#SoaringToSuccess: Nicholas (Nick) Domitrovic ’24

When Nicholas (Nick) Domitrovic ’24, a Business Administration major from Canada, started his internship at Canada Post (Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Postal Service), he had no idea how complicated it is to run a large company.

“When you think of mail you think of door to door,” he explained. “But there’s so much more. There’s legal, marketing, accounts receivable, and postal box rentals with individual clients and business clients. There are so many moving parts, even to renting your mailbox.”

The breadth of the company meant Domitrovic had opportunities to get a broad set of experiences, and at each, he excelled.

His primary role was to help a team of five to six employees focused on Canada Post’s retail products and services. Domitrovic applied what he’s learned about business administration, marketing, and finance during his classes at EC to help research strategies for his team and make recommendations.

“I had the best supervisor. She wanted me to get the most out of the experience and to try different things and expand my network in the company,” he explained. “She trusted me to make a PowerPoint presentation for the Director of Pricing Strategy. And then she let me present it. It was nerve-wracking!”

“I then gave the presentation again to the General Manager. That was a cool opportunity.”

Domitrovic’s supervisor pushed him to meet with people from different areas of the company. She invited him to attend a weekly meeting about improving the technical infrastructure of the company, including making the mobile application more accessible and inclusive.

“My supervisor thought it would be cool to go to those meetings,” he shared, adding that, while unrelated to his team’s work, he enjoyed attending because he could see how much thought went into every decision.

“In the meetings, people would discuss whether the font in the app was too big or too small and if things looked right and functioned well.”

Another big opportunity came when Domitrovic reached out to the Chief Operating Officer and she agreed to give him a 30-minute meeting, which she had not previously done for students.

“I got to pick her brain about what it takes to be so successful, the steps she took, the risks, and the challenges.”

The internship helped Domitrovic practice and stretch the skills he is building at EC. He found he was able to work independently with little guidance. For the first time, he kept a planner and wrote notes every day. He dealt with a huge database and found out how powerful Excel can be. When Six Sigma, a quality improvement methodology popular in many businesses, came up, Domitrovic already knew the terms and concepts. The other interns Domitrovic met were learning about Six Sigma for the first time.

At the same time, the internship has had an effect on his coursework at EC.

“Now, when I am doing things in class, I think about how to apply it to the real world,” he shared. “Before it was theoretical, but now I understand it from a different point of view.”

His internship also helped him realize what he wants to do after he graduates. Ultimately he wants to join the business world, but first, he wants to pursue a professional hockey career. When he is ready, he hopes to apply his degree and experience to the sporting industry.

“Now that I know that sporting is an industry and not just a team - there’s merchandising, setting up a store, finance - I can do fun things like marketing or business strategy.”

“What’s great is that 100% of what I am learning now will transfer to a career. I’ve been given opportunities that help me know what will make me more hireable and successful in the long run at small and large businesses.”