“Meeting Pierre Lassonde in person is an experience I will never forget.”
Ten CivMin students were invited to attend the Mining Legends Speaker Series featuring Dr. Pierre Lassonde, Chairman & CEO Firelight Investments. Lassonde, whose name adorns the Lassonde Mining Building, the Lassonde Mining Institute as well as the Lassonde Mineral Engineering program, is well known at U of T.
Event tickets were provided by The Northern Miner for the June 8 in-person event, including a luncheon, at the spacious One King West venue, known for its vaulted ceilings and rich ambiance. Co-guest speaker Ashley Kirwan, M.SC., P.GEO. ICD.D, Co-Founder, President & CEO | Orix Geoscience Inc., took the stage as well.
The mix of undergraduate and graduate students from CivMin expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend the event and, in particular, see and talk to the man who has a name on a building.
“Overall, the event was terrific. Meeting Pierre Lassonde in person is an experience I will never forget,” offers PhD candidate Negin Houshmand.
“As his name is on the building and the scholarship I got, it was a dream come true for me to see him. It was admirable to me that he was very humble. He spent most of his time with the students there and eagerly asked us each about our research topic. During the speech, he explained how he started his business and motivated us to invest in ourselves. It was a fantastic experience with such a humble, brilliant, and kind human being.”
“Attending the Pierre Lassonde talk was very valuable for me,” expresses Rain Ferrer (Year 2 MinE). “I greatly enjoyed meeting someone as preeminent in the mining industry as Mr. Lassonde. Through his talks and the Q&A period, I gained meaningful insight into his career path and the mining industry at large. Moreover, I was pleased to personally extend my gratitude for his generous contributions to our university. The entire event made for a truly memorable experience.”
“Everyone was friendly, and it was interesting to have two different perspectives (Ms. Ashley Kirwan and Mr. Pierre Lassonde) shared during the interviews over the lunch. For the first time, I heard personal stories about the key points in the recent history of the mining industry, and the origins of Pierre Lassonde’s success.” Jennifer (Jay) Gordon, a PhD candidate, says. “The Q&A period was probably my favorite part, as it gave me a chance to hear the voices of several people in the room, and what their interests in mining are. It was also an excellent opportunity for me to ask someone I would never normally have the chance to meet about equity, diversity, and inclusion in the mining industry, as that is something that will be very important to me in my future employment.”
As a bonus, Gordon remarks, “Imagine my surprise when it meant I won a bottle of wine for best question!”