Interview with Appleby College Alum, Jaime Bourbonnais

The number one thing, I’d have to say, is that at Appleby, all the teachers and faculty really want what's best for the students, and they want to make sure that everybody is succeeding. And I think that's really cool, because I don't think you can get that at many schools. Everybody genuinely wants what's best for you. Having the classroom size so small allows you to develop relationships with other students and teachers. It's a small class, so you have an opportunity to work one on one with students and teachers, which is special.

The atmosphere at Appleby is spirited, fun, and welcoming. The environment is something that I appreciated every single day while I was there. Everybody really takes pride in being an Appleby Blue Dog. Everybody is designated a house when you get to Appleby. You love the house that you're assigned to. There are Spirit Days, where you celebrate the house you're assigned to, which is special.

I think that Appleby has a lot of really unique opportunities and experiences; they provide a lot of different clubs, a lot of different excursions. I really appreciated the camping trip we went on. And it really helps you develop relationships with each other. 

Another thing I think that sets Appleby apart is the relationships that you're able to make at Appleby. I still have a lot of friends from Appleby, and I think that's really special. I was able to develop those relationships there, and Appleby makes it possible to develop those friendships. The close community and the friendships that you make, again, high school can be a really challenging time for a lot of students, a lot of families. So having such a close community is really beneficial during that time.

Two important characteristics of the school are inclusivity and kindness. It's hard to find a place that is genuinely inclusive. Many places want to feel that way, but I felt Appleby was inclusive for many different communities. I'm part of the LGBTQ community. It was pretty amazing to feel included in that. And then, there is kindness. Everyone's very kind to each other. The amount of effort that teachers put into each individual student. And there's a lot of help at Appleby as well. If you're struggling, there's help for educational purposes, mental health purposes, everything like that. So I think you don't get that often at high school. I think Appleby taught me my core values that I live by.

Without Appleby, I don't think I'd be where I am today, especially in my hockey career. Hockey definitely helped me. Just the relationships I formed through hockey, the networking that I was able to do through Appleby hockey was really important and has helped me get to where I am today. I just learned so much from Appleby in terms of life skills and just values.  For me, speaking personally, I am forever in debt to my parents for enrolling me in Appleby. 

My experience could have been better if I had been able to take advantage of the boarding opportunities more. But I still loved my boarding experience and met a lot of really fun people. And I'm so grateful for that. Boarding really teaches you a lot about what it's like to live away from home, what it's like to live at a school for university. So when you move away, you're prepared.

I've really continued to use a lot of the life lessons that I learned at Appleby. And as I've gotten further away from Appleby, I've only grown more appreciative of the experience. And I loved Appleby while I was in it, but I think I love it even more now and think that it's a great experience. And I would recommend it to any family. 

The education I received at Appleby College allowed me to get into my dream Ivy League school. There's no way I would have been able to go to Cornell, if it hadn’t gone to Appleby. It's an incredible education, incredible teachers. And, again, they really want what's best for you. They do a really good job.