Alumni share tips and advice for graduating class

Five alumni returned recently for a panel discussion about first year university and life after Greenwood for the Grade 12 class.

Daniel Bender ‘23, Hannah Chong ‘23, Sadie Greenhut ‘23, Rileigh Lewitt ‘23 and Kyle Wormsbecher ‘23 visited Greenwood on May 16 to answer questions and share their experiences at post-secondary school. The discussion was moderated by Catherine Menard, guidance counsellor.

The alumni shared practical tips about coping with course loads, meeting new people, and what it’s like to be out on your own.

“Set a routine for yourself,” said Sadie. “Make a schedule and stick to it, and find people to help you do that. For me, my roommate and I had a time we went to dinner together every night. It ensures that we are taking the time to eat.”

Kyle agreed.

“No one is there telling you what to do or to get to class. You have to get yourself from point A to point B,” he said. “Get into a routine. And seek out help when you need it.”

Other advice included taking time to exercise, plotting out course assignments and due dates on your calendar right when you get the class syllabus, sitting with different people in each class, and being kind to yourself.

“It’s a big change, leaving Greenwood and going to post-secondary,” said Rileigh. “It’s OK if it takes time to adjust. It’s OK to not love it in the first few weeks. Give it a chance and give it time.”

Kristina Désormeaux ‘22 also attended to represent Greenwood’s Alumni Executive. Kristina shared information about how to stay connected with Greenwood and what it means to be an alum.

“Be proud to be a Greenwood alumni,” she said. “Reach out to each other; we are all still part of the Greenwood team!”

Wendy Herod, Director of Student Success and Guidance Counsellor, organized the event. She said she loves seeing Greenwood alumni come back to share their experiences.

“Year after year, our Grade 12s find this the most interesting and valuable session that we put together,” she said. “Transitioning out of high school can be tough, and we encourage our graduates to continue to reach out to alumni on the campus they decide to attend as well as utilize any transition services that their new school offers.”