On October 4, Chateauguay Valley Regional High School (CVR) welcomed dozens of alumni to give keynote speeches and workshops about the different career paths that are possible after high school. Organized by various teachers at CVR, the event gave students a chance to learn more about what might be best for them.
Before the beginning of the pandemic, Mary Sauvé had organized two other Ignite Conferences. Since then, the conference has been dormant until this year. Teacher Jessica Barrette explains that the goal this year “was to spark interest and motivation in our graduating class for their educational pursuits after high school. This year’s organizing committee recognized that our graduates often have many questions about their future plans, so we decided to bring back the Ignite Conference.” A variety of CVR alumni made an appearance to chat about their careers, all under this year’s theme, “Where Passion Meets Purpose.”
The day started with a presentation by Class of 2015 alum Callan Forrester, who spoke about what a career in the arts, specifically theatre and drag, can look like. The students then had the chance to do three different workshops. There were five speakers within each block. Students were encouraged to choose options they may be interested in exploring next year. Examples of these workshops included healthcare with Mathieu Brault, education with Kristen Lamb, and meal prepping on a budget with Grace McClintock. The day ended with another keynote speaker, Mathieu Rouleau, who spoke about how to find your “why” in life.
Rouleau says that he “talked about trying to find a purpose in life. So instead of trying to figure out what you want to do in life, or what you want to have – how do you want to identify yourself?” In his interactive session, he encouraged students to explore what their personal “why” might be. He explains that this means “finding something that excites you in the morning when you wake up, and also something that you’re good at, and merging those together.” He really wanted to encourage the students to follow their skills and passions to find a path that works for them in the future.
“I really enjoyed being back. It’s been quite a while, almost 20 years, since I was at CVR on the stage. It was a very cool moment to talk to 110 students and interact with them,” Rouleau says. He was inspired to see how much these students already know, and how it was clear they are going to do great things. “There are bright minds already there, looking for something and wanting to be involved in our communities and improve [them],” he adds.
Grade 11 can be a scary time for many kids. With feelings of uncertainty after high school, it seems like a lot is on the line. Barrette says, “The advice I always share with my Grade 11 students is to ‘keep learning’ – even if you’re not 100 per cent sure what you want to do post-secondary. Take a course, look into the trades, enroll in CEGEP if you want… you have the rest of your life to be employed and be part of the rat race, so keep being a learner because skills and knowledge open doors, benefits, and new experiences.”
The students were really grateful for the experience. “The buzz in the halls after the conference was very positive and you could feel that the students’ energy was high. Many students stopped by to thank us for organizing the event and shared their favourite moments,” Barrette says. It’s important for kids to have the chance to explore the many different paths they can take post-secondary other than the traditional CEGEP route. This conference helped them learn just that.