Letter from the RDPAA Board of Directors
What an honour it is to be able to say that we’ve left a mark on Red Deer Polytechnic. As former students, we’ve all called RDP home in one way or another along our journeys. In my role as Chair of the RDP Alumni Association Board of Directors, my primary goal is to help our alumni and community really understand what a special honour this is. Staying connected to our alumni community reinvigorates that sense of comradery, community and friendship you sparked the day you first stepped foot on campus.
Homecoming celebrates that legacy. It’s an opportunity to connect, to feel, and to celebrate what makes RDP what it is today – you. At Homecoming, people from across the country will visit the campus that played such a significant role in our journeys. It’s a chance for us to show off the people that make this place so special, and the spaces that still hold so many memories for many of us. With an Open House and Athletics events, it’s an opportunity for us as alumni to see how much this place has changed and grown, just as we have. This is what Homecoming Weekend is all about, and why we’re so excited to host the award-winning annual kick-off event, Palate: A Taste of Local.
Palate: A Taste of Local is the first in a weekend of events, setting the tone by celebrating generations of alumni and their many contributions to our community. The event is planned and delivered by alumni and student volunteers, and many of the vendors featured are alumni businesses. The money raised through this event goes back to students through honorariums, bursaries and scholarships and supports other alumni events that help us strengthen and build value in our network. At Palate, we share memories of the past while we prepare our future alumni for success.
It's also an important reminder of how interconnected we are with our community. Each of the local businesses featured is passionate about these connections. In so many cultures and celebrations, we come together over food and drink. At Palate, we’re celebrating the rich and unique culture of our region and celebrating our ability to make an impact on our community by working together. I hope that you’ll join us. You’ll meet driven and dedicated local business owners, cooks, mixologists and service staff that bring something special to Red Deer and central Alberta by sharing a bit of themselves.
A part of me has always felt at home on campus – it brings me comfort and a sense of sanctuary, which is ironic given how stressful these years can be in one’s life. I think what brings me back, and why I continue to stay connected on campus is the community; this sense of belonging and pride for once being a proud King or Queen, or Students’ Association Council Member, or for putting up with that obnoxious roommate (we all know the one). It’s the professor(s) who made all the difference or the life-long friends you made while trying to get through all those exams. I still have nightmares about my Stats final.
But that’s what it is: despite coming from so many different walks of life, when we enter the classroom door, we’re all there for the same purpose – to grow. And there’s something quite powerful about that. Without the alumni before us, RDP wouldn’t have grown into the institution it is today. And as RDP continues to grow, I encourage you to grow with us and return to campus – remind yourself of the journey you took to get where you are and how RDP supported your growth. And for those of us whose journeys are far from over, I encourage you to reconnect with your RDP community. As another fellow alum once told me, “It’s the institution so nice, I attended twice”.
As a Board, we want our community of alumni to be proud of what they left behind - the mark they made – and to want to continue to revel in their journeys and share those experiences with future alumni. Of course, the tangible perks are nice, but it’s that intangible, that feeling of affinity, of pride, that sits deep within your chest that we want to reinvigorate in all our alumni. Without you, there is no institution, no growth, and certainly no opportunity to celebrate all the amazing feats you’ve accomplished.
So, we hope that you’ll join us for Palate and Homecoming Weekend. We hope that you’ll think about the alumni who made a difference in your life or profession and nominate them for an Alumni Award. We hope you’ll keep your contact information up to date so we can continue to share opportunities to connect. We hope you’ll think about supporting current students by volunteering, giving, sharing your story or mentorship. But most of all, we hope that you’ll feel proud to be an alum of Red Deer Polytechnic, and proud of all that you’ve accomplished.