Interview with Hillfield Strathallan College Alum, Luke and Daniela D'Ambrosi

At Hillfield Strathallan College the encouragement to go out and participate in whatever extracurriculars you were interested in was a really exciting prospect. I found that at Hillfield Strathallan College, nobody was ever restrictive in what you wanted to do. That culture was among not only the students but also the teachers.

One thing from Hillfield Strathallan College that I took away with me is how it pushed me as a student to go beyond my boundaries and explore what I wanted to learn.

What differentiates Hillfield Strathallan College is the real sense of community within the school, and how they bring extensive efforts into connecting current students and alumni, and students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

I would describe Hillfield Strathallan College as energetic, and I think that's just an indication of the students and all the personalities within it, and the passion among the community.

Hillfield Strathallan College fosters a community of mentorship. It's a really inclusive environment. Everybody has the opportunity to feel welcome, to explore their passions. It's something that really goes beyond the classroom, and makes you feel like you're at home with family.

Hillfield Strathallan College promotes and fosters a community that appreciates kindness, and not only in its service initiatives, but also with the mentorship within the school and the relationships that students form with each other, and the teachers.

I think the most surprising thing to prospective Hillfield Strathallan College families or students would be the sense of community between 12th graders and Kindergarteners.

Hillfield Strathallan College pushed my boundaries in terms of learning, making friends, and feeling a sense of community.

Hillfield Strathallan College provided all the tools I needed to explore any of my own passions and interests that I've taken with me since my time there. I wouldn't have had the learning or growth that I did if I hadn’t attended Hillfield Strathallan College. At Hillfield Strathallan College, there were so many opportunities to be involved that you want to get involved in everything, but that’s unrealistic I was heavily involved with the athletics program, and looking back, I would have loved to explore a lot of the opportunities that Hillfield Strathallan College provided within the arts.

There are two key pillars that encapsulate Hillfield Strathallan College, and those are community and opportunities.

At Hillfield Strathallan College, what stood out to me is the community and the relationships that I built with my classmates and my teachers.

Hillfield Strathallan College provides a sense of mentorship, and many opportunities. I mean opportunities provided in the academic setting, as well as in extracurriculars, and the opportunities to explore your passions. Hillfield Strathallan College always provided opportunities to play sports, but they also provide opportunities to learn about universities, and career paths. I'm grateful for the opportunities that were provided that really helped me further my own interests, and the opportunities to build a sense of community at the school.

Once you're in the hallways of Hillfield Strathallan College, you'll get to understand the value that's there. You'll get to see the relationships between students and teachers and understand that Hillfield Strathallan College is a family. There's no greater place I could imagine learning and growing as a person.

Since leaving, my appreciation for Hillfield Strathallan College has grown dramatically. What I've learned to value the most since graduating has been the sense of community at Hillfield Strathallan College. It’s a community that really fosters and encourages learning.

There's no reason not to have your hands full at Hillfield Strathallan College, there are so many opportunities to explore what you want to do.

What I appreciated most about Hillfield Strathallan College would be the opportunities we had outside the classroom. Hillfield Strathallan College provided a top-quality education, but I feel like it built so much more in terms of my character development. There's a really big push towards getting involved in extracurriculars, and exploring leadership opportunities, which played a role in some of the decisions I took on later. During my fourth year of university, I was the President of the Dan Management Students Association, which is the undergraduate association for the Western Business program. I was also heavily involved in councils, starting up my own clubs, and things like that as well. It was foundations that Hillfield Strathallan College embodied that allowed me to carry on some of those really great skill sets when I moved into post-secondary.

One thing that really sets Hillfield Strathallan College apart is the diverse community that comes into the school. Many other private schools, if you're operating in a city or community that has many other institutions within the city, you are getting a narrower pool of candidates. Hillfield Strathallan College has individuals from so many different cities, with so many different backgrounds, and that broader scale of backgrounds brings a broader scale of networks. It provides you with a really interesting and diverse network of individuals to learn from and build connections with.

