Student Experience

Student Voice: What Are Our Students Saying?




International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme ~ Grade 12 IB Students from Halton Catholic DSB on Vimeo.


International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme ~ Brittany from Halton Catholic DSB on Vimeo.


IB has been one of the most rewarding challenges not only academically but personally, too. IB gave me volunteering and extracurricular experience and taught me how to build a good work ethic and maintain balance in my life in order to succeed wherever I go. And although we all dreaded May 2022 exams, that experience helped me tackle the workload University brings and gave me a leg up in my classes. Through components such as CAS, we had the opportunity to help the community, explore our interests outside of academics and become well-rounded individuals. 

I have to say that the best part about the IB Programme was the people I had the privilege of knowing. Being with like-minded peers who were equally driven to succeed and supportive teachers motivated me to work hard and grow, especially through the obstacles of the pandemic, online classes and IB exams. Through these challenges, we became more intelligent, focused, and confident individuals ready to achieve our goals and become the next generation of scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and lawyers.

Shanessa Furtado, 2022 Top IB Grad, McMaster University


Attending STA’s IB programme was undoubtedly one of the best academic decisions I’ve made. The IB Diploma Programme not only provides a rigorous and comprehensive curriculum but also facilitates the development of vital critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and research skills.

Through its enriching interdisciplinary components such as Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, the IB programme fostered my curiosity, provided unique global perspectives and allowed me to explore my academic interests. Along with CAS, the IB’s other core components and curriculum equipped me with a multitude of transferable skills and transformative experiences, which encouraged me to further apply myself and pursue my passions outside of academics.

Furthermore, my supportive teachers and like-minded classmates at STA helped me grow, both as a student and individual. While the curriculum certainly enriched my academic experience, whether through the shared experiences IB offered and extracurricular initiatives I partook in, STA’s phenomenal staff and community certainly impacted my IB experience for the better.

-David Nguyen, Class of 2021, Queen’s University


“IB gave me the volunteering and extracurricular experience I required, the interdisciplinary framework of knowledge I wanted, and the work ethic I needed to succeed and be more than prepared for university, the workplace, or anything the world throws at me. Most importantly, IB offered me a close community of like-minded students and teachers that would become great friends and mentors, allowing me to grow and thrive in difficult times through its supportive and welcoming environment. There were moments where it was difficult. But it was through these challenges that it knocked me down and built me back up again into something better; into a more mature, intelligent, focused, and confident young adult, and for that, I am truly grateful.”

Patrick A. Class of 2018


“The most important thing that I gained from my experience in IB is how to build a good work ethic and maintain balance in my life. The challenges I faced throughout IB helped me grow both as a person and a learner. Through assignments such as the internal assessment, I learned how to be a more independent and responsible learner. IB allowed me to learn about different concepts through a variety of lenses which broadened my understanding and perspective. Although IB was a very rigorous program, the support given from my teachers and peers allowed me to learn from and overcome my struggles. Despite the long hours spent on academics, IB also required me to partake in several volunteering opportunities and extracurricular activities in my school which allowed me to explore my interests outside of academics.”

Dana K Z. Class of 2018


“IB without a doubt is a very rigorous program that will push students to do more than their other peers in not only academics but extracurriculars as well. Lessons go fast and the homework is much more than the usual high school student’s. With the inclusion of additional tasks such as CAS that encourage us to balance our extracurriculars and a 4,000-word essay in our final year, your capabilities as a student will be pushed to their max. But I would expect nothing less from a program that is supposed to help prepare us for university life. While most of these may come off as negatives to students, the best thing about the IB program by far is the ability to be surrounded by other like-minded students who are equally driven to succeed. With a little teamwork and cooperation, the IB program is not as frightening as it seems.”

Ethan A.


Completing my IB diploma at STA was possibly one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself in terms of education. Not only did the program give me the platform to apply abroad for university, but it also gave me the skills to be handle to whatever university I would attend. While I was initially nervous in my first term of Law at the University of Nottingham due to the difficulty of the content, many of my skills that I attained while in IB helped me pull through. Law is a difficult course in terms of both content and workload- the amount of reading you’re asked to complete weekly consists of not only textbook chapters but also case judgements. On top of heavy reading, our exams consist of recalling knowledge from our readings and teachings. My experience in IB HL History became useful as I was used to heavy reading workloads and recalling memorised information for a specific topic. Even my work from HL Lang and Lit aided me in constructing my essay assignments alongside analyzing and criticizing case judgements. Although it was difficult at first as I had to adjust my style of answering to suit what markers would look for, I managed to pass or at least attain decent grades during my first-year exams and assignments.

Nayiri H. Class of 2017, University of Nottingham


The main benefits of the IB program however, for me came I n the form of learning how to manage long term projects and getting used to university-style exams. The series of IAs, and Extended Essay especially, showed me what its like to plan and write larger assignments while also keeping up with regular schoolwork. I also found that exam taking in first year was much less stressful after experiencing the higher-volume IB exams, which helped me to get used to higher-weighted exams and also helped me to develop my own exam studying routine.

Alex P. Class of 2017,University of Toronto


I am currently at the University of Waterloo studying Mechanical Engineering. I’m on a co-op term right now and I’m working at an engineering consulting firm in North York. I’m helping them design 2 new hospitals in BC. I’m learning a lot and really enjoying myself! The work ethic you gain in IB definitely prepared me for university, and gave me a leg up in all my classes.

Hannah S. Class of 2017, Waterloo University


In terms of university, I am performing very well. I am one of the top students in terms of research and academic performance. My experience with voyage science gave me a variety of skills with start-ups, as I now have my own start-up. I generally manage my time very well and can juggle a variety of difficult tasks and can handle difficult learning challenges. University has been quite easy for me, and I do have IB to thank for that.

Fadi B. Class of 2017, Western University


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