Mitchell Fogel '00

The Bialik Alumni of the Month space has previously featured the likes of a famous television personality and a doctor who has won prestigious awards. This month, Bialik is proud to honor an alumnus who has worked tirelessly at a craft that rarely, if ever, receives public accolades in spite of its inherent difficulty and incredibly long hours. Bialik is proud to bestow this month’s Alumni of the Month honour to Mitchell Fogel ’00, CA.

“You know, only 459 people actually passed their CA exams in 2007 in Quebec,” Mitch told me when I inquired about the academic process one needs to follow in order to become a chartered accountant. When you consider the sheer volume of people graduating from various programs in different fields, one must take a step back to realize that, at the ripe old age of 25, Mitch’s accomplishments have been extraordinary.

Currently working for the accounting firm PSB Boisjoli in Montreal, Mitch followed a very impressive path towards his current career. After attending Solomon Schechter Academy and Bialik High School, Mitch chose to enrol at Dawson College, where he graduated on the Dean’s List in the Commerce program. Following CEGEP, the next step was McGill University, where he continued to excel academically in the Honours Accounting program. He later received his Graduate Diploma in Public Accountancy, which then enabled him to begin the year-long process that culminated with his passing his CA exams and receiving his CA certification. Moreover, Mitch accomplished all of his graduate school tasks while working at the accounting firm.

“There was no way I could have gotten that far without math teachers like Adele Balinksy and Paula Cohen (both since retired from teaching) at Bialik, who challenged me when I was younger. Bialik always made me feel like I was a part of a special community. I always enjoy telling people where I went to high school. I didn’t realize it back then, but Bialik really gave me the proper background to succeed, not just in academics, but also things like social skills.” Having myself graduated with Mitch in the class of 2000, I can also attest to what Mitch said next: “I made my best friends at Bialik too. My life today really is the way it is because of my five high school years.”

On the heels of this past month’s highly successful career day at Bialik, Mitch offered the following sage advice for those still unsure as to where their careers would take them: “When I was at Bialik, I still wanted to be a baseball player or professional athlete, like pretty much every kid. My life motto has always been that ‘you will definitely regret things that you don’t try,’ so I tried being a ball player, and that obviously didn’t work out. After putting in a lot of effort in science classes, I also quickly knew that I wasn’t going to become a scientist. But I did have a knack for business and math, and I knew that if I pushed myself academically as much as possible, I would succeed.”

Yes, Mitchell Fogel is most definitely a Bialik success story of whom we all ought to be proud.

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