Throughout my time at Hillfield Strathallan College, I built connections with so many different areas of the school. Despite the large size, it's amazing how you really do feel a sense of community at Hillfield Strathallan College. I feel like I could walk through any part of the school hallways, from the Montessori school with the pre-Kindergarteners, all the way up into the admissions office, and there would be a smiling face or someone that I know. Even with its large size, it's very easy to call Hillfield Strathallan College your home.

Throughout my time at Hillfield Strathallan College, I've never seen someone who felt lost. I felt like everyone was always able to gravitate to something, whether it be a certain course or an extracurricular, or a trip offering, or another one of the great aspects of Hillfield Strathallan College.

Hillfield Strathallan College is a place where anyone can find something they're interested in and continue to grow and develop on their passions that they come into the school with.

I feel that the motivation level that everyone had from day one of coming into Hillfield Strathallan College only grows with time. There are so many different opportunities, so it's easy to find something that you want to gravitate towards and get excited about, and that excitement and passion build motivation.

I stay connected with Hillfield Strathallan College alumni on LinkedIn or Facebook and see all the amazing things they are doing since graduating from the school. It is incredible, it is a motivated group of individuals.

I felt my level of independence grow during my time at Hillfield Strathallan College, whether it be in my academics, or in my freedom to explore off-campus opportunities in Grade 12. Hillfield Strathallan College gives students opportunities for independence with your work, but also as you're growing as a member of society, and with age. I think that they target that approach well.

One value that Hillfield Strathallan College tries to instill in students is dedication. Hillfield Strathallan College fosters excitement, commitment, and dedication to see everything through.

I sit on the Hillfield Strathallan College board of alumni. Whether through board initiatives or outside initiatives, the Hillfield Strathallan College alumni are so excited to come back to the school. I remember being in early high school or middle school, and I would look up at the lunch hall and see alumni sitting with teachers who had just decided to come back for a meal and say hello. I remember sitting in many classes, and around the time of May, you would start to see alumni walking the halls, coming to speak in classes, and share about their experiences at university, et cetera. That speaks so much to the impact that the faculty have at Hillfield Strathallan College, that so many of the alumni want to come back to the school to reconnect with teachers and the student community after spending years away.

Hillfield Strathallan College played a large part in my personal development. I was part of Hillfield Strathallan College for so many of our crucial development years, starting at such a young age. The Hillfield Strathallan College environment, the faculty, and the friends that I made played a really large role in my development and shaping the person I am.

Hillfield Strathallan College does a great job of bringing in alumni to speak about university experiences. You learn a lot about post-secondary from an academic and extracurricular point of view.

Hillfield Strathallan College’s faculty’s excitement to teach, and their willingness to put in extra time and resources to ensure that students are getting the most out of their learning is incredible and incomparable. Hillfield Strathallan College has an amazing body of teachers and other faculty.

Hillfield Strathallan College has a motivated group of students. It's rare that you walk into a room and see an entire group of individuals who come in, are so excited to learn, and so committed to what they're doing; it’s inspiring to be around.

Hillfield Strathallan College has so many different great offerings, and it's amazing that despite your age and what section of the school you're in, you can still truly feel like you're part of one community.

Even after graduating from Hillfield Strathallan College, you can come back and be involved as alumni, whether you’re on the board, or just in a volunteering or visiting capacity. Once you enter the community, you never really leave.

I was involved with the ambassador program at Hillfield Strathallan College, so we met with a lot of prospective families. I never had a family leave a tour at Hillfield Strathallan College and not speak to the excitement or the eagerness of students that they observed and the amazing facilities that Hillfield Strathallan College has.

Hillfield Strathallan College has an open-minded approach, and they're very willing to allow students new opportunities to help them further pursue their interests or passions. Coming in as a new student, it's a really big campus, and there are a lot of people at the school when you look at it from a holistic view. I think new students should walk in excited and ready to learn and meet people. Before you know it, you'll truly feel like part of the community.