Scholarship Spotlight: Amrit Sidhu

Saturday, Oct 8, 2022

Scholarship Spotlight | Amrit Sidhu

Amrit is finishing her final year of studies at UBC’s Sauder School of Business studying finance and real estate. She started working in the real estate industry as an appraisal intern with Garnett Wilson Realty Advisors and is currently working as an investment management intern with BentallGreenOak.

Can you please provide a brief introduction?

I am in my final year of studies at the University of British Columbia studying finance and real estate. To date, I have completed an internship in appraisal, and I am currently completing an internship in investment management at BentallGreenOak. I have also competed in the Pacific Northwest NAIOP Real Estate Challenge and ICSC & Cornell International Retail Real Estate Case Competition, placing first.

What are you career aspirations upon graduating from UBC?

Upon graduation, I aspire to work in acquisitions to broaden my understanding of traditional and alternative asset types and valuation methodologies.

How did you initially become involved in commercial real estate?

My initial exposure to real estate was through an internship at Garnett Wilson Realty Advisors where I worked on valuing multi-family and mixed-use developments. Through this internship, I developed a fundamental understanding of real estate.

What excites you about the industry?

The breadth of opportunities that the industry offers and the ability to gain exposure to various areas in the industry.

What are your plans for growing and leading the industry?

An existing CREW Vancouver member, Jessica Toppazzini, introduced me to CREW and encouraged me to apply for the CREW Network Foundation Scholarship. She also encouraged me to participate in the UCREW Student Mentorship Program and attend student networking events.

 As a student, I would like to help educate other students on CREW Vancouver’s UCREW opportunities.

What are your key takeaways from your experience with CREW Vancouver so far? Do you plan on joining CREW? If so, can you please share a few things you are looking to gain by being apart of this network?

CREW Vancouver has been incredibly supportive through their mentorship program and student networking events. For example, one of the events consisted of a 15-minute call with existing CREW members – my call lasted an hour long, which speaks to how open and willing the members are in supporting students interested in pursuing a career in real estate.

If you were asked to give one piece of advice to university students looking to build a successful career in commercial real estate, what would it be?

Become an active industry participant! Attending industry events, participating in case competitions, and joining real estate organizations are good examples on how you can gain exposure to the industry.

Outside of school, what are your hobbies/passions and what advice do you have for maintaining a good school/life balance to be able to enjoy them?

Outside of school, I enjoy playing soccer. Admittedly, I am still working on maintaining a good school-life balance, but I have found that understanding your life and school priorities is a good starting point.

As international travel re-opens, what are your top destinations to visit?

Upon graduation, I am going to take a month off to travel. I am tentatively planning to travel to Croatia.