Designing pathways to potential: How a UBC BCom alum empowers student futures
Alina Wan has always been fascinated by the moments when people realize what they’re capable of. During her UBC Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), she pursued hands-on projects and Co-op experiences that sparked her passion for building communities and helping others unlock their potential. Now, as the Director of Marketing & Student Success Programs at InGenius Prep, she leads campaigns, partnerships, and programs that empower students to shape their futures with clarity and confidence. Alina reflects on how UBC Sauder laid the foundation for her career path—and the meaningful impact she continues to create.
Where are you from, and where are you currently based?
I grew up in China and moved to Canada in 2013. Vancouver has been home ever since.
What are you passionate about—personally or professionally?
I am fascinated by human potential. I’m driven by the process of discovering what we’re capable of and then stretching even beyond that.
Professionally, I am fortunate that my career aligns closely with this passion. My full-time role and my own ventures are centered in education, which means my daily work involves helping students discover their passions, finding new opportunities, and building futures they are genuinely excited about. It’s a deeply aligned cycle: as my students grow, I grow alongside them. Their ambition and curiosity are a constant source of fuel for me, and I, in turn, get to amplify their journeys.
Can you walk us through your career journey since graduating from UBC Sauder?
After graduation, I was recruited by InGenius Prep and started as a Marketing Manager. Two and a half years and two promotions later, I now serve as the Director of Marketing & Student Success Programs. In this role, I design and build campaigns, partnerships, and student programs that I deeply believe in. The best part is the tangible impact: providing students with access to experiences that truly change their life trajectories.
Following that, I co-founded ExpertEase—an expert marketplace, but more importantly, a platform for actualizing potential. I lead our career programs, where we help students and new immigrants gain in-demand AI skills, real-world experience, build impressive portfolios, and test-drive career paths through internships, mentorship, and apprenticeships. It’s the platform I wish I had when I was growing up.
What is one highlight of your career that you’re especially proud of?
For me, highlights are less about trophies and more about impact moments—the kind you can’t fully capture on a LinkedIn post. There are big moments, like being named “Marketer of the Year” multiple times, landing partnerships, or running events where hundreds of people walk away inspired. But real pride comes from witnessing transformation.
I’ve seen high school students dive into complex private equity analysis and deliver professional-level pitches that impressed real investors. I’ve seen students build AI apps under the guidance of engineers from Google and Meta. I’ve seen teams launch biotech ventures alongside top scientists.
These weren’t just projects. They were turning points. You could see their confidence shift and paths expand. That, for me, is the highlight: creating environments where people achieve things they once thought were out of reach.
As Naval Ravikant says, “Play long-term games with long-term people.” Every student’s success story adds to a ripple effect that compounds over time. That’s the kind of impact I want to keep building.
How did your experience at UBC Sauder shape your career path or contribute to your growth?
My co-op at the UBC Sauder Marketing & Communications department was my first taste of applied marketing. We were stewards of the brand for a leading business school, thinking strategically about community, narrative, and impact. This experience became the foundation for my entire career in education marketing.
Next, the UBC Sauder network has been a living, breathing ecosystem of mutual support. When we started ExpertEase, our first expert mentors were UBC Sauder alumni. These amazing people weren’t merely contacts but high-achieving professionals who genuinely believe in paying it forward—and many remain our mentors today.
Perhaps the most important skill UBC Sauder gave me is the meta-skill of learning how to learn. Business changes daily; marketing truths shift overnight. The ability to deconstruct complex problems, absorb new information rapidly, and apply principles of thinking is an asset that never depreciates.
What advice would you give to someone considering a business education at UBC Sauder?
My advice, shaped both by my time as a student and now working in education and mentoring students, is this: Stop being a passive student and start being the CEO of your own education.
UBC Sauder is not a four-year service to be consumed; it is a world-class resource you are investing in.
- Go in with a shareholder's mindset
Have clear KPIs for yourself. What specific knowledge do you want to build? What network do you want to cultivate? What skills do you want to master? Be proactive and customize everything, your courses, your club involvements, your circle of friends - Optimize for interest, not just credentials
Choose courses that genuinely excite your curiosity. When you're fascinated, studying doesn't feel like work. You’ll learn more deeply, make more connections, and still have energy for the other incredible opportunities around you. University is the last best testing ground to explore different fields with low risk. Use it. - Acquire "weird" knowledge
Don't fall into the trap of only learning what you "should”. No skill is useless. My concert side-hustle became event-planning skills and a core strength in my corporate role. The Anthropology class I took for fun sharpened my marketing intuition today. Train yourself like a broad AI model by feeding your mind diverse, high-quality information. You never know which seemingly random insight will be the key to solving a future problem or spotting a rare opportunity.