Havergal College Grad Profile 2024

Syracuse University ELEMENTARY INCLUSIVE EDUCATION WITH A MINOR IN PUBLIC POLICY Maia Simmons

Scarlett Nowakowski Queen’s University COMMERCE

Nicole Ho Yat Tang

Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo DOUBLE DEGREE PROGRAM IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND COMPUTER SCIENCE Nicole’s three years of living and learning in Boarding was a formative experience for her. During her time at Havergal, she developed resilience being far away from her home in Hong Kong and uncovered an interest in studying computer studies, something she didn’t connect with at her previous school. “I never thought I would say that computer science is my favourite subject, but I really liked how my teachers taught it at HC.” Building on what she studied in high school, Nicole is currently pursuing a double degree at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University in Business Administration and Computer Science. A highlight of her time at Havergal were all of the bonding experiences, which included hanging out in the evenings and on weekends with fellow Boarding students, leading discussions as Head of the Asian Student Alliance group and cheering on the Curling Team as skip. In Grades 11 and 12, she was elected to join the Boarding Council, planning fun and engaging activities for the Boarding community alongside a group of student leaders. “In Boarding, it doesn’t matter what grade you are in because you’re friends with everyone, which is fun! The friendships I’ve made there will last a lifetime.”

Touring Havergal in Grade 4, Scarlett and her family felt that Havergal checked all of their boxes: a strong academic program; diverse co-curricular opportunities; ample indoor and outdoor athletic spaces; and a warm community environment. As Captain of Havergal’s Hockey Team in her senior year, she made it a priority to mentor the younger players because of the mentorship she received when she first joined. In her senior year, Scarlett received the Senior Athlete of the Year award for her contributions to the hockey, Ultimate and soccer teams at Havergal. Outside of school, she also played high level competitive soccer until Grade 9 and hockey with the Mississauga Juniors throughout high school. When she wasn’t involved in athletics at Havergal, Scarlett enjoyed studying accounting, economics, math and world issues. “World Issues was a new area of study for me and it opened me up to so many new perspectives when analyzing problems,” she explains. This year, Scarlett is studying Commerce and playing hockey on an athletic scholarship at Queen’s University. Her advice for new students joining the community? “Beyond your classes, there are so many things to do and people to meet at Havergal. Let yourself be curious, explore something new and you’ll see what opens up for you.”

Havergal has been a transformational experience for Maia, who has developed a strong sense of self since joining the school in Junior Kindergarten. “I’ve learned that if you don’t define what success looks like for yourself, you’ll never achieve it,” she explains. Maia discovered her leadership abilities as a House Leader in Grade 6, which helped to foster her love of House and later led her to be elected as a House Captain in Grade 12. Over the years, she was also the Captain of the Rowing Team, the Club Head for the Ocean Awareness Club and a member of the school choir, Diversity Committee, Truth and Reconciliation Committee and Sustainability Committee. Maia was diagnosed with learning differences as a Junior School student and, throughout the years, worked with learning support specialists who helped her gain confidence in her academic abilities. These experiences inspired her to study Elementary Inclusive Education, with a minor in Public Policy, at Syracuse University, where she is the only Canadian to be the recipient of the distinguished Leadership Scholarship. “My goal is to make a significant difference in people’s lives by helping them realize their capabilities and helping them develop confidence in who they are.”