Mentorship that Bridges Generations

e SMCS Mentorship Programme aims to instill a feeling of pride, tradition, and community in each student and alumnus throughout their lives. In this edition, we explore a rst-hand account of the impact meaningful mentorship had on a young alumnus thanks to the generosity of a recently retired alumnus following an accomplished 30-year career.

Gianluca Mazzanti ’09

St. Michael’s is a special place. Every year when November rolls around, I partake in the holiest of rituals: dusting o my graduation ring and a ending Turkey Roll with my classmates from the Class of 2009. While grey hairs and a few extra inches to the abdomen reveal that it’s been over 10 years since I walked the arches with my brothers, without any hesitation we pick up almost as if we had only graduated yesterday. While I like to think this special bond is unique to the Class of 2009, this scene repeats itself every November among all alumni in a endance – stories of Metro Bowls, Hawaiian Shirt Days, the plentiful parties, and even more plentiful garden duties with Fr. Zinger, CSB, OSM all come rushing back.

What makes St. Michael’s particularly special is that this bond extends itself well beyond the boundaries of any single graduating class. While thirty years may separate two graduates from one another, the shared experience of walking the yellow brick halls, shouting a ‘Hoikety Choik,’ and the pride in pu ing on a double-blue jersey bridges any generational gap. We all share a thread on this tapestry woven by over 171 years of St. Michael’s men.

An important piece of that tapestry is Peter urton ’81. I rst met Peter when a ending the barbecue hosted by the St. Michael’s College School Alumni Association (SMCSAA) in 2010 that welcomes the school’s most recent alumni. Peter took the time that evening to speak to me about his career path towards becoming a lawyer and promised me that he would do whatever he could to help me with my own aspiration to one day become a lawyer.

In the spring of 2013, I had the daunting task of nding a summer job between my third and fourth years of university. Armed with three-quarters of an undergraduate history degree and modest experience at various roo ng, construction, and landscaping jobs,

I was determined to trade in my work boots for dress shoes. Naturally, I turned to Peter for advice, and he encouraged me to apply for a position at the Ontario Lo ery & Gaming Corporation (where Peter worked as the vice president of compliance). Remarkably, I landed the job and that summer I had the privilege of frequent visits from Peter to my o ce, lunches at Swiss Chalet across the street, and countless introductions to executives of the company. Peter was determined to “put me on the map”, even if all I brought to the table was a shared alma mater in St. Mike’s.

My road to law school was not an easy one – I wrote the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) three times over two years (which is the maximum number of permi ed a empts). Peter was always my rst call a er the gruelling four-hour tests, where he would impart words of wisdom and encourage me to stay the course.

When it came time to apply to law school, I naturally turned to Peter. I distinctly remember receiving a phone call from him while he was at the post o ce: “Can you tell me where this reference le er needs to be sent to? Oh, and you owe me $3 for stamps and postage fee. You can pay me back when you’re a lawyer.” rough Peter’s guidance and unwavering support, I not only found a successful start to my legal career, but also a lifelong connection that I know will continue to shape my future. I know I’m not the only one that Peter’s helped throughout the years, and I know he isn’t the only SMCS alumnus helping make an impact in our young boys’ lives every day. e careers and lives that have been built on the support of St. Mike’s alumni helping other St. Mike’s alumni are immeasurable and one of the core strengths of this community. Peter is and will always remain one of the rst calls I make if ever in need of perspective or advice.

A er submi ing my law school applications, I made what must have been weekly calls to Peter – “What can I do to help my application? Who should I call? Can I show up for an interview so they can just meet me? What are they looking for in an applicant?” Peter later admi ed that he was also calling Osgoode simultaneously, pleading with them to consider my application. Despite his busy schedule, he went out of his way to advocate for a St. Mike’s alumnus, regardless of the 30-year gap between us.

