Two snowboarding Olympians take us through a day in the life at Smith School of Business

Snowboarders Jennifer Jane (also known as JJ) Hawkrigg and Jules Lefebvre reached the highest level of sport when they competed at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Now, they’re taking on a new challenge together — this time in the classroom. The couple is pursuing graduate studies through Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, bringing in the same focus and drive that defined their athletic careers to business education.

Hawkrigg is enrolled in the Accelerated Master of Business Administration (AMBA), a 12 month intensive program designed for high-performing professionals with an undergraduate degree in business, looking to fast-track their business careers. The AMBA program is delivered nationwide, integrating videoconference and remote boardroom learning, allowing participants to continue to work while attending bi-weekly classes.

Lefebvre is working towards a Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence (MMAI), a program that blends management fundamentals with advanced training in AI, analytics, and data-driven decision-making to prepare leaders for a technology-driven future. The MMAI program is offered at the SmithToronto facility allowing students to remain working in industry while readily applying advanced leadership and technical expertise gained through the program.

Both programs include on-site sessions in Kingston and Toronto, giving participants the full Smith experience. These Olympians-turned-students recently shared a glimpse into some of the learning they’ve done through group projects, simulations, and presentations — all the while having a lot of fun along the way.

JJ Hawkrigg: Day in the life of an AMBA Student at SmithToronto

8:00 a.m. Coffee walk to class in the morning to SmithToronto! This is the last on-site week for the Accelerated Master of Business Administration program this year. We are wrapping up the last of our classes.

8:30 a.m. Sat down in my Advanced Managerial Economics class with my 75 classmates! This 3-hour class incorporates concepts of game theory, dominant strategies, and auctions. After a fun simulation of game theory, we were given time to work on our final economics group project.

12:30 p.m. Took in the beautiful view of the SmithToronto facility while we had our hour-long lunch break.

1:30 p.m. Presented our capstone project for our Strategy III class. This afternoon was a big day for the entire cohort. At the beginning of the year, our team was tasked with a capstone consulting project. This involved choosing a company of our choice to consult on a project that implemented all our learnings from AMBA. My team and I presented on Porta.

2:00 p.m. Break time! Enjoyed a walk around downtown Toronto with my friends.

5:30 p.m. Class concluded for the day! Celebrated completing our capstone project with a team photo in our matching Smith sweaters.

7:00 p.m. Welcomed at the Fairmount for dinner to celebrate completing our capstone projects.

7:30 p.m. Group photo at the celebratory dinner! The evening included speeches, an awards ceremony, and lots of photos as we all celebrated together being done with classes!

Jules Lefebvre: Day in the life of an MMAI student at Smith’s Kingston campus

6:30 a.m. Wake up at the Donald Gordon Centre Hotel & Conference Centre. My room is steps away from the classroom, the buffet, and the pub.

8:00 a.m. Breakfast time! Smith keeps us energized with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack breaks during morning and afternoon classes.

9:30 a.m. An all-day Design Sprint session with my team. We were given a real-life scenario: a company acquires a small enterprise (of six employees) and seeks to modernize the product and grow the business.

2:00 p.m. Team presentations to share findings and our big ideas.

5:00 p.m. First team ideation session for the “Dragon’s Den”-style AI-business pitch to mock investors on Friday. (Spoiler alert: we won!)

7:00 p.m. End of day FaceTime with the one and only Jennifer Jane!

Team Canada and Smith School of Business

In partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Game Plan, Smith School of Business plays an important role in supporting Team Canada athletes as they prepare for careers beyond high-performance sport. Game Plan athletes, like JJ and Jules, arrive with well-honed skills such as discipline, resilience, strategic thinking, and teamwork that translate naturally to business and leadership settings. Their participation in Smith programs helps them bridge that transition. In turn, Game Plan athletes enrich the classroom through their experience performing under pressure and their commitment to continuous improvement.

That focus on transition extends beyond these partnerships. Smith supports learners at every stage of their careers as they seek to build new skills and adapt to a rapidly evolving business environment. With career development woven into the learning experience, students are equipped not only with practical capabilities but with the confidence to navigate change, pursue new opportunities, and lead over the long term.

Learn more about Smith School of Business.