A generous gift from Wes Hall (DUniv. ’21) in 2022 ignited a spark of confidence and determination in Telfer BCom students Abigail Gonzalez Fabian and Louis Nanihio, empowering them to work harder, dream bigger, and explore new possibilities.
The recipients of the four-year Wes Hall Admission Scholarship for Black or Indigenous students also receive mentorship from Wes himself, who is known for his role on CBC’s Dragon’s Den and his work to end systemic anti-Black racism in Canada as founder of the BlackNorth Initiative.
Frequently called “King of Bay Street,” Wes grew his first business, Kingsdale Advisors, into a successful advisory service firm. Today, as chairman and founder of WeShall Investments and Chancellor of the University of Toronto, he is deeply committed to philanthropy and uplifting the next generation of leaders.
We caught up with the two Wes Hall Scholars about what they are up to now.
Abigail Gonzalez Fabian
What is your current year and area of focus? Did your interests change as you continued with the BCom program?
I’m currently in my third year of the Honours Bachelor of Commerce at Telfer, specializing in Finance through the French Immersion stream. When I first started the program, I genuinely wasn’t sure that finance was what I wanted to do. I didn’t think it really interested me and I didn’t feel confident right away. However, as I continued studying and became involved in the Microprogram Capital Markets, something really changed. Working on applied projects, analyzing real companies, and learning how financial decisions are made in practice helped everything click. Through the microprogram, I feel like I found my passion and gained clarity on what I want to do with my future. It’s where my interest turned into motivation and a real sense of direction.
How has receiving the Wes Hall Admission Scholarship impacted your learning?
Receiving the Wes Hall Admission Scholarship has meant a lot to me, especially early on when I was still figuring things out. It wasn’t just the financial support, it was the confidence boost that came with it. Knowing that Mr. Wes Hall believed in my potential made me want to push myself and take my studies more seriously. I don’t think I would have taken the same risks or applied for certain opportunities without that support. I truly believe it played a big role in helping me get to where I am now, including securing my current co-op placement with CIBC Capital Markets.
What are some recent projects or experiential learning opportunities you’re proud of?
I’m really proud of the work I’ve done through the Telfer Capital Markets Microprogram and the Telfer Capital Fund. These experiences gave me the chance to work on equity research projects where we analyzed companies, looked at financial statements, and built investment theses under real deadlines. I also completed an independent equity research project where I did a full company analysis from start to finish.
What skills or competencies are you focusing on through your mentorship with Wes Hall? How is it contributing to your personal and professional growth?
Through my mentorship with Mr. Wes Hall, I’ve been focusing a lot on confidence, resilience, and long-term thinking. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is not to let self-doubt stop me from trying and asking questions. That mindset shift has helped me grow both personally and professionally. I’m more comfortable taking initiative, asking questions, and pushing myself even when I’m not 100% confident yet.
What are your hopes for after graduation?
After graduation, I hope to continue building a career in capital markets where I can keep learning and growing. I’m still very early in my journey, but I want to be in an environment that challenges me and allows me to develop strong fundamentals. Long term, I hope to be in a position where I can give back and support students the same way I’ve been supported.
What advice would you give future Telfer BCom students?
I would tell future Telfer BCom students not to be discouraged if they’re unsure at the beginning. It’s okay not to have everything figured out right away. Try things, get involved, and don’t be afraid to apply for opportunities even if you don’t feel ready. Having mentors and a support system makes a huge difference, and those experiences can completely shape your path.
Louis Nanihio
What is your current year and area of focus? Did your interests change as you continued with the BCom program?
I’m currently in my third year of the Honours Bachelor of Commerce at Telfer, focusing on two options, finance and accounting. During my time in the program, I’d say I started out with sort of varied interests, and more of a surface-level approach to the world of finance since I was still feeling a little lost in that huge whirlwind. But after my first two terms, my interests took shape fairly quicky. I soon found my passion through a stronger focus on financial markets, valuation, and in-depth analysis of financial statements—which is why I selected my accounting option—to reach data-driven decisions.
Through accounting, I’ve gained a real sense of confidence about exactly how a business operates. I’ve also developed a growing interest in quantitative finance and the tools that connect theory to real decisions (modelling and risk measurement).
How has receiving the Wes Hall Admission Scholarship impacted your learning?
When you’re a student, financial matters are often some of the most critically important issues. Receiving the Wes Hall Scholarship has had a direct and significant impact on how I learn. For starters, it really eased the financial pressure on me, by quite a lot, allowing me to spend more time and energy on my coursework, research, completing certifications, and getting involved in life at my school, and more specifically in life within my community.
It’s also made me more rigorous in my work, encouraging me to try and turn each course and each encounter into practical skills, and it’s strengthened my sense of responsibility towards myself and my youngest brother. I’m the eldest, and I feel a moral responsibility for him—I want to show him that hard work pays off in the end, and to be a role model for him, fuelling his motivation. Finally, the scholarship has given me the momentum and the will to keep pushing myself and seeking out bigger challenges, because I’ve felt supported and compelled to bring this opportunity “to fruition.”
What are some recent projects or experiential learning opportunities you’re proud of?
I’m particularly proud to say I recently started my placement at BNP Paribas in Montreal. It really allows me to apply the concepts and ideas I’ve learned in a professional environment where every detail matters, to clarify my future goals, to give my work structure, to manage time constraints, and to achieve what’s expected of me.
Another example I can think of is a Telfer initiative I took part in during the fall 2025 term. In the first Innovation Sprint organized by the Green Academy to tackle food insecurity, I got the chance to work with four other amazing students from different disciplines across the University. We spent three intense days gathering data, exchanging perspectives, and talking to other peers. In the end, we came up with a local initiative by the name of NeighbourFood, solving the problem at the level of our own community and taking home the award for best social solution.
What skills or competencies are you focusing on through your mentorship with Wes Hall? How is it contributing to your personal and professional growth?
Through my mentorship with Wes Hall, the main things I hope to achieve are to develop my leadership and decision-making abilities, refine my communication skills, build lasting professional relationships that go well beyond simple “transactional” exchanges, and enhance my capacity to set priorities so I can choose what really matters, say no to the other stuff and perform consistently in spite of constraints.
I’d like to thank Mr. Wes Hall for his generosity and willingness to make a positive contribution to Canada’s development and his community’s development in particular. To me, it’s a source of motivation and a real-world example of commitment.
What are your hopes for after graduation?
Right after graduation, I intend to join the workforce straight away, staying open to all the opportunities available to me. I’ll have a particularly strong interest in practical issues, especially in financial analysis, markets, or corporate finance. I’d also be interested in working at accounting firms, more specifically on mergers and acquisitions teams—and (why not!) in auditing, a topic that I’ve been enjoying quite a bit lately.
But in the near future, post-graduation, I plan to keep up my momentum and go back to school before too long to complete a master’s that’s much more quantitative so I can earn my CPA and CFA certifications, a goal I’m really aiming for right now and getting closer to, day by day.
What advice would you give future Telfer BCom students?
To future BCom students, I’d say that it’s not really the end of the world if they’re feeling pretty lukewarm about their future when they’re starting out. If that’s what they’re experiencing, I’d suggest they connect with academic advisers and students who are a little further along in the program. I’d tell them to make the most of their student experience by participating in activities offered by the school, like all the different clubs, networking events, case competitions, and the Financial Research and Learning Lab, where they can even earn certifications in Bloomberg for free. I’d tell them to put a lot of time into their courses and do their best in them.
I’d also tell them to be bold and take actions that create change. The professors and the environment are outstanding, so there’s no reason why students can’t find their place here. One last thing: create your LinkedIn accounts now!
