportunities. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Thompson Rivers University and a dual Master's of Business Administration from Queen's and Cornell universities. He has won several business and community awards. He also formed the South Asian Association of Simcoe County which helps newcomers settle in Canada. And as a way to give back to Georgian, he joined the Alumni Association Executive Council, and in 2019, he was appointed as the Council's inaugural Vice Chair. In 2020, Arjun will become the Council's first international student- turned-alumni to assume the position of Council Chair. TURNING OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES Arjun Batra – Mechanical Engineering Technology – Automotive Manufacturing, class of 2007 INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION