Say Yes to meaningful connections

By: Mark le Dain '08, Alumni Association President 

Our alumni community is exceptional and consists of almost 10,000 alumni, alumni parents and former faculty. The accomplishments of this group, both professionally and in the community, continue to impress me, and you can expect nothing less given the STS mission to live a life of purpose.

This is a community that is there for each of us, to celebrate our achievements, and support us during times of hardship. Our alumni community is an extended family for each and every student, from those that attended the school only briefly, to the “lifers” that enjoyed their entire education at STS. To our alumni parents, who often were as involved in their children’s education as their kids were (maybe even more so in my case…), the STS Alumni Association continues their connection to the school that often became a second home. To our wonderful current and former faculty, it creates a permanence to their student relationships, even if they thought (or hoped) they were relieved from guiding us upon our graduation (some of the best advice I get each year is still from teachers that probably think I should know better by now).

Our community is a powerful extension of the School’s focus on ensuring every student achieves their best and pursues their dreams, with alumni helping STS students find jobs, answering questions, and supporting their pursuits. This is an extremely special, full-circle part of being a member of the STS alumni community.

STS alumni, in turn, support the School, and provide students with benefits that are not available anywhere else. Students receive mentorship, with opportunities this year that included 29 alumni and parents attending the STS mentorship panel. They receive a community that embraces them as soon as they graduate, with multiple events, including over 200 alumni attending the annual alumni dinner this spring, with many members from the most recent graduating class enjoying their first alumni event. They receive constant inspiration, for example, when hearing our latest Nil Nisi Optimum Notable Alumni award winners coming to the School to speak to students. Our community is a powerful extension of the School’s focus on ensuring every student achieves their best and pursues their dreams, with alumni helping STS students find jobs, answering questions, and supporting their pursuits. This is an extremely special, full-circle part of being a member of the STS alumni community.

My recommendation to my fellow alumni is to fully engage in this amazing community, and when the time is right in your life, please give back. As with many things in life, I find that the more you put into it, the more you get out. If anyone has questions on how to connect with our alumni network please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally.

It has been an honour and a joy to serve as President of the Alumni Association at such an exciting time for this community. I would like to thank the Alumni Executive members for their time and passion. We are already planning for a milestone anniversary of the amalgamated Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School moving to our beautiful country campus 50 years ago, which will take place in 2021. What an amazing thing to think about. Thank you all for getting us here.