What does it mean to be a part of this community?

Congratulations to our newest graduates of Red Deer Polytechnic, the Class of 2023!

I had the honour of addressing our graduates at RDP’s 59th Convocation Ceremonies this year. Sitting up on stage, I had the perfect vantage point to see how proud the friends and families were of their graduates and how proud the graduates were of themselves. It filled me with such gratitude for my own academic journey and the family and friends who supported me. I know it’s not easy to get through a post-secondary program. The RDP Alumni Association, including the Board of Directors and I, are very proud of you! 

To our new grads, and those alumni who may have been following Convocation this year or maybe even celebrating a graduate in their family – I hope you also found a moment to reflect on your moment on the stage; How accomplished you felt with the new opportunities to seize and a journey to build on. As you move through your next steps, I hope you’ll stay connected to our alumni community for the support and encouragement we provide. 

I’ve been visiting RDP’s campus since I was 10 years old when I was enrolled in the Hoops Program with the Queens Basketball team. I know this is familiar to a lot of alumni. In Notebook a couple of years ago, Lindsay Gustafson talked about what it was like to grow up frequenting main campus while her mother worked at Red Deer Polytechnic. Don Sutherland has shared his memories of growing up in Westpark, exploring the campus as a kid before earning his Red Seal and later Master Electrician as a post-secondary student. In December, Lynne Madsen shared how her perspective of student needs is shaped by her own experience of receiving student aid. For many alumni, these evolving campuses have been a part of our lives in several different ways, and it’s my hope that you continue to feel welcome here.  

In the decades since those basketball camps, Red Deer Polytechnic has changed a lot for me, and not just the campus in a physical sense, but our RDP community too. I have to wonder what previous generations of alumni think about our campuses and community today. I hope they are proud of our progression and expansion, but most of all our continued focus on welcoming a diverse community and supporting an inclusive and safe learning environment for all our academic journeys, however they may look.  

I know we’ve heard it all before that it’s each generation’s responsibility to leave behind a better world than we found, and I hope the alumni reading this today have done just that. Our alumni legacy is sharing our stories, promoting our RDP experience, and supporting our future generations in their academic and professional journeys because that is what continues to allow RDP to stand for generations to come.  

I was struck by a thought while watching the graduates take the stage in front of me: these are the new alumni that the RDP Alumni Association Board of Directors - and I, as Chair – represent. I found myself reflecting on the importance of the Association, my role, the Board, and how past, present, and future Boards have an impact on our alumni community. Am I representing our community the best I can? Are we providing you with the right opportunities to stay connected? Are we celebrating you in the best ways we can? How can we better support you? How can I help these young alumni leave a legacy they’re proud of? 

I encourage all alumni to share their feedback and ideas with me – what would bring you back to campus? How do you want us to engage with you? What would you like to see your Association accomplish? Because without you, there is no alumni community. I can’t wait to hear from you.