14 minute read
Alumni Association Update
ALUMNI HAPPENINGS
ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS
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Distinguished Alumnus Michael Higgins ’70
Michael W. Higgins, a native Torontonian, is an author, scholar, Vatican affairs specialist for The Globe and Mail, Papal Commentator for the CTV Network, educator, CBC Radio documentarian, columnist, and former senior academic administrator. He has served as President and Vice-Chancellor of two Canadian Catholic universities, St. Jerome’s University in the University of Waterloo, ON, and St. Thomas University, Fredericton, NB; and as Vice-President for Mission and Catholic Identity at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. He is currently the interim President and Vice Chancellor at Corpus Christi College-St. Mark’s College at UBC.
Friend of StFX The Late Helen Mattie
Catering Manager, Sodexo Sodexo Food Services, along with the entire campus community was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Helen Mattie. Helen was a familiar face to many staff, faculty and students on our campus. For over 36 years, she was often the first to arrive and last to leave at many events, always ensuring things ran smoothly and that every little detail was planned out and executed. She was always a calming presence at each event and we miss her dearly.
Young Alumna Emilie Chiasson ’02
A storyteller at heart, Emilie moved to Toronto after graduation to begin her career, but ultimately followed her heart back home to the East Coast. Before moving back, she pursued her passion for storytelling and personal connection by completing a broadcast journalism degree. She worked for several years for Origin Biomed where she crafted marketing strategies and gained exposure to healthcare, which helped her transition to her current role as the Atlantic Canadian Director for Ovarian Cancer Canada. For almost 10 years now, Emilie has invested all of her talents to advance research and care for one of the most devastating diseases impacting women.
Chapter of the Year Ottawa Alumni Chapter
Under the direction of Kathleen Sheridan ‘15 and Zak Lewis ‘14, our Ottawa chapter has been named the 2020 Alumni Chapter of the Year. The national capital chapter hosted many successful events over the past year including the StFX Day Pub Night, StFX Day Mass, a golf tournament and a charity evening with proceeds donated to CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario). Well done Ottawa chapter!
Xaverian Spirit Award Father Stanley MacDonald ‘54
Stanley, or as he is more commonly known around the campus, Father Stan, is the winner of this year’s Xaverian Spirit Award. After retiring from the ministry in 2009, Father Stan returned to campus where he has become a well-known cheerleader for our varsity teams. His enthusiastic cheers of, “GO X GO” can be heard all throughout the sporting venues on campus regardless of the season. When not cheering on our athletic teams, he can be found connecting with students around campus or in meal hall. Father Stan provides support and guidance to students and certainly leaves a lasting impression on all that get to meet him.
Survey Thank You! This past spring, the Alumni Affairs Office conducted an online Alumni Engagement survey. In the new year, our team will start a deep dive into the results and the feedback provided. We plan to have a report ready for our next AlumniNews edition in the summer. All survey participants were placed in a prize draw and we are excited to announce the following winners: $500 Pre-Paid Visa Christina Boyle ‘95 $200 StFX Store Gift Card Greg McKenna ‘09 $100 StFX Store Gift Card Thomas Levesque ‘78 Again, thank you for your feedback. It will help us better plan our programming and communication as we go forward.
Over 80 members of the Class of 1970 joined us on Oct. 1, 2020 for a Virtual Golden Grad celebration. While this was not the way we envisioned celebrating this momentous occasion, it did not stop the storytelling, laughter and camaraderie that was reignited throughout the evening. Frank McKenna ’70 and David Case ’70 both spoke on behalf of their classmates and a video montage of yearbook photos and Xaverian Weekly clippings put together by the Alumni Office brought everyone down memory lane. Marc Rodrigue ’08, President of the Alumni Association, was pleased to announce on the call that two classmates were being formally recognized for their contributions to their communities after their time at StFX. Michael Higgins ’70 was named the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year and the late Martina Riordon ’70 will be inducted into the StFX Hall of Honour. We do look forward to the time when we able to gather in-person and formally celebrate the class of 1970!
2020 HALL OF HONOUR INDUCTEES
The late Father Ronald Duncan Smith ’47 The late Leo A. MacDonell ’54, ’56, ’74 The late Martina Riordon ‘70
If you know someone who should be considered for the Hall of Honour, please visit https://www.stfx.ca/alumni/alumni-association/hall-honour for more information and to submit nominations. The deadline for the 2021 Hall of Honour nomination packages is Friday, May 1, 2021
L-r, Kwame Osei ’10, Akeem Foster ’10, Cauchy Muamba ’10, Henoc Muamba ’11, Kwasi Nkansah ’09, and Kelvin Muamba, pictured here at Cauchy Muamba’s wedding, have come together to create the LIFT Bursary that will annually support a Black student at StFX. The group is hoping others may also want to donate to the fund, helping it grow even more.
“We rise by lifting others” StFX ALUMNI ESTABLISH LIFT BURSARY TO HELP BLACK STUDENTS AT StFX
Planting the seeds of greatness in people, and letting them use their gifts is one of the reasons a group of StFX alumni—including Kwame Osei ’10, Henoc Muamba ’11, Kwasi Nkansah ’09, Cauchy Muamba ’10, Akeem Foster ’10 and Kelvin Muamba—have come together to establish an annual $3,000 bursary to be awarded to a Black student at StFX.
