Alumni Association supports the Class of 2012

2012 Class Ambassadors

The Alumni Association supports future alumni through student outreach initiatives.

One priority of the University of Calgary Alumni Association's priorities is student outreach, which takes many forms across campus throughout the year from student club support to event sponsorship and each January, Graduating This Year–the largest alumni-funded student outreach program–kicks off.

Graduating This Year (GTY) started in 2009 and focuses on helping graduating students make a successful transition to life after university. The program includes a variety of workshops on everything from personal and professional development to wellness as well as events and contests.

“Our graduates are our future alumni,” says Matthew Fox, associate director, university relations. “GTY is a great way to connect them with on-campus and community experts in fun and interactive workshops. We want to give our students practical tools that they can use as they embark on life after university.”

New workshops this year include wellness, personal brand, confidence building and planning for the future, which join a total of 15 workshops being offered from early-January until the end of March.

“Being successful is about more than just finding a job and we wanted to take a more holistic approach to GTY 2012,” says Pam Aranas, coordinator of student outreach for Alumni Relations. “We want to help our students recognize their passions and strengths, but also and help them build their personal brand and confidence to help them get there.”

The Class Ambassador program is another important component of GTY, which gives four students that chance to campaign among the student body for one of four Class Ambassador positions and the chance to represent the graduating class of 2012.

Jennifer Abbott, Nicole Cousins and Aleena Mansoor are 2012 undergraduate ambassadors and Brittany Harker Martin is this year’s graduate ambassador.

Harker Martin is working towards her PhD in strategy and global management at the Haskayne School of Business. She’s also an instructor at Mount Royal University, a strategy consultant and mother of two teenage girls.

“I think the ambassador position is a great opportunity to play a leadership role,” says Harker Martin. “I want to help the PhD community and graduate students to feel connected and help them benefit from what Graduating This Year offers.”

One of three undergraduate ambassadors, Jennifer Abbott is a former member of the Students’ Union executive and studies political science. She heard about Class Ambassadors from 2011 ambassador Lauren Webber. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to get involved and work more closely with the Alumni Association,” she says. “It’s a great opportunity for my final year.”

Graduating This Year’s mandate is to celebrate the success of graduating students while helping them gain skills, knowledge and experiences to help them transition to life after university. This year’s program kicks off on Jan. 11 and continues until the end of March.