Former Head Girl Reflects on GNS and Career Journey

Interview conducted by Zan Plews ’06, written by Megan Atkins-Baker
Photo by Frances Litman

Sara Neely ’74, GNS alumna and former Head Girl, recounted her school days and the path her career took afterward. Neely’s experiences offer a unique perspective on the evolution of personal and professional life, rooted in the foundation laid during her formative years at the school.

Sara’s journey at GNS began in Kindergarten, during a time when the school occupied a quaint setting in a boarding house on St. Charles Street. Despite a brief stint in public school in Grade 1, Sara returned to GNS for Grade 2 and remained until graduation. “It was a grand stone building with a big garden, there were 11 of us in the class and the boarders lived upstairs.” 

Sara shared a story about the Gryphon House on Newport Avenue, a special place to her because it is where her parents met, showing her indelible connection to GNS that began even before she was born.

“In the 50’s, Gryphon House was known as the Oak Bay Guest House, and it was run by my Mother’s parents. That is where my Mother was living when she met my Dad. It was a blind date, and on their first date he came to the Guest House to pick her up,” said Sara, explaining that the dinner and dancing date had gone exceptionally well.

The next day, Sara’s Dad called to the house to speak to her Mom, and her Aunt’s friend picked up the phone and listened to the conversation. “He said to my Grandmother, ‘I think you should get to like him, he’s going to be around for a while.’ That was around 1953 and they got married in 1955.”

It seemed it was fate that Sara would be connected with GNS from before she was born until today. Recollecting her early years, she reminisced about the intimate environment and enduring friendships made during her time in the lower grades—she is friends to this day with girls she met in Grade 2. 

“I remember the teachers, both in our homeroom and for the subject areas as we grew older. They were remarkable educators who took the time to understand what we wanted to learn and how we wanted to shape our school.” 

As Head Girl in Grade 12, a role she cherished and was honoured to assume, she embraced her responsibilities with dedication and enthusiasm. Miss Scott, then the Headmistress, appointed Sara as there was no democratic process involved in selecting prefects at the time.  “Miss Scott later told my mother she’d decided I was Head Girl when I was in Kindergarten. I’m not sure what attribute made her decide that but I was honoured,” Sara laughed. 

She fondly recalls the influence of Miss Scott who instilled in her the value of pursuing what you’re passionate about and not limiting yourself to one field, a guiding principle that would shape Sara’s career trajectory.

Following her graduation from GNS, she pursued her academic interests in science, earning a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from UBC. After her undergrad at UBC, she decided to pursue law at the University of Victoria and began a professional journey that has spanned both public and private sectors.

Sara’s legal career encompassed roles as a Crown Prosecutor and civil litigator. “I worked as Crown Prosecutor in Vancouver for the Provincial Crown doing criminal code prosecutions for about three years. It was a really interesting job, very rewarding and great people, but it was a time of flux with government funding for those positions and not necessarily secure at the time. I made the decision to leave and went to a law firm in Vancouver.”

Sara transitioned into wills and estates law at the firm, finding it more aligned with her temperament as it offered less frequent encounters with conflict.

“One of the clients of this firm was the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation,” she recalls. “I was managing their estate gifts and got to know the organization through that work. I started to volunteer and thought then that I’d rather work for them. This was the early 90s and they were developing a planned giving program, now known as strategic gift planning, and I applied for that job and they accepted me.” 

It was her transition to the charitable sector that proved to be her true calling. Inspired by her work with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, she redirected her career path to focus on philanthropy, leveraging her expertise to support charitable endeavours and empower individuals to give back to their communities. She was with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation for 14 years.  

Currently serving as the Senior Director of Philanthropic Services at the Victoria Foundation, Sara continues to advocate for charitable giving, drawing upon her extensive experience to nurture meaningful relationships and facilitate impactful contributions. She has now been with the Victoria Foundation for 16 years and has been instrumental in implementing the Vital Youth Program through the Victoria Foundation at GNS. 

For Sara, giving back to GNS holds much significance because the school played a pivotal role in shaping her values and aspirations. As one of the school’s most consistent donors, she views philanthropy as a means of honouring the legacy of those who preceded her while inspiring future generations to uphold the spirit of generosity and community engagement.

“Each of us can make a gift that is meaningful to us. When thoughtfully planned, these types of gifts can be made in an effective way from a tax and financial perspective. But more than this–and often far more important than this–is not how, but why we make these gifts that matters. It is the shared bond of our times at the school, the sweet memories that we have, the lessons we have learned and our hope for the future.” 

While many aspects of GNS have evolved since Sara’s time, she remarked that in certain respects, nothing has changed at all. “It’s very much the same, even just seeing the kids at the assembly. Their strengths are acknowledged and their ability to find their own path is encouraged. That’s something that we had. I wasn’t an athlete, but I could pursue what I was interested in.” 

Sara felt supported by GNS, as it conveyed a sense of “Here we are, what do you want to do and how can we support you?” Threads of support she still sees very much embedded in the school’s culture. 

Now a member of the GNS Board of Governors, Sara is working alongside parents, past parents, alumni and supporting the Head of School as future plans for GNS come to life. With the completion of the Beach Campus and transformational plans taking shape for the Pemberton Woods Campus, Sara is grateful to help future generations of students, following those who did the same for her class years ago.

Her evolution from student to respected professional demonstrates the impact that educational institutions like GNS have on raising its students. Sara’s journey serves as a reminder to all–alumni, parents, faculty and current and future students–of the power of education and mentorship to effect positive change in the community by raising kindly leaders and philanthropists.