Former Holland College student remembers great experiences

Holland College is the best secondary education institute on the Island, says a former Holland College student.
Shawn MacKenzie of Charlottetown took business administration at Holland College 12 years ago and said it was nothing but a positive experience.
He was grateful for the classmates and teachers he had and he was happy with his results and feelings towards the program, he said.
“At the end of the two years I felt that there was an accomplishment.”
MacKenzie is now co-owner of the business Kwik Kopy with his brother Troy MacKenzie He said without the skills he learned at Holland College he would “be walking into the job totally blind.”
He said particularly the business and accounting side of the training helped his career and it would even help him if he weren’t at this job.
MacKenzie is not the only student who is kept track of who went to Holland College. Sara Underwood, the alumni development officer at Holland College, keeps track of 24,000 alumni, and has current information for 14,000 of them.
Keeping track of the alumni has many benefits, such as scholarship opportunities for students who attend the college now. Many alumni set up scholarships for programs they graduated from, like Alanna Jankov, who set up one for the photography class after she graduated in 1988.
Keeping track of alumni also make organizing things like reunions much simpler. The administration provides a lot of help contacting the people. If somebody wants to have a reunion, they contact Underwood, who sends out e-mails to everybody who may attend.
But keeping track of 14,000 people is not easy. Underwood has many things, like Benchmark Magazine, to assist in keeping an eye on the graduated. At the end of each magazine, Benchmark has a section called Alumni Notes, where alumni share what they have done with their lives since graduating Holland College, starting as early as the 1970s.
There are also some Facebook groups where alumni can join and share what they have done with their lives, chat about reunions, updates, and any other activities they may be involved in. These groups are managed by the alumni themselves.
“We just don’t have the time or resources to manage these groups,” Underwood said.
But other resources have kept in touch with people like MacKenzie. Holland College was MacKenzie’s first choice because of the length of the program. He liked the idea of getting his education in two years rather than four. He also found the training more practical than any other school and relevant to what he wanted to learn.
MacKenzie loved the atmosphere of the college, how it felt more like a job than school. The feeling that it was up to him to complete his work and not have someone looking over his shoulder was great.
MacKenzie also loved the hands-on experience.
“That was one of the things I loved most. If I could get into my elbows in something, I’d love it, and that’s just what we did.”
During his time at Holland College, MacKenzie not only worked and studied, but joined in on the fun too. He played intramurals at lunch with his classmates and friends and remembers playing games like soccer.
“I enjoyed it very much, it is a good option for students.”
MacKenzie said he would recommend Holland College to everybody in a heartbeat because no matter what, something is learned.
“You don’t walk out of there knowing everything, but you walk out of there knowing something of everything.”