Alumni Profile: Kristina Ashqar '02 (Pre-U '03)

Chartered Professional Accountant

Among the many valuable lessons that Kristina Ashqar learned during her time at LCC, was the importance of perseverance. It was that tenacity she developed as an LCC student that fueled her in the university years that followed. Faced with a challenging first few months when she entered the commerce program at Queen’s, Kristina forged ahead, confident in her capabilities. “How to deal with adversity and overcome obstacles is something you learn at LCC,” she says. “I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have the opportunity to go to LCC and learn such important life skills.”

Clearly, these skills served her well. While pursuing a rigorous programme to obtain a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree, Kristina acted as co-chair of the Queen’s Marketing Association Conference (QMAC). The largest student-run conference in Canada, QMAC brings together delegates from across the country along with the top marketing professionals in the industry. Managing a budget of approximately $100K, Kristina handled the many moving parts of a national conference, including sponsorship, internal communications and logistics. “It took a lot of my time,” she says, “but it was also my most rewarding achievement while at Queen’s. It taught me so much about how to work effectively with my peers as well as with senior executives from some of the largest companies in Canada.”

No stranger to achievement, while at LCC Kristina was the winner of the All Around Prize in grade 11 and received the Top Female Athlete Award in Pre-University. She proudly talks about her involvement in student life at the school in the six years she spent on Royal Avenue, particularly as the first ever head of Webster House when the house system returned to the school in the fall of 2002. One of her favourite memories: sinking two free throws with 0.1 seconds on the clock, clinching the GMAA Senior Girls Basketball Championship in 2003.

Today, Kristina is a Chartered Professional Accountant working at PSB Boisjoli LLP in Montreal as a manager in the audit and assurance department. She is responsible for a portfolio of clients in a variety of industries providing audit, assurance and tax services, as well as university recruitment. “One of the things I value most in my career is staff development,” she says. “As a manager, I think it’s important to ensure that everyone is being challenged and on a path to professional growth.”

Kristina has reignited her relationship with LCC as a member of the Foundation Board of Directors. “Becoming involved allows me to show my gratitude,” she says. “LCC was a life-shaper for me in terms of what I learned about communication and leadership, among many other things. It molded me into a well-rounded individual and I am thrilled to be able to give back.”