By Kelsey Lovell
It's the feeling STS alumna Aimee-Jo Benoit '97 has every time she comes to the School that has kept her coming back. And it's the memories of her experiences and the nostalgia it creates that spurred Aimee-Jo to take on the role of Chair of the Alumni Events Committee.
"When I first started helping, I wasn't sure what I would be able to do or where my skill of just "knowing people" would make a difference. It was this idea, of creating a network of people that have a shared experience, and desire to maintain that experience for future alumni. The nostalgia and comforting feeling that come back when you get involved are worth it," said Aimee-Jo.
As a result, Aimee-Jo has been making connections and building relationships with STS Alumni in order to promote the community she cares so much about. "There's a willingness to just help each other, as soon as you find out someone is from STS, and they ask for help, you always help them. There's this instant desire to bend over backwards to do something for them," Aimee-Jo explained.
She's noticed a change in the School since getting involved years ago, describing it as a "rollercoaster of energy and excitement."Aimee-Jo plays a role in organizing Alumni events such as the annual Alumni Dinner, Alumni Stampede party, and Homecoming celebrations and co-chaired last year's Momentum gala. Beyond that, Aimee-Jo sits in the Alumni Executive Committee. "It's been really cool to see how advances and physically different the School is, but at the core, it's really the same," she said.
Aimee-Jo attended STS for Grades 4 through 12. During that time, she got her first taste of singing while taking part in music classes, choir and musical productions every year. It was the first taste that started Aimee-Jo on a life-long journey with singing and music "I really enjoyed musical theatre," said Aimee-Jo. "If at home there." Once graduating from STS in 1997, Aimee-Jo spent six months in Switzerland at Neuchatel Junior College, taking courses that interested her, including philosophy and western civilization. It was in Switzerland that Aimee-Jo discovered a subject area that truly interested her: The Philosophy of Religion. "Not only was I interested in it, I was good at it," she said. When Aimee-jo returned home to Calgary, she attended Mount Royal University, majoring in Religious Studies after two years there, she went on to the University of Calgary to complete her Bachelor of Arts in the same area of study.
It was then that Aimee-Jo decided to change things up a bit, and headed to Vancouver to further her career in jazz singing. She soon returned to Calgary to join a band while also attending the University of Calgary, and chose to do her Master's in Religious Studies.
Aimee-Jo is now a mother to three young daughters, the youngest being nine-months-old. In fact, Aimee-Jo defended her Master's thesis while nine-months pregnant with her first daughter. When she isn't busy between raising her family and taking part in STS events, Aimee-Jo still performs as a jazz singer around the city.