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Paving the Path: How Extra-Curriculars Affect your Post-Secondary Life
On a Wednesday in early October, three alumni speakers came to Brentwood to share a couple of reasons why the Arts and Athletics programs offered here are important in developing time management skills, work-life balance, and leadership qualities. As students arrived in the Lecture Theatre, they were greeted by three keynote speakers with wildly different careers. Directing the session, Amelia H, Allard ‘20, Assistant Head Prefect for Academics, posed questions to the speakers regarding their life, experiences, mistakes, and the impact of Brentwood extra-curriculars post-graduation. Each speaker possessed great knowledge of different sectors and specialties, giving students a wide variety of perspectives.
Kendra Stoner was the youngest speaker there, graduating in 2013 and moving on to post-secondary education at Capilano University, VIU, and Royal Roads University. Kendra graduated from Brentwood with a scholarship in volleyball, but left her volleyball career to pursue other things. She has gone on to work in marketing and social networking with major companies, such as the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. During the keynote, Kendra stressed the importance of keeping your options open, and having good mentors to guide you through your time at school.
During Kendra’s time in the workforce, she has had a lot of experience, and excelled at most things she has done. She has credited her success to the diversity of the arts and sports she did while at Brentwood, and encourages people to shake up their arts and sports, as the new things you do can bring out the things inside yourself you never knew you could do, or bring out a passion you never thought you had. She also spoke about how getting ahead in your work, or in your classes, is never a bad thing, and that your teachers and professors will understand your passion for learning. No doubt the arts and sports that Kendra did affected her in her daily life, and motivates her to work hard in her professional field.
The second keynote speaker was the hilarious Brendan Hodge Whittall ‘03. Immediately as the keynote begun, Brendan caught the attention of all the students with his intellect and impressive athletic record. Not only were students intrigued by Brendan’s profession as a BC government lawyer, we were especially blown away with Brendan’s career as an Olympic rower.
At Brentwood, Brendan spent most of his time rowing and educating himself on government and law. He was an avid member in the Musical Theatre program despite being quite shy. After graduating, Brendan continued his studies at Harvard University where he majored in Government Studies, while also rowing on the side as a heavyweight. Brendan later finished his studies with a Bachelor of Laws at UBC.
Brendan currently works as a lawyer in the BC Ministry of Justice. During the keynote, Brendan stressed the importance of obtaining knowledge in a wide variety. Brendan notably stated, “The best way to learn is to surround yourself with people with different opinions and perspectives than yourself.” He expressed the idea that one can’t learn through a niche system, and how the programs offered at Brentwood opened up a myriad of opportunities for him to learn. He spoke about how the things he learned through Brentwood, from time management to perseverance, all help him to this day in his career.
The final speaker at the keynote event was none other than Megan Stone ‘97. Megan is very empathetic individual with evident characteristics of knowledge and experience. After graduating from Brentwood, she diverted her path from the status quo by taking a year off to backpack through Europe to learn more about herself and the world. Upon her return, Megan indulged herself in studies at Queen’s, double majoring in History and Religious Studies. During Megan’s youth, she often proclaimed interest in nursing and helping others in need. This played into her decision to study Nursing at the University of Toronto. She would eventually graduate with a Bachelor of Sciences and Nursing. While there, she met her husband, Kyle, and they moved to Vancouver Island to raise her two boys. She currently works as a Registered Nurse at Island Health, where she has taken on many leadership roles.
During the keynote, Megan spoke about how she wanted to be an overachiever, but while at Brentwood, she realized that self-control is more important than achievement. She stressed that she had to “learn how to ask the right questions” and how to get the knowledge she wanted. She spoke about how you don't have to be the best at a certain thing to be a leader, but you have to be the best at encouraging everybody else to be the best that they can be.
The night concluded with a question and answer period where a couple of thought-wrenching questions were asked of the speakers, which invoked an immersive discussion. During this period, students were encouraged to go more in depth on parts of the speakers’ ideas that they wanted clarified. These questions brought up some very important points, like how important time management and prioritization can be during your early years in secondary and post-secondary institutions.
