Coming Home Never Gets Old
By Pat Morden
Illustration by Maya Nguyen
Four Homecoming reunion organizers reflect on their connection to Ivey and why it’s important to reconnect
Mention Circle R Ranch, an outdoor education centre near London, Ontario, to a member of the HBA Class of 1986, and you’ll likely get a smile, maybe even a knowing chuckle. “It was an ice breaker, a way of getting to know one another at the end of the stressful first week,” says Carol Trattner, HBA ’86, MBA ’89, a commercial real estate professional who is helping to organize the 40th reunion of the class. “I won’t tell you everything that happened that night – as the saying goes, ‘what happens at Circle R stays at Circle R!’”
Every Ivey class has memories like these, moments that remain bright and raise a smile years later. Says Trattner, “Ivey was a very influential time in our lives, providing a common foundation as we started out in our careers. It’s a shared history that creates bonds and authentic relationships.” It’s that shared history that brings Ivey alumni back to the School and one another at Homecoming every five years, and often in between.
Trattner recalls arriving on the first day of class 40 years ago. “Many of us felt nervous, vulnerable, and overwhelmed,” she says. “We sought support from our classmates who knew what we were going through, and that connection stays with you even decades later.” With no cellphones or social media, the Class of ’86 did everything in person, forging strong bonds especially with their study groups. To this day Trattner is close friends with several members of her original group.
Trattner’s fellow convenor, Allison Christilaw, HBA ’86, MBA ’92, says the Ivey connection went beyond the years at the School. One of her professors helped her find her first job in marketing. Later, when she ran a consulting company, Ivey became the primary source of new consultants. Now her son, who is also an Ivey grad and a consultant, continues to recruit at the School on behalf of his firm. Says Trattner, “Ivey gave us all a common foundation. We can go months, even years, without seeing one another, and when we start talking, we just pick up where we left off.”
Carol Trattner, HBA ’86, MBA ’89
“Ivey was a very influential time in our lives, providing a common foundation as we started in our careers. It’s a shared history that creates bonds and authentic relationships.”
Michael Bernstein, MBA ’96
“We were the first class to say that part of our responsibility was to think about future generations and help ensure that they could benefit from the experiences we had.”
Michael Bernstein, who is one of several organizers for the MBA ’96 reunion, remembers a rocky start for his class. A classmate died by suicide within weeks of starting the program, while two other classmates faced serious health scares. “We were a particularly close class, and I think that had something to do with the early trauma,” says Bernstein. Like HBA ’86, the Ivey learning experience itself forged the strongest bonds. “It was just being in class with a variety of like-minded people, a sense that we’re here to learn but also here to make friends and have fun.” He remembers the stress of 48-hour reports and the give and take of classroom discussions, leavened by jokes. Also bright in the collective memory of the class: an all-night visit to the Windsor casino that produced some bleary faces in class the next morning.
Wole Oluwole-Rotimi, MBA ’16
“I’m getting to the point that I’m realizing the value of my relationships and holding friendships more dearly. I want to be more intentional about helping to nurture this Ivey community.”
Wole Oluwole-Rotimi is helping bring his class, MBA 2016, together to commemorate their 10th anniversary. Oluwole-Rotimi joined Ivey from his home country of Nigeria. “I didn’t really have any relationships or network in Canada,” he remembers. “I was suddenly in a new group, trying to figure out the dynamic. But everyone was very welcoming and open, and supportive of one another.” He admits wryly that the academic load was “a bit of a firehose” early in the program but says it taught him the value of collaboration. “I quickly realized that I couldn’t do everything myself, that I had to team up, and that created a real bond.”
There were a number of international students in Oluwole-Rotimi’s section, which helped with the adjustment. “You never felt that you were on your own, unless you chose to be.” Not a social butterfly himself, he formed several close friendships while working hard to keep up with the demands of the program. And he says it paid off. “I came away from the MBA program very confident about entering the business world – I felt like I could do anything!” 
Bernstein’s class started the tradition of a graduating class gift to the School with a $96 for Class of ’96 campaign. “We were the first class to say that part of our responsibility was to think about future generations and help ensure that they could benefit from the experiences we had.” The class has continued that tradition ever since, establishing an entrance scholarship worth $40,000. Other classes have adopted the class gift concept, which has become an Ivey staple. Bernstein himself went on to serve as Chair of the Ivey Alumni Network at a pivotal time in its history.
Allison Christilaw, HBA ’86, MBA ’92
“Ivey gave us all a common foundation. We can go months, even years, without seeing one another, and when we start talking, we just pick up where we left off.”
Not surprisingly, the HBA Class of ’86 is now spread across the globe. Trattner and Christilaw expect a good in-person turnout for a Friday night event at the home of a classmate and dinner on Saturday at a restaurant. There are lots of other ideas too, including a visit to a local artist’s studio, shopping, hiking, pickleball, and golf. To include classmates who can’t make the trip, there’s a plan to create two-way video messages. Bernstein’s class will also get together Friday and Saturday evening for drinks, food, and an opportunity mingle. Among other activities, there are plans for a panel discussion with classmates talking about their career trajectories. Oluwole-Rotimi’s classmates are busy mid-career and with young families but will have gatherings in London and Toronto. “It turns out that a lot of people can’t make it to face-to-face events,” he says, “but talking about it has spurred conversations, and that’s good.”
So why do Ivey graduates choose to reconnect? Trattner and Christilaw say many of their classmates have grown children, (some of whom have attended Ivey) and are starting to think about retirement. Says Trattner, “We’ve all had busy, stressful careers, and now we’re looking for a way to reconnect.” Bernstein’s classmates are at a different life stage, often with adult children, aging parents, and careers at their peak. Their 30th anniversary holds special significance as the 25th fell during COVID-19. “We’re entering a different phase of our lives, and that gives us a reason to pause and think about friendship, and our shared history,” says Bernstein. “I think this will be an inflection point for the class.”
For Oluwole-Rotimi, who just started a business in Houston, Texas, renewing the Ivey connection is also important. “I turned 40 this year,” he says. “I’m getting to the point that I’m realizing the value of my relationships and holding friendships more dearly. I want to be more intentional about helping to nurture this Ivey community.”