St. George's School, Vancouver - Review #12

Two years at St. George's basically turned into raising six figures for a cyber security startup I built with my best friend from Grade 9 math. Not exactly what I expected when I showed up for grades 11 and 12. Met Arav and somehow we went from joking around in the back of class to raising $100k from the 1517 Fund for GrayPass, our continuous authentication company. St. George's gave me space to build something insane while also doing chemical engineering prep and playing rugby. The academics pushed hard enough that McGill feels manageable now. Rugby 1st XV became my whole social circle. Two years were enough to co-found a startup, maintain a 4.0, and figure out I wanted chemical engineering. It's wild how much can happen in such a short window.

Raising $100k for Gray passed with Arav while still in high school was probably the defining thing. Going from Grade 9 math class jokes to co-founding a cyber security startup that got 1517 Fund backing shows how much happened in just a few years. Rugby 1st XV created my core community. The 4.0 GPA prepared me for McGill chemical engineering. Two years taught me how to balance competing priorities when everything feels urgent. Those lessons apply now to juggling engineering coursework, Chem-E-Car, Algorithm Team and continuing to grow GrayPass

Honestly wish I'd slept more. Building a startup while maintaining perfect grades and playing rugby meant running on fumes sometimes. Advice for incoming students: if you're going to build something ambitious like a company, make sure you have people like Arav who you genuinely vibe with because you'll spend insane amounts of time together. Rugby boys will become your family if you commit to the team. And two years is enough time to accomplish wild things if you're focused.

Co-founding GrayPass and raising $100k from 1517 Fund while still at St. George's. The rugby brotherhood. Academic prep that made McGill chemical engineering feel manageable. Two years that taught me how to pursue multiple ambitious goals simultaneously without completely falling apart.

That random kid you sit next to in Grade 9 math might become your co-founder for a six-figure startup. Take that seriously. Rugby 1st XV will consume your social life but the brotherhood is worth it. St. George's will support ambitious projects if you keep your academics tight. Two years is plenty of time to build something insane. Sleep is important but also negotiable when you're 18 and raising money for a cybersecurity company. And chemical engineering prep here translates directly to McGill, so pay attention.

The academics kicked my butt in the best way. Chemical engineering prep at St. George's meant I showed up at McGill already knowing how to handle heavy coursework. Teachers expected you to actually think instead of just regurgitating textbook content. The 4.0 required serious focus, especially while building GrayPass with Arav and playing rugby. Math classes were where Arav and I met and started the whole journey toward the startup. The academic environment supported ambitious projects outside regular coursework as long as you kept grades up. That balance prepared me for McGill where I'm maintaining a 3.95 while doing Chem-E-Car and Algorithm Team stuff.

Rugby 1st XV was basically my life outside academics and startup work. The team became my entire friend group. Playing rugby teaches you things about physicality and teamwork that sitting in a dorm coding a cybersecurity platform definitely doesn't. The coaching was legit and facilities were quality. Rugby kept me from becoming completely sedentary despite spending hours on GrayPass development. The brotherhood aspect was real, all my close friends came from the team.

Zero involvement. Time went to rugby, startup, and keeping grades up.

Building GrayPass with Arav while still in high school was absolutely bonkers. We went from sitting next to each other in Grade 9 math to raising $100k at 18 for continuous authentication technology using behavioral biometrics. Developing a cybersecurity startup while balancing rugby and maintaining a 4.0 taught me more about time management than any productivity course could. The Fiscal Kids work teaching financial literacy to high schoolers connected my interest in making complex topics accessible. Engineering internship at Teck Resources working on mining calculator tools gave me real industry exposure. All of this happening during just two years at St. George's shows how concentrated the experience was.

Boarding was okay, manageable overall but required a lot from you. Living with people constantly when you're also trying to build a startup, play rugby, and keep perfect grades meant always juggling priorities. The dorms taught you how to function when you don't have total control over your environment. Late nights debugging GrayPass code while roommates were doing their own thing. Early mornings for rugby practice. The experience forced independence and adaptation, which matters now at McGill balancing engineering coursework with continuing to build the company.

Food was fine. Ate with the rugby boys mostly.

Vancouver location meant access to tech community and resources for building GrayPass. Being in a major city helped with startup development.

Social scene revolved entirely around the rugby boys. When you're playing 1st XV, that team becomes your whole friend group. Arav became my best friend through academics and building GrayPass together. The boarding environment created tight bonds from constant proximity. Two years were enough to build real friendships even though that's relatively short time. The social experience was positive, just concentrated around rugby and a few close relationships rather than trying to know everyone.