Student Spotlight: Nothing Can Stop Joel Abraham

If you need someone who gets things done, talk to Joel Abraham.

This entrepreneur and third-year Honours Bachelor of Commerce student has been a whirlwind on the Lakehead Orillia campus.

"Everyone at Lakehead is very friendly, and because it's still a young university, you have the honour of starting new clubs and taking the university to new heights," Joel says. "Orillia is a breath of fresh air, too. It's a quaint little town with the most beautiful summers I've ever seen—and I've travelled to several countries."

Joel's hometown is the city of Bangalore—known as the Silicon Valley of India. "I started my entrepreneurship journey in Bangalore when I was 14 or 15, specializing in buying cryptocurrencies," he explains.

“Tech, finance, and entrepreneurship are my interests,” Joel says. “My current business venture is intended to help researchers and students who are part of the Solana cryptocurrency community.”

Joel credits his business professors, particularly Dr. Xuequn Wang and Andrew Ault, with deepening his understanding of finance and entrepreneurship. "I see Lakehead Orillia as a boutique university with access to top researchers and professors."

A Talent for Finance and Community Building

Since arriving at Lakehead, Joel hasn't confined his activities to the classroom. In his second year, he founded the Lakehead Orillia Enactus Club and became its inaugural president. Enactus is a non-profit organization with clubs around the world. The postsecondary students who belong to Enactus clubs use entrepreneurship to create positive economic, social, and environmental change. Among his Enactus projects, Joel developed a framework to make the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation more profitable.

In 2025, he had a consultancy with a First Nation in Manitoba. "I assisted Professor Ault with a report on the feasibility of a proposed riverfront marina and fishing resort," Joel says.

Winning Streak: Joel accepts three Lakehead Leader Awards from Orillia Principal Dr. Linda Rodenburg.

Currently, Joel is the president of the Business Orillia Student Society (BOSS). In this role, he's been an ambassador for the Canadian Young Investors Society and delivered financial literacy and investing seminars to students across Canada. He's also given presentations about investing in alternative assets and taxation on behalf of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE), as well as served on Lakehead's Senate Academic Appeals Committee.

Building personal connections with his fellow students is equally important to Joel. He's mentored overseas students to help make their transition to Lakehead Orillia easier. In addition, Joel has tutored students struggling with Lakehead's "Introduction to Finance" course, ensuring that each of them earned 80% or higher in the class.

A Heart of Gold

Joel's efforts haven't gone unnoticed. He was recognized with a Lakehead Leader Luminary Award and Lakehead Leader Awards in the categories of community engagement and innovation. He's also received the David Richards Community Spirit award, the Paul Rependa Learning Award, and the 2025 Keith and Carrie Black Award.

So what drives Joel to keep up such a gruelling pace of activities?

"Everything I do is for my mom," Joel says. "She struggled to get me where I am today and funded my education. Sometimes, I'll call her at 4 am in the morning in India to tell her about an award I've won or a new accomplishment. She deserves a son who does well, and she's my first priority in terms of who I help."

After he graduates from Lakehead, Joel plans to earn an MBA and a chartered financial analyst (CFA) certification. His ultimate goal is to work in finance on Bay Street or Wall Street.

"Lakehead is such a wonderful university," Joel says. "I will be sad to be graduating next year."

Right now, though, he is focused on giving back to the Lakehead community.

"I want to show the students coming up after me on what's possible at Lakehead and the fantastic opportunities open to them. I want to inspire them to start their journey so that they can carry themselves, and Lakehead, farther."