ALUMNI UPDATES

Alexandra Gunn

College

'02

Stephanie Chapman

College

'05

David Forrest '07

College

In 2020 I launched Alex Hunt Studio (alexhuntstudio.com) and have been selling original artwork and fine art prints. Here's the latest story on my artwork from the Calgary Arts Development: calgaryartsdevelopment.com/yyclcljanuary-2021/

One of the greatest lessons that I have learned through the pandemic has been to slow down and appreciate and make the best of every micro-element of this one life that we all have.

2020, and frankly, Q1 of 2021 has had it's challenges mentally, emotionally, and spiritually for so many, but I do believe we can hold onto and count the blessings and focus on spreading the moments of light in such a dim period. Please stay healthy, stay safe and I can't wait to continue to inspire, lead and help our school(s) in any way possible as some of my greatest memories and growth was done at Rundle. Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl, Remy Rhodes Dougall, born on Friday, April 30, 2021

Zakir Hussein

Academy

'07

Claire McCaffery

College

'10

Congratulations on graduating from the University College Dublin’s Veterinary Medicine Program. My wife, Marissa, and I have been busy with our first child who arrived in August 2021. Natalie Stella Forrest arrived late on a Friday about 30 minutes after we got to the hospital. It was a bit of an exciting start, and she has been a ball of energy since. We have loved watching her grow, and look forward to when we can start travelling more again to show her the world.

Lidia Jones Academy '11

What did 2020 teach me? To never let anything (even a pandemic), stop you from living your life, and reaching your goals. Like so many, our 2020 didn't go as we had planned it. Specifically, we had a lot of travel plans. After working from home in our one-bedroom apartment for three months in Mount Royal, my partner and I decided we were in a position to become first-time homeowners. Shortly after our July possession, we decided we were in a position to become puppy owners. Shortly after getting our first Frenchie in September, we decided we had better get another. Shortly after this, my partner Cameron decided it was time that we should commit ourselves to one another. Cam and I got engaged in October 2020, and are planning June 2022 nuptials. With so many of life's milestones happening in such a short time, we were saddened that we were unable to celebrate our joy with friends and family. We are hopeful that we will be surrounded by friends and family in June 2022.

David Sanchez-Ponton

College

'11

Adam Wasyliw

College

'11

In 2020, I graduated from my masters degree program, and I wrote and published my own book called Dungeon Heart: The Singing Mountain. I started a ski manufacturing company (www.paradiseskis. com) during the pandemic. We engineer some really neat skis and splitboards. It's been a challenge learning to split my time between my full-time gig and start-up, not to mention recreational pursuits.

Kayley Miller

Academy

'11

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I had to learn to be more flexible in 2020. 2020 has been a massive reminder that many things are out of our control. Sometimes all we can do is adapt to unexpected changes to the best of our abilities with the information we have in hand. I'm currently in the second and final year of my education degree. I've always been a person who likes to plan and be well- prepared. Because of this, adapting to online learning and uncertainty about practicum placements wasn't easy at first. Adjusting to a new balance with my standard courses with the learning curve of online learning and learning how to navigate online teaching while living through a pandemic can feel overwhelming at the time. But ultimately, I'm incredibly grateful that I still get to continue my studies. Everything can feel overwhelming at times, and missing face-to-face connections adds another layer of difficulty. I've personally found it helpful to look for positives instead of dwelling on all the challenges. By experiencing online learning as a student and learning from and with teachers, I have had unique and valuable experiences that will help me immensely in my future career. I have found new ways to connect to friends and families and have felt many of my relationships become richer in 2020. There is beauty in being reminded of how essential love, support, and connections are to our well-being. No matter the circumstances, there are people in my life who will be there for me and who I will always be there for, no matter what. 2020 hasn't been easy, but we can't forget to look at the good, to stay positive, and the importance of taking care of our mental health.

David Fahlman '11

College

Like many others, 2020 and the COVID pandemic made me think about the economic impact of my spending habits and I became very conscious of buying local. However, when I went to buy ammo and other firearms related items, I realized that it was difficult to find Canadian-made products. After sitting down with a friend and chatting about the feasibility of opening our own retailer, we realized that there was not much stopping us from taking on this problem ourselves! We started Canada First Ammo Corp. as an ammunition and firearm retailer which puts Canadian-made products first, while offering competitive prices. In today's world we believe that putting money in our fellow Canadians pockets and providing a local option is important and matters to consumers.

The ultimate goal of the company is to feed the ammo & firearms needs of all gun owners by offering easy access to firearms, ammunition and accessories. Overall, we wish to grow the size of the community and attempt to educate the public on our passions of sport shooting and hunting.

Carolyn Dunk

College

'11

Announced as the third Adjudicator for the 2021 Edmonton Short Film Festival.

Carolyn is an events production manager in the film festival world, who moonlights as a film production coordinator and occasional AD on #independentshorts and web series. She has held a variety of event planning and logistical roles at major festivals such as the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) and the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in both public-facing and industryoriented roles.

Carolyn's recent works include the CSA-nominated CBC Comedy web, Save Me, and several short films that are currently on the festival circuit. She also works as a producer and assistant director of the sketch comedy troupe Cookie Biscuits, whose film sketches have been honoured as festival selections at numerous comedy and short film festivals. She can be found debating movies on the Let's Watch podcast and at the cinema in a persistent, yet ineffectual mission to catch up on Oscar movies. Carolyn is honoured to be a part of the #esff2021 team this year, and to be able to support the film community in her home province of Alberta.

