Alumni Spotlight: Phoebe Starnino ‘23

Alumni Phoebe Starnino ‘23 recently reconnected with Greenwood both at the school and at a Women in Tech conference.

Phoebe spoke with Greenwood’s Jewish Cultural Club (JCC) in the spring about being a Jewish student on campus. She credits the club for supporting her Jewish values and leading her to connect with the Jewish community at Queen’s through Hillel, an on-campus Jewish organization. 

She hopes the students take away from her visit that “advocacy has to be rooted in a belief that things will get better and to practice radical hope, rather than to have fear”. 

Phoebe’s extracurriculars extend far beyond her academic endeavors in completing a Bachelor of Computing. She has become an advocate for Jewish students on campus and around the globe, and is involved in the Canadian Union of Jewish Students, the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC), and Hillel. 

Phoebe also connected with Greenwood delegates while speaking on a panel at a Women in Tech event hosted by the National Center for Women Information Technology (NCWIT). In 2023, when Phoebe was in Grade 12, her Computer Science teacher Mr. Collin Stubbs nominated her and a friend for the Aspirations in Computing Rising Star Award from NCWIT. They both went on to win and pursue Computer Science degrees at university. 

I connected with Phoebe for a Q & A to learn more about her time at Greenwood and her pathway to where she is today. 

In Grade 10, I needed to find an elective that fit with my schedule. Between Drama and Computer Science, my mom encouraged me to choose the latter. A friend and I went into Mr. Stubbs Grade 11 class not knowing the first thing about computer science. He was so supportive and provided us with the best guidance. He encouraged us to sign up for math competitions and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Now I’m studying computer science at Queen’s and my friend is studying the same at McGill.

I’m used to balancing classes and co/extracurriculars from my time at Greenwood. Being so involved at Greenwood helped teach me the value of being part of a community. In terms of getting involved on campus, I find what interests me and follow that path. It’s not a burden because I’m genuinely looking forward to it and enjoy being part of these communities. 

Find what interests you and consistently show up for those opportunities to get involved. When I started at Queen’s, I knew I wanted to be involved in Hillel and I had to hype myself up for the first few months of attending. Once you’re in that room, remember what it took to get there. I would show up alone and now I’ve become part of their community and have been elected co-president. 

When I look back on my time at Greenwood, what stands out to me is the value of community. Through the community service programs every Wednesday morning, I learned the importance of helping others in your community and staying connected. I am still in touch with my peers and love seeing them when we’re all home in Toronto.

I would tell myself that although there’s lots of pressure to find your people in the first few weeks of school, know that you will. The more you get involved on campus, the more your circle will grow organically.