As an esteemed alumnus of St. Mary’s University, retired Lightning athlete and a former employee, Erin McQuitty is what we call a triple threat!

Erin started as a Development Assistant at St. Mary’s University, and was soon promoted to the role of Development Specialist. In her time spent working on campus, Erin realized her passion for higher education and decided to pursue her Bachelor of Education – Elementary Degree and enrolled in the two-year post-graduate program at StMU.

“Already being a part of the campus experience made it easy for me to make the decision to apply for the Education program. I got to know the community well and knew that we had one of the top education programs. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else,” explains Erin.

While pursuing her Bachelor of Education, Erin thrived as a student and became actively involved in the Lightening athletics program by joining both the cross country and indoor track team. Her time on as a Lightening athlete showed that Erin isn’t just a quick learner – she’s an incredibly fast runner! In fact, Erin and her team held the record in the 4x400m relay since 2017, up until this year’s Championship in Edmonton when the current team broke it.

In recognition of her commitment to athletics and education, Erin received the Lightning Award in 2018 for embodying what it means to be a Lightning athlete not only for her achievements and commitment to cross country and track, but all other aspects of being a student athlete, such as her dedication and high performance in academics.

“Being a part of the team was a fun and exciting way to meet people. I felt that I was in a very supportive athletic environment. StMU is very welcoming and although competitive, it is quite collaborative,” says Erin.

Post-graduation, Erin taught for two years full-time with the Calgary Board of Education, and then became a substitute teacher in order to help her partner open a local craft brewery here in Calgary called Born Brewing Co. With the success of the brewery, Erin eventually left teaching to follