Brad Klees ’13, President of the Quest University Canada Alumni Association (QUCAA), tells us about the importance of staying in touch, and a recent initiative he’s really proud of.
You’re a Quest alum! What have you been up to since graduation?
I’ve been in constant motion since I graduated. I traveled to some 40 countries as an International Admissions Officer for Quest. I went to Armenia, where I worked at the United World College of Dilijan as a University Counsellor and building programs with local communities. Then I went to Ottawa for a contract at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship as part of my Master’s degree. Quest opened all these doors for me, and I have really gotten to use the critical thinking skills I learned here.
You just launched a campaign to help alums with their career development. Tell us about that.
Older universities have alumni networks spanning decades, but the alumni community at Quest is still growing. The QUCAA was founded in 2017, and part of our goal is to harness the wealth of knowledge and connection within the Quest community to substitute for “senior” alumni.
Family members can sign up to become resources, so alumni can easily contact people in the professional or academic areas they want to pursue. We already have dozens of volunteers, and we hope this will translate into valuable advice and opportunities, whether alums are taking their first steps after graduation or are years into a career. If you’re interested in being part of this program, please email Alumni Representative.
Any recent initiatives to share?
We facilitated the nomination of the first alum on the Quest Board of Governors. This is a big step in the development of the Board and also towards increased recognition of the alumni voice in the university’s governance. Our last big goal for the inaugural year is to register as a not-for-profit.
What are some ways to support the QUCAA?
One great way is to take part in the family resource program above! We also just launched our inaugural Quest Alumni Scholarship Drive [http://www.questalumni.ca/fundraising/], which will provide scholarships to Quest students from the alumni community. I’m excited to be able to start some long-term planning and design this sort of program—I think it represents a turning point for alumni.
If you’re an alum out there, we hope you join QUCAA! Get in touch by emailing Alumni Representative. We also have a vibrant Facebook and Instagram community.