d Posftrocmaar
Grad
Michael Lara ’06
I
n philosophy class at SAC, I learned from Plato to live the examined life, which is what I’ve since tried to do. Old Boys, fellow classmates and philosopher kings Chris Simpson, Luis Meneses, Will Ohm and Adam Laing will know what I’m talking about. After graduation from SAC, I studied psychology at the University of Alberta and at the University of British Columbia, where I took a bunch of classes to try to satisfy my insatiable curiosity and earned an undergrad in psychology. I even took a class on Old English, which I chose because Mr. Scoular showed us how cool it actually is. I’ve tried to travel as much as possible, going many times to Mexico, my homeland, but also to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and all over Europe. I’ve scuba-dived, climbed a glacier, swum in the Blue Lagoon, and climbed the Acropolis in Greece. Reading an airplane magazine while waiting to take off from Dallas, Texas, I discovered a program at the EDHEC Business School in France that looked like an amazing experience. I wrote the GMAT, was accepted and enrolled, and for the past year or so have been living on the other side of the Atlantic and drinking way too much wine on pretty much a daily basis. It’s a good thing Mr. Day taught us all at SAC how to talk to women in French, because lately it’s really been coming in handy! Recently, I moved to Paris to start a one-year internship with the biggest beer company in France as a trade marketer, after which I will do another eight months of study and graduate with my master’s degree in 2014. I carry my SAC school tie with me everywhere, wearing it from time to time, and reminisce with my uncle, Old Boy Luis Lara ’83, about the good old times walking the hallowed halls of SAC.
Michael (l) with his cousins Emilio and Santiago outside his parent’s ranch in Wainwright, Alta.
(l–r): James McArthur, Eric Cumming, Justin Lemieux-Reale, Sean Han, Nirushan Thambirajah, all members of the Class of 2006, were back on campus to attend the Perrier/Walden retirement dinner in June.
Nirushan Thambirajah ’06
A
fter graduating from SAC in 2006, I completed an honours BA at Wilfrid Laurier University where I studied economics and finance. Initially, I had every intention of going to law school but as I got deeper into my undergraduate degree, I realized that finance was a topic that intrigued me. I slowly started to follow the markets on a regular basis and was able to draw connections between my knowledge in economics and how it affects corporations on a daily basis. Toward the end of my degree I realized that a career in banking fit my skill set, but because of the weak job market in 2010 I decided to complete my MBA at Dalhousie University right after undergrad. I was fortunate to land a summer internship with RBC Capital Markets in their Global Markets program, which translated into a full-time job offer within their corporate and investment banking group once I graduated. I subsequently finished my MBA at McMaster University and am now approaching half a year in my current role at the Toronto headquarters. There are two points I can directly take from my time at St. Andrew’s. The first relates to the principles the School instills in students. The time management skills, leadership mentality, and work ethic are all values required for my career. The second relates to the School’s large alumni network. I’ve sent countless emails out of the blue to fellow Andreans who have always responded with a willingness to provide advice. In fact, if anyone might be interested in learning more about a career in the banking industry, feel free to get in touch with me. I continue to keep in touch with many of my former classmates, recently backpacking through Europe and meeting Pierce Cassidy ’06 in Holland and seeing others at the Perrier/Walden retirement dinner in June. www.sac.on.ca 67