From Rebel Graduate to Long-time Donor: Meet Denis Desjardins ’76

Learn more about Denis’ struggles to attend university, how it changed his life and why he recently donated $25,000 for the new amphitheatre at Catharine Parr Traill College

October 18, 2022

After growing up in Ottawa in the 1960s and ’70s, in a household steeped in a culture where it was “unheard of” to attend university, Denis Desjardins says he had to be rebellious, innovative, and persistent to attend Trent University.

Denis became the first in his family to complete Grade 13 and, after working for a year and a half to save up enough money and “bumming a ride” to Peterborough, he found a home at Trent where he studied Psychology, made lifelong friends, and went on to enjoy a rewarding career as the Risk Manager and Senior Financial Analyst at the National Arts Centre (NAC).

For decades since his graduation, Denis has felt pride in belonging to a young and ambitious university with high ideals and he has made monthly gifts to Trent to give thanks for the skills he learned and support other students.

Most recently, Denis gifted $25,000 to support the exciting new amphitheatre at Catharine Parr Traill College.

“I started giving monthly to Trent as an easy way to give thanks but when I learned about plans for an amphitheatre, I donated without hesitation,” he says. “Theatre has been in my blood for decades and the benefits of arts in life, be it performance or the production of artworks, has benefits beyond what can be described in a single sentence.”

When Denis arrived at Trent in 1976, the University was only 12 years old with a relatively small student population. Denis belonged first to Otonabee College and later to Traill, the downtown campus where he served as a photographer for the yearbook.

After graduating, Denis responded to then-Trent president and vice-chancellor Dr. Donald Theall’s call for comments on the 1981 Hansen Group’s Report: Striking the Balance: Academic Vitality and Financial Stability (A Program for Trent University).

“His response gave me the confidence to continue commenting,” Denis says. “I was put in touch with the Alumni Office, and the National Capital Chapter of the Alumni Association, followed by a stint on Alumni Council. These meetings in Ottawa and Peterborough always re-energized me.”

His deepening relationship with Trent, including regular contact with former president Bonnie Patterson in the early 2000s, was symbiotic with his career as he says having access to the University’s senior leadership allowed him to flourish at the NAC.

Although he graduated decades ago, he says the University has been a “constant companion” and he will always feel a deep connection. He also supports Trent because, due to his own upbringing, he understands how important it is to support students on their academic journey.

“I understand the struggles students can face, be it family, stress, finances, and health, and especially mental health,” he says.

In general, Denis says he holds dear the values of helping those less fortunate and being of service to your community.

“I have been damn lucky in life,” he says. “Why wouldn’t I share it with others?”