Giving Back and Staying Connected

Patrick has always been a huge hockey fan: born in Toronto, he grew up cheering for the Maple Leafs. “Living out West, that kind of sets you apart,” he laughs. Today, he works for the largest sports and entertainment company in Canada, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. MLSE is the parent company of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Argonauts, and more. Patrick works as a Coordinator of Global Partnerships, which means he liaises with all the brands that sponsor MLSE teams. “When you see companies that use our brands—it’s my job to facilitate that. We’re helping other companies increase their brand by being associated with the Maple Leafs.” Patrick studied economics at Queens University, though he said the true highlight of his post-secondary career was playing for the Queens rugby team. He first got into rugby at GNS, where Coach Frank Stanley encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone. ”I tried it, and I ended up falling in love with the sport,” Patrick says. “That’s one of the best things about such a small school environment: it can be hard to shine in every area, but the school gives you the opportunity to try everything, and to excel in every area and community.” Upon graduation from Queens, Patrick realized that his passion didn’t lie in Economics, and decided to pursue his love of sports through a post-graduate program in Sport and Event Marketing. That led him to MLSE and his role as Coordinator of Global Partnerships. Looking back, Patrick credits GNS with teaching him many of the skills he’s used to succeed. For him, giving to the Annual Appeal is a way to give back as much as a way to stay connected. ”I live far away now, but my time at GNS has stayed with me through the values and lessons the school taught me that I still use every day.”