Torch - Fall 2014

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| FALL 2014 • TORCH 17
In addition to her close friendships, Melanie
says that staying connected with her alma
mater is very important to her. After
graduating from Havergal, she went on to
study psychology and worked in clinical
practice for over 10 years before taking a leave
to raise her four young children. During this
time, she has made it a priority to keep close
ties with the school as a volunteer with the
Havergal Old Girls Association (HOGA) and
in various other capacities with increasing
leadership responsibilities. She was a Class
Rep for her graduating class and a committee
member of the HOGA Distinguished Speaker
Event Committee for several years, before
chairing that committee for three years.
Melanie was most recently the Vice President
of HOGA, and is currently the Association’s
President.
HOGA’s mission is to provide support
to and connections between the Old Girl
community and Havergal College. “We want
to sustain a lifelong association between
every Old Girl and the Havergal College
community,” says Melanie, noting HOGA’s
core values of friendship & connection,
leadership & philanthropy, and tradition &
innovation.
As HOGA President, Melanie also hopes
to establish stronger connections with
students before they graduate. For example,
on September 19, Melanie attended the
Mother Daughter Luncheon for the Class of
2015. “I can see that the girls love Havergal.
They are amazingly connected to one
another. They are strong, confident young
women,” she says. She notes further that
in the 2014–15 academic year, the HOGA
Class Rep position will become part of the
formal election process. This way, with a
Grade 12 student elected to represent their
class even before graduation, even stronger
connections will be possible between HOGA
and the current students.
Through her involvement with HOGA,
Melanie has had the opportunity to meet
Old Girls from every decade. “I’ve met every
generation of Old Girls and it’s amazing
how connected you feel immediately to each
other,” she says. Melanie hopes to get more
alumnae reconnected in a more substantial
way—by attending events, volunteering
and being more involved in Havergal’s
fundraising program. “As Old Girls, we are
the ones who have benefitted, so we need to
give back to the school,” she adds.
Louise Yearwood agrees. As Havergal’s
Executive Director of Advancement &
Community Relations, Louise oversees the
school’s alumnae and fundraising programs.
She says Old Girls have been generous
donors to Havergal and have supported
the school since its inception. Leading by
example, every member of the HOGA
Directorate shows her commitment through
a financial donation to the school. “Old
Girls support the school in a variety of ways;
one of the key ways is to give financially to
the school. And as demands on the school to
maintain its level of excellence increase, we
would like to see a higher participation rate
by our alumnae,” Louise says.
Melanie Plet’s 1992 connections to her former
Havergal classmates are as strong as ever, even 22 years since graduation.
“I’m still best friends with so many of my classmates. Being an Old Girl is all
about sisterhood and connection. We share in each other’s successes and
we’re instantly there for one another when we need support,” Melanie says.
“I graduated in 1992 and I still feel the impact of Havergal all the time.”
Left: Mentoring Journeys partners Julia Moore 2006 and Marilyn Prowse De Mara 1971
Photo by Jacquie Labatt 1980
Old Girl