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From Lived Experience to Lasting Impact
By: Rachel O'Hagan, Alumni Relations Manager
I often speak about the power of lived experience. About using what we have walked through to help shape what comes next. That belief was at the heart of last year’s Alumni Leadership Conference, grounded in a simple but powerful idea: be who you needed when you were younger.
Hosting MacLachlan College’s first ever Alumni Leadership Conference proved deeply meaningful for our Grade 11 and 12 students. Alumni returned to campus to share their stories, leadership insights, and personal journeys, offering students real world perspectives they could genuinely connect with.
Through panel discussions and small group conversations, students explored career pathways, navigated real life scenarios, and practiced meaningful networking. Leadership was not presented as a title, but as something shaped through experience, reflection, and choice. Long after the conference ended, the impact of those conversations continues to ripple through our community.
Meeting MacLachlan Through Its Alumni
In my role as Alumni Relations Manager, I have the unique privilege of seeing lived experience from a different perspective.
I am not an alumna of MacLachlan College. I came to know this school not first through its campus or classrooms, but through its alumni. I had the opportunity to meet the product of a MacLachlan education before fully knowing the institution itself, and that has been incredibly powerful.
Our alumni are truly second to none. They demonstrate heart, ethics, creativity, and bold thinking. They show up with integrity and a deep desire to contribute, not only to their own paths, but to the next generation.
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Pitoscia, Class of 2016
Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Pitoscia, Class of 2016
Rachel joined the MacLachlan College community in Grade 5 and quickly became deeply involved in school life, from serving as a prefect to performing in school productions and participating in Duke of Edinburgh trips. She credits MacLachlan with helping shape her academic foundation, leadership skills, and sense of belonging.
After graduating, Rachel earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Entrepreneurship at the University of Tampa. She later returned home to join her family’s business and is now embracing motherhood. Rachel remains grateful for her time at MacLachlan and looks forward to returning to campus to see the community continue to grow.
Alumni Leadership in Action
That spirit is now taking shape through the formation of a full Alumni Board for the MacLachlan College Educational Foundation.
Already, alumni leadership is creating real momentum. Alumni are opening doors, building partnerships, and helping expand opportunities for students to learn, create, and thrive. It is lived experience coming full circle in service of future generations.
Looking Ahead to April 23
As we look ahead, we are excited to build on this momentum with our upcoming Alumni Leadership Conference on April 23. Alumni, students, and community members will once again come together to connect, learn, and lead through shared experience.
That same day, the Alumni Floor Hockey Tournament will bring the community together in a different but equally meaningful way. Rooted in teamwork, inclusion, movement, and fun, the tournament captures the spirit of MacLachlan and reminds us that connection often happens through shared experience.
Whether you are joining us to share your insights, reconnect with classmates, or step onto the gym floor with a stick in hand, there is a place for you.
RSVP to Alumni Events
RSVP to Alumni Events
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To prepare future-ready individuals, we need to share and instill common values across our school community and embed these values in everything we do.
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