Katya Herman ’90 continued ...

"I had my first introduction to rowing at Albert, without which I can’t even imagine how different my life since might have been," said Katya.  Katya remembers having the chance to participate in several other sports and activities which she might not have had the chance to experience at a larger public school.  "The life skills I developed over my time at Albert included increased independence, self-confidence, and self-respect, heightened leadership skills, an appreciation of and respect for individual differences and cultural backgrounds, and above all, the confidence and desire to reach higher, to set goals for myself, and truly believe that I could achieve anything I wanted to in life," said Katya. She believes that she entered university prepared for being away from home and taking those next steps toward young adulthood thanks to her time at Albert.

"Some of my fondest memories of Albert College include the wonderful and attentive teachers who inspired me daily, and smaller friendlier class sizes that really helped students thrive; meeting friends from all over Canada and the World, learning about different cultures, languages, and experiences; participating in the Community Service program, having the opportunity to give back to the community by working with mentally and physically challenged children, deaf children, and being a 'Big Sister'; Residence life with the other girls, the general fun-times we had as well as just “growing up” together and becoming more independent; the school/class/team trips, be they athletic (games, races, tournaments), cultural (Stratford and Shaw festivals), or fun and leadership (camping and conferences); and overall, the general close family atmosphere at the school, with interaction between students of all ages and backgrounds that wouldn’t happen at a larger public school," said Katya.

Katya believes that Albert College largely shaped her path through life since and says that she will never forget all the great memories that she made at Albert.