In establishing the LIFT Bursary, which stands for Living Intentionally, Fighting Tenaciously, the group of alumni want to help support the next generation. The LIFT Bursary will be awarded annually to a Black student who demonstrates financial need and community service. Applicants will be required to write an essay outlining their community involvements and how they are making a difference.
Mr. Osei says the idea for the bursary was born this summer, through the riots for social justice. “I felt the need to do something that was sustainable in Canada,” says Mr. Osei, who wanted to do something to help, something that wouldn’t fade away. “I definitely wanted to involve my alma mater. It’s been an amazing part of my personal growth as a man,” he says. ‘I came to StFX as a boy with no direction. I grew into a man and I left that school with a family for life. It’s only right that I give back to the institution.
“I called my brothers and we talked,” he says on the lifelong friends made at StFX. (All except Kelvin Muamba went to StFX, where they all played football. They’ve all played in the CFL.)
“We all have benefitted from bursaries at StFX,” says Mr. Osei, something they all appreciated. “It was like a miracle in my life. I didn’t have that financial burden and stress over my head. I wanted to pass that back down to the next generation so that they can focus on just being students, just focus on their goals.”
He also wanted to ensure his alma mater is adhering to the needs of our diverse country, and he wanted to do something for the Black community in Canada
It’s a similar sentiment that inspired Henoc Muamba.
“The main reason I feel we all wanted to be involved in lifting someone who went to StFX that looked like us is because we all experienced the financial struggle and understood the role it can play on an individual’s psyche while trying to achieve academic excellence,” Mr. Muamba says.
“We know the LIFT bursary may not completely eliminate the wealth gap, but our hope is that it can make it just a little easier for the recipient as they strive for excellence. As the great saying goes, ‘we rise by lifting others.’ And that is our aim.”
Kwasi Nkansah says one of the things that appealed to him was the opportunity to join his brothers and do something good for others. “We were once students at X and the help of bursaries was of great support,” he says. “In these trying times of battling a pandemic, the close-knit community at StFX is the type of environment needed to overcome. My years at StFX allowed me to progress through university and be the person I am today. Thus, this was a chance to continue that caring tradition and help out a little.”
Mr. Osei says as part of their long term goal, they hope more people will donate to the fund, allowing the bursary to grow even larger, helping support multiple students a year.
“As men right now, we have the ability to create change and lead the next generation. We can take the lead and keep on growing.”
Through the bursary, he says they want to promote and create leaders in society and to reward people who are taking the lead within their community.
Anyone wishing to support the LIFT Bursary may do so at www.stfx.ca/give - indicate LIFT Bursary in the Other Designation, or contact the StFX Development team directly: Cathy Fraser at cfraser@stfx.ca or telephone (902) 867-5017
X CONNECTS PODCAST SERIES LAUNCHED
In October 2020, StFX Alumni Affairs launched a student-led video podcast series, “X Connects.” This series was created as a combination of the Alumni Office’s desire to create virtual engagement events and the desire of three of our student athletes to reach out, connect with, and explore the lives of some of our amazing alumni. Fourth year students Bailey Wasdal, Patti-Anne Tracey and Amy Graham have each hosted a 40 minute session with alumni exploring topics from life in the NHL bubble to health and wellness in the workplace. If you know of alumni who have a unique profession or story to tell since their time at StFX, please let us know at alumni@stfx.ca. All past episodes are posted on our website https://www.stfx.ca/alumni/x-connects.
LOST X-RINGS
LOST Man’s ’64 Woman’s ’85 Man’s ’95 Woman’s ’99 Woman’s 03 Woman’s ’05 Man’s ’10 Man’s ’11 Man’s ’16 Woman’s ’20
Contact the Alumni Office at 902-867-2186 or alumni@stfx.ca
Distance Education Programs for REGISTERED NURSES
Applications are being accepted until June 30 for classes beginning in September. The Post RN-BScN program was awarded accreditation by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) in 2019. • Bachelor of Science in Nursing • Certificate in Gerontological Nursing • Certificate in Continuing Care Nursing • Stand alone Nursing Courses • N490 Forensic Nursing • N497 Computers in Nursing • N483 Hospice Palliative Care Nursing
MASTER OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT StFX
PART-TIME DISTANCE PROGRAMS Students may complete Master of Education programs in Educational Administration and Leadership or a variety of Curriculum and Instruction areas. These part-time programs require one month of study on campus in July. The remainder of the program can be completed online over a two-year period. These programs may be completed by coursebased, project, or thesis routes.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR FULL-TIME GRADUATE STUDY StFX admits a limited number of full-time graduate students annually who wish to develop capacity in teaching/leadership or applied research. Students are paired with faculty who provide them with internship opportunities related to university teaching and field experience in the BEd program and/or research. Students who choose the research-based option may have the possibility of participating in funded research programs in collaboration with full-time faculty.
