Despite having an undergraduate population of only 5,000 students, to date, StFX has had many notable Canadian alumni amongst their graduating classes.
Seamus O’Regan
Seamus O’Regan is a Canadian politician and former television personality from Newfoundland and Labrador. He currently serves as Minister of Natural Resources and formerly served as Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister of Veterans Affairs. He was a correspondent with CTV National News and a former host of Canada AM. O’Regan was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and his father was a judge of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. He studied politics at St. Francis Xavier. From there, he went on to study at the University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland, marketing strategies at INSEAD, and he received a Masters of Philosophy in Politics from the University of Cambridge.
Amanda Lindhout
Amanda Lindhout is a Canadian humanitarian, public speaker and journalist. On August 23, 2008, she and members of her entourage were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia. She was released 15 months later, and has since embarked on a philanthropic career. In 2010, she founded the Global Enrichment Foundation to create more opportunities in Somalia by offering university scholarships to women. She currently serves as the organization’s Executive Director, with Ahmed Hussein, the president of the Canadian Somali Congress, acting as the Fund’s co-director.
Gerry Dee
Gerry Dee is a Canadian game show host, actor, and former stand-up comedian. He is currently the host of Family Feud Canada. He also wrote and starred in the sitcom Mr. D, which aired on CBC Television. He studied kinesiology and athletic therapy at York University and education at St. Francis Xavier University where he also played varsity hockey. Dee was relatively successful long before being on Last Comic Standing. He had already had his own comedy special on The Comedy Network in Canada.
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993. His tenure as prime minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and the Goods and Services Tax. Mulroney entered St. Francis Xavier University in the fall of 1955 as a 16-year-old freshman. His political life began when he was recruited to the campus Progressive Conserative group by Lowell Murray and others, early in his first year.
Alistair MacLeod
Alistair MacLeod was a Canadian novelist, short story writer and academic. His powerful and moving stories vividly evoke the beauty of Cape Breton Island’s rugged landscape and the resilient character of many of its inhabitants, the descendants of Scottish immigrants, who are haunted by ancestral memories and who struggle to reconcile the past and the present. Macleod has been praised for his verbal precision, his lyric intensity and his use of simple, direct language that seems rooted in an oral tradition. Macleod studied at St. Francis Xavier University earning a BA and B. ED. He then went on to receive his MA in 1961 from the University of New Brunswick. He then decided to study for a PhD at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana because Frank O’Malley taught creative writing there.
JRDN (Ralph Jordon Croucher)
JRDN is a Canadian R&B recording artist. He currently serves as a Youth Ambassador for D250 and was a delegate in the Citizen Voices program. JRDN gained music experience by competing in Canadian Idol. This gave him the opportunity to perform with Canadian talent, while gaining television exposure. In 2007, he began to work with producer Classified who produced JRDNs debut album No Dress Code in 2007. The 13-track record featured singles and videos for “Selfish Times”, “Feelin’ Fine”, “So Addicted”, “Won’t Let Go” and “It’s Raining”. It earned JRDN the CBC Galaxie Rising Star prize at the 2007 African Nova Scotian Music Awards show among other nominations. JRDN attended St. Francis Xavier University where he played on the basketball team. After graduation, he played professionally for one year in France.
Conclusion
Among StFX’ alumni, many have come to do great things, from being a key part of Canadian entertainment and broadcasting, to becoming prominent political figures.