Sarah Lamoureux '11

Academy

Congratulations on having your beautiful designs featured again on the streets of Calgary.

Thomas Kellner

College

'12

Thomas matched to the Queen's University Pediatrics Residency Program this spring.

Tyler Caldwell '13

College

2020 has been an interesting year, to say the least. For many people, this year has consisted of chaos, uncertainty, and negativity. For me, this has been one of the most exciting years of my life. 2020 consisted of many positive events: 1. I earned a promotion and became the Lead Administrator for the West Calgary Ring Road project. This promotion will help me acquire my P.Eng. designation in 2021. 2. I pursued my entrepreneurial spirit and co-founded a company, Vivid Spectrum. My company focuses on providing virtual tours, photography, and drone services to showcase local Alberta businesses and institutions. Taking this risk and stepping out of my comfort zone has been a fun and rewarding experience. 3. I found an amazing girlfriend (to my mother's shock and disbelief). 4. I learned to appreciate the small things in life and be more grateful for what I have. With the pandemic restricting the normal luxuries of life, such as the ability to hangout with friends and go on vacations, I was able to further appreciate the things that are important and close to me.

Emily Buchanan '13

College

Emily matched to the University of Calgary Family Medicine Residency Program this spring.

Paul Corah

Academy

'14

Graduated with a degree in Policy Studies from Mount Royal University this year. Congratulations Paul!

Danielle Fung '14

College

Congratulations on your graduation from the University of Calgary’s Nursing Program this year.

Mollie Smith '15

Academy

A lot has happened since Mollie Smith graduated from Rundle Academy in 2015. Mollie Smith is a recent undergraduate of the Journalism program at Mount Royal University and is very passionate when it comes to telling other individual's stories through various means of media. As a storyteller, Mollie creates and delivers real and thoughtful stories. She strives to give a voice to the voiceless and provide information and understanding through her stories. During the past four summers, she worked at ATCO Ltd. as a summer student. In her final year, she was an intern in their communications department and learned the ways of how the department functions in the company’s day-to-day operations. Outside of being a journalism graduate, she is passionate about movies, sports and current events. Currently, Mollie is in the city of Toronto doing her Master’s Degree at Ryerson University in their prestigious Digital Media program. She is doing this top-of-line program due to the vast opportunities the program would allow her to apply and gain access to. She realized that the world is shifting to digital technologies and saw this program as a way to capitalize on the momentum. Mollie also saw the program as a new way to use and hone her skill sets more by applying them to various other fields in a new and interactive way. Everyone can see all of the wonderful work Mollie Smith has done since 2015 by going to molliesmiths.com.

Katherine Bennett '16

Academy

2020 has taught me to slow things down, breath, and enjoy the little things in life. It also showed me the secret of getting ahead, which is just to get started. I am happy to say that I have started a new venture called Vermicomposting, which combines my passion for plants and the environment. I hope to share my knowledge through education.

Madison Hillstead '16

Academy

Kennedy Huntley '16

Academy

Juliana Seely (Nudd) '16

College

Madison was accepted to Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary this year. Congratulations Madison!

Sneh Yadav '17

Academy

Sneh graduated with a B.A. in Politics from Acadia University this year. Congratulations Sneh! Congratulations to Kennedy who graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Education with a major in Biology and minor in Chemistry from the University of Saskatchewan. Congratulations to Juliana who graduated from the University of Calgary this year with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She has accepted a position in Grande Prairie, AB where she will be working as an Electrical Engineerin-Training.

Theo Morgan '19

Academy

Mehtab Brar

College

'18

Mehtab Brar is the host of a popular podcast called The BrarCast, garnering over 2 million streams on various streaming platforms, interviewing celebrities and telling stories to a wide audience. He is also in the process of creating a feature film, one that he is writing, directing, producing and starring in. He hopes to roll it out by the end of 2021. Finally, he is also the Head Intern for a Tech startup that is focused on Artificial Intelligence.

Theo starred in a film that screened at the Calgary International Film Festival as part of the Alberta Spotlight Series this year.

Tom Stephen '20

Academy

At the moment I am currently studying hard at the University of Calgary and I’m trying to finish up my first year of engineering. I am taking a bit of a break from intense ski training to just try to focus on school and end of the year strong. I only have two more weeks of school and then I am done and I plan to move up to Canmore for the next year to train over the summer and then go back to school in September.

Ian Hards '19

Academy

At the beginning of 2020 when most were locked at home, I spent some time working with a railway company as a contractor and general labourer. To say the work was hard would be an understatement. I was truly out of my element; there were many challenges that I had not expected, and in the long 12–18-hour drives from worksite to worksite I had lots of time to reflect. I came to the conclusion that certain things in life that I had believed were accustomed, were privileges. Days off, kind words from coworkers, relaxed work environments soon felt like gifts rather than givens. I learned that kindness in others was extremely important, camaraderie Is necessary, and happiness should be spread about rather than hoarded. With the new perspective I had, I left the railway later in the summer to continue my university education.

Alyssa Evans '20

College

2020 cut my graduation year short and at first I resented the COVID-19 pandemic because of it. However, as I have kept moving forward through a unique first year of university, I have seen the benefits of what I once perceived as trials. Because I was forced to stay online and at home I have gotten closer with my true friends and family. Because it has become easier to slack at school, I have learnt to self motivate myself. Currently, I am looking forward to my 2021 year where I will be taking a break from University to go on a year and a half church mission where I will expand my worldview and gain once in a lifetime experiences. Although nothing has gone to plan, as I keep moving forwards, I am confident that great things are to come.