Two snowboarding Olympians take us back 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 — this time in the classroom. The couple is pursuing graduate studies through the 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-week intensive program designed for high-performing professions, with an undergraduate degree in business, looking to fast-track their business careers. Originally delivered exclusively at Smith’s main campus in Kingston, the AMBA program has now expanded to a nationwide delivery model, integrating videoconference and remote boardroom learning with three high-impact on-site sessions as of January 2026.
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 on a part-time basis, enabling students to remain working in industry while readily applying advanced leadership and technical expertise gained through the program.
The Olympians-turned-students recently gave us a glimpse into some of the learning they’ve done through group projects, simulations, and presentations — all the while having a lot of fund along the way.
JJ Hawkrigg: Day in the life of an AMBA Student
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 is incorporated 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 the 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: Week in the life of an MMAI student
Sunday
3:00 p.m. Arrived at the Donald Gordan Centre in Kingston. My hotel room is steps away from the classroom, the buffet, and the pub.
8:00 p.m. Checked out the buffet and the pub near my hotel.
Tuesday
8:00 a.m. Breakfast time! Smith keeps us energized with breakfast, lunch, dinners, 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 where a company acquires a small enterprise (with 6 employees) and is looking 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 to prepare for the “Dragon’s Den” pitch on Friday.
Wednesday
7:00 p.m. Facetime with the one and only Jennifer Jane!
Thursday
10:00 a.m. Simulation game leaderboard with my class. This is an hour-long activity during which students are assigned a role —an employee, start-up founder, or investor— and must optimize their outcomes by selling, buying, hiring, and negotiating with classmates.
Friday
9:00 a.m. Pitched our AI business proposal, “Dragon’s Den” style. (Spoiler: WE WON!)
Team Canada and Smith School of Business
In partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and Game Plan, the 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 naturally translate to business and leadership settings. They enrich the classroom through their experience performing under pressure and their commitment to continuous improvement.
Their active participation in Smith graduate programs helps them bridge that transition. Additionally, that focus on transition extends beyond these partnerships. Smith supports learners at every stage of their career 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.
On-site sessions with the Smith School of Business Professional Graduate Program provide students an opportunity to connect with their entire class cohort and engage with program-specific events outside of regular classes. Each program will also feature many guest speakers and partners of Smith for focused content-related sessions, recruitment opportunities, and many other engagements.
Learn more about Smith School of Business.