For more information or to receive an information package, contact Continuing and Distance Education: Tel: 1-877-867-3906 or (902) 867-3906 E-mail: med@stfx.ca
Millie Bonazza
February 1, 2020
Flynn (Regan) ’11 and Jeff Bonazza ’10. Axel Mulroney Grandson of The Rt. Hon.
Brian Mulroney ’59
November 14, 2020
Colton (White) ’11 ’17 married Robert Park
August 30, 2019 Shirley MacLean, Q.C. ’84 was appointed Commissioner of Official Languages for the Province of New Brunswick on January 1, 2020. Prior to her appointment, Shirley had been the Deputy Executive Director of the Law Society of New Brunswick as well as Chair of the Fredericton Mental Health Tribunal. Sean Layden, QC, ’88, after 27 years of practising law, was appointed to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board on Nov 24, 2020 and will be working out of the Halifax office. Joe Muise ’99 is a high school teacher in Burnaby, BC. He was recently awarded the Canadian Association of Physicists Award for Excellence in Teaching High School/CEGEP Physics for the BC/ Yukon region. Joe says he got a strong foundation in physics at StFX and ended up starting his path to teaching through the opportunities that he had to work as a lab assistant in his second, third and fourth years at StFX. Joe was also recognized by the National Science Teaching Association as the recipient of the Robert E Yager Exemplary Teaching Award for Canada. Janessa (DeCoste) Rauch ’07 was recently featured by the University of Calgary as one of “six nurse entrepreneurs you should know about.” She is currently working toward her master’s in nursing at UCalgary, exploring the self-care practices of paediatric oncology nurses. She also runs a nurse Send News Exchange items to Glenda Bond, Alumni Affairs Office St. Francis Xavier University, PO Box 5000, Antigonish, NS B2G 2W5
’80s
’90s
’00s
Phone: (902) 867-2186 • Fax: (902) 867-3659 • Email: alumni@stfx.ca coaching business called The Nurse Coach, which is geared toward health-care providers and professionals or educators and teachers. She is a founding executive board member and faculty at The Canadian Institute of Integrative Nursing Development & Education Ltd, an institute geared toward the development and education of holistic nursing and nurse coaches, the first of its kind in Canada.
Erin Martin graduated with a Bachelor’s in science at StFX in 2009 and is from Whitehorse, Yukon. Since she graduated she’s completed a Masters in science at Dalhousie in 2011, medical school at Dalhousie in 2015, and general surgery speciality training at the University of Calgary in 2020. She is now a general surgeon in Prince George, BC, and is a clinical instructor with UBC and UNBC. After being in school for 29 years straight she’s pretty excited to be done. She says “the path to surgery is a long one, and I’d love to encourage other students, especially other young women, to pursue it!!”
Sonam Tenzin ’06, who received a completing the first joint Paro-StFX MEd program 2002-06, has written and published a book, “The legend of Pholha Masang Chungdue,” which describes the story of the most famous and revered local deity known as Masang Chungdue of the place he resides, Haa, Bhutan. “This deity’s benediction continues to shape the social and cultural lives of the people,” he says. Sonam sent several complimentary copies of the first edition to StFX. The second edition is already published, with the launch postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. “Although my stay in Antigonish was very brief, about 28 days in the cold winter, yet I did not feel the harsh winter because of the warmth of the locals of Antigonish. My brief stint in StFX greatly widened my thought, confidence and changed my approach to education,” he says.
’10s
Adam Starr `20 and Maxwell
Gauthier `20 have incorporated their company, Drastic Scholastic
Thermoplastic Inc., and have received nearly $40,000 in awards, thanks to the Spark Nova Scotia
Competition ($25,000) and the
Canada Starts Grant ($5,000).
They were Wallace Interns over summer 2002, earning $10,000 through the internship program.
They have obtained operating space in the FM building (Highway #7) at StFX, and have been accepted into Emera
IdeaHUB Young Innovators
Program. This engineeringfocused program is designed to support entrepreneurial youth interested in exploring the potential to commercialize new master’s degree and X-Ring after
products.
Other StFX Psychology Lab looking for volunteers The Infant Action and Cognition Lab at StFX is currently looking for parents and guardians of infants between two and six months old and living in Canada to take their survey related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey asks questions about parents’ mental health (e.g., pandemic-related stress, anxiety and depression symptoms, satisfaction with support), as well as about the activities that parents are doing with their infants during the pandemic. If you are interested in taking party, please visit: https:// stfx.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_1SlxrqVPHWB3syh
First Home St. John’s, NL
Shanelle Clowe ’14 and Chris Hillier ’14 with their chocolate lab, Charley! Happy 100th Birthday!
Sr. Margaret MacDonell ’54 ’00 We’re sending out a very special birthday greeting – to Sr. Margaret MacDonell, CND, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Dec. 13! Sister Margaret, of the Congregation of Notre Dame, is a professor emerita at StFX, and is formerly head of the Department of Celtic Studies at StFX. She is a Gaelic speaker originally from Judique, Cape Breton. She holds a PhD in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University, and has been a lifelong supporter of Gaelic culture. Sister Margaret received her degree from StFX in ’54 and an honorary degree in 2000. Happy birthday, Sr. Margaret!
