Royal St. George's College NOTABLE ALUMNI

I think what would surprise families about Royal St. George’s College is the level in which everyone is invested in one another. The level of community at Royal St. George’s College and the focus that each individual within the community has on one another is something that is unparalleled, and something that, when I think back on my days, many years ago there, still shines through. The number of times that people were willing to go out of their way to help me, I don’t think that I’ve ever had that in other aspects of my life.

Kindness is such a big part of the school’s identity, and it is something that is taught continuously throughout your time there. Royal St. George’s is a school that breeds really kind, respectful young men. I’d say that’s absolutely the most common trait amongst everyone, and it’s a really amazing environment to be in. Even now my closest friends are all still from St. George’s. And I’m really proud to call them friends because they’re really great young men.

First and foremost, it’s kindness and respect and doing the right thing that are the values of Royal St. George’s College. That’s something that they do teach continuously throughout your time there. When you leave in Grade 12 and go out into the world, I think that’s a common trait that defines all alumni of the school, the fact that we all really value respect and kindness. Getting taught that at a young age is something that carries forward for the rest of your life, and something that I felt personally.

I think they focus equally on being successful and being kind, so their success does not get in the way of giving back and being kind and remembering who they are as gentlemen. So, as my son was making decisions about what schools to go to, he reached out to a number of RSGC alumni, and the boys he reached out to, at a range of schools, really took the time to give him advice and gave him rich, thoughtful insights. So, that mentoring and that kindness continues even far long after they graduate. 

The community is something that I really appreciate now. A bunch of guys who I am still good friends with all these years later, and I've known them for a very long time now. I think it was a big part of the school, when I was there as well, just the nature of the community.

I’ve been surprised at how strong the alumni community is [at Royal St. George’s College]. I still feel very much a part of the Royal St. George’s community, even though I’m four years out from since I have graduated.

Royal St. George’s College turns boys into gentlemen — from the basic focus on manners, to punctuality, to how to make your community a better place. I think these are all positive characteristics that take Royal St. George’s College from being a school, to a rich community that I’m quite proud to be an alumnus of.

I feel very blessed to have had the experiences that I’ve had, and that all started at Royal St. George’s College. There would have been no chance, in my mind, that I would have been able to have the experiences that I’ve had — or for that matter, have the interests that I have — without my experience at St. George’s.

Today, I love food, I love adventure, and I love to travel. With those interests, the seeds were either sown at Royal St. George’s College or nourished at St. George’s. For example, one of my first experiences cooking was when I was in Grade 3, and we had ‘Domestic Survival’ class. We were eight-year-old boys and we learned our hand at cooking in the kitchen.  In Grade 9, I went to Japan with the school band, and in Grade 11, we went dog sledding and slept in the snow. These are experiences that I still look back on, and they are major milestones for me. I can truly see how they’ve shaped the direction of my life.

Royal St. George’s College has provided me with opportunities and exposed me to many different current interests of mine, and that enabled me to become who I am today. It opened numerous doors that would have been closed to me, or I wouldn’t have known existed, had I not gone to St. George’s.

Royal St. George’s College is truly a special place, and I am envious of the boys that are going there today, because every opportunity that I have had opened to me since graduating from the school — be it going to an Ivy League school, working in Silicon Valley, to travelling the world and studying in numerous different countries — all started at St. George’s. The school taught me to dream big and strive to reach my objectives, but also equipped me with the tools and skills to be able to reach those objectives.

When I look at myself in my career, I think of myself as a generalist, and RSGC instilled that in me by giving me that exposure to so many different things.

I formed some of my deepest friendships with my classmates at RSGC. I'm a lot closer with my RSGC friends, and I have a lot more friends from there than I do from university. You can't really replace those relationships. I feel like I have much deeper relationships from my experience at RSGC. So I'll never be able to build the same kind of relationships anywhere else. I recognized that in Grade 12, but even more so now looking back now.

Our starting point was really the legacy of my brother who went to RSGC, starting in Grade 9, my husband who started in Grade 4, his brother, their cousin. They're all pretty different characters but they all had amazing experiences at the school and have felt very loyal to it. So it’s really a good thing all three of my sons got in, because we didn't really consider looking anywhere else.

The advice I would give, to current or future students of RSGC, is just stick with it and enjoy the experience. I think, in a way, you have to go through it and figure it out for yourself. Maybe you get to the end of figuring it out for yourself, and then look back and have a little laugh. But, yes, I'd say enjoy it as best you can. Everybody gets there, but it's about getting there at your own pace.