On a Monday morning in mid-August, I returned to my desk at OLG following a meeting to a missed call, voicemail, and email from Osgoode Hall. My heart at-lined. I had been o ered (one week before classes would start) the nal spot in Osgoode’s graduating Class of 2019. My dream was coming true. A er making the natural rst calls to my mom and my girlfriend (now ancée), I called Peter urton. Don’t worry, my father got the news over dinner with my brothers Christian ’12, Andrew ’13, and Ma hew ’16. Peter’s voice on the other end of that phone was lled with an authenticity and joy you’d expect from a family member.

Peter would continue to check in with me throughout law school to see how I was doing, always reminding me of the importance of work/life balance and the need to be kind to others and extend even a li le bit of help whenever the opportunity arose. His job as a mentor was evidently not done, nor was it meant to be transactional. Pete’s commitment to my own success – personally and professionally – was a meaningful one grounded in the tenants of sel ess giving to others. Peter remained a champion of mine beyond OLG and law school and, as a client of the law rm I now work at, would never miss an opportunity to espouse my virtues with colleagues (err, bosses), knowing it would make an impact on my career.

As we ip the pages of the Blue Banner and celebrate the achievements of our alumni, let us remember the immeasurable contributions of those mentors who empowered the next generation of successful St. Michael’s men.

By way of prologue, my law school graduation was a ended only by family, but we made one exception for Peter. Being able to celebrate the journey that began in 2010 and concluded in 2019 is a special memory for me. Without Peter, that day would not have been possible. As my graduation celebration wound down that evening, I said goodbye to Peter, but knew that our journey was far from over. He would end up recruiting me to join the SMCSAA as a board member, a position I ll with immense pride to this day. Peter and I embrace the simple fact that St. Mike’s served as the foundation for a bond that transcends generations and has the potential to transform lives, reminding me of that central unifying theme: St. Mike’s is a special place. And yes, Peter did get his $3 back.

THE “HISTORY” CONTINUES

To help ensure the authenticity of the article and the relationship between Gianluca Mazzanti ’09 and Peter Thurton ’81, the Blue Banner asked Peter to share the impact the mentorship journey had on him.

I have always enjoyed mentoring, there is reward in giving. Mentoring does not have to be formal; small, honest, meaningful gestures often go a very long way. I recall my dear friend John Callaghan ’81 speaking to his father, then the Chief Justice of Ontario, allowing me into his courtroom and chambers while still in high school. Walking the halls of the Supreme Court of Ontario as a young black teenager and being embraced by the Chief Justice of Ontario profoundly impacted my desire to be a lawyer. This act of generosity was mentorship.

Turning to Gianluca, I was completely surprised when my dear friend Gianluca shared his story with me, a story I am deeply honoured to be part of. From my perspective, I don’t understand how you can look at someone with positive drive, measured ambition, diligence, with a genuine sense of charity towards others, and from a hard-working and supportive family not want to help them in any way you can. I think it is a moral imperative to assist Gianluca — and anyone for that matter, who crosses our path at a time when they are less fortunate than us. This is what Chief Justice Callaghan did for me.

Truth be told, this is not work, it is fun, and the reward is seeing this young man, a graduate of our esteemed St. Michael’s College School — probably the last person to gain acceptance to Osgoode Hall Law School in his year of entrance — by the time of his graduation, become the recipient of the W. Struan Robertson, Q.C. Memorial Prize for academic excellence! Gianluca is now a successful lawyer at one of the country’s most prestigious law firms, McCarthy’s, in their Manhattan office.

A dear friend of mine who observed Gianluca for three years describes him this way: “I saw in Gianluca from the very beginning a very determined, respectful, and focused young man with a compassionate and generous soul. With his drive and character, he was destined for success and succeed he did.” These are the words of Louise Resendes, Osgoode Hall Law School Admissions Officer, the person I repeatedly petitioned to accept Gianluca.

Finally, as Matthew Cumming, the Managing Partner of McCarthy’s New York Office shared with me, “Gianluca is a special lawyer. Not only does he have superb legal skills, but he goes above and beyond to connect with his clients and colleagues and lift up everyone around him daily. Amidst the hustle and bustle of deadlines and deals, he always finds a way to genuinely and thoughtfully consider the human impact of everything he does on those around him.”

Peter Thurton ’81