We students left the keynote yearning for more information, and the number of people who stayed behind to ask personal questions of the speakers proves this. The night was a success, and definitely encouraged people to attend the next keynote, “Somebody Does That?”. On behalf of the students, we would like to thank the speakers for attending and all of the faculty and student leaders who made this night possible.
Caiden T, Whittall ‘22 & Eamon R, Privett ‘22
Kendra Stoner was the youngest speaker there, graduating in 2013 and moving on to post-secondary education at Capilano University, VIU, and Royal Roads University. Kendra graduated from Brentwood with a scholarship in volleyball, but left her volleyball career to pursue other things. She has gone on to work in marketing and social networking with major companies, such as the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation. During the keynote, Kendra stressed the importance of keeping your options open, and having good mentors to guide you through your time at school.
During Kendra’s time in the workforce, she has had a lot of experience, and excelled at most things she has done. She has credited her success to the diversity of the arts and sports she did while at Brentwood, and encourages people to shake up their arts and sports, as the new things you do can bring out the things inside yourself you never knew you could do, or bring out a passion you never thought you had. She also spoke about how getting ahead in your work, or in your classes, is never a bad thing, and that your teachers and professors will understand your passion for learning. No doubt the arts and sports that Kendra did affected her in her daily life, and motivates her to work hard in her professional field.
The second keynote speaker was the hilarious Brendan Hodge Whittall ‘03. Immediately as the keynote begun, Brendan caught the attention of all the students with his intellect and impressive athletic record. Not only were students intrigued by Brendan’s profession as a BC government lawyer, we were especially blown away with Brendan’s career as an Olympic rower.
At Brentwood, Brendan spent most of his time rowing and educating himself on government and law. He was an avid member in the Musical Theatre program despite being quite shy. After graduating, Brendan continued his studies at Harvard University where he majored in Government Studies, while also rowing on the side as a heavyweight. Brendan later finished his studies with a Bachelor of Laws at UBC.
Brendan currently works as a lawyer in the BC Ministry of Justice. During the keynote, Brendan stressed the importance of obtaining knowledge in a wide variety. Brendan notably stated, “The best way to learn is to surround yourself with people with different opinions and perspectives than yourself.” He expressed the idea that one can’t learn through a niche system, and how the programs offered at Brentwood opened up a myriad of opportunities for him to learn. He spoke about how the things he learned through Brentwood, from time management to perseverance, all help him to this day in his career.
The final speaker at the keynote event was none other than Megan Stone ‘97. Megan is very empathetic individual with evident characteristics of knowledge and experience. After graduating from Brentwood, she diverted her path from the status quo by taking a year off to backpack through Europe to learn more about herself and the world. Upon her return, Megan indulged herself in studies at Queen’s, double majoring in History and Religious Studies. During Megan’s youth, she often proclaimed interest in nursing and helping others in need. This played into her decision to study Nursing at the University of Toronto. She would eventually graduate with a Bachelor of Sciences and Nursing. While there, she met her husband, Kyle, and they moved to Vancouver Island to raise her two boys. She currently works as a Registered Nurse at Island Health, where she has taken on many leadership roles.
During the keynote, Megan spoke about how she wanted to be an overachiever, but while at Brentwood, she realized that self-control is more important than achievement. She stressed that she had to “learn how to ask the right questions” and how to get the knowledge she wanted. She spoke about how you don't have to be the best at a certain thing to be a leader, but you have to be the best at encouraging everybody else to be the best that they can be.
The night concluded with a question and answer period where a couple of thought-wrenching questions were asked of the speakers, which invoked an immersive discussion. During this period, students were encouraged to go more in depth on parts of the speakers’ ideas that they wanted clarified. These questions brought up some very important points, like how important time management and prioritization can be during your early years in secondary and post-secondary institutions.
We students left the keynote yearning for more information, and the number of people who stayed behind to ask personal questions of the speakers proves this. The night was a success, and definitely encouraged people to attend the next keynote, “Somebody Does That?”. On behalf of the students, we would like to thank the speakers for attending and all of the faculty and student leaders who made this night possible.
Caiden T, Whittall ‘22 & Eamon R, Privett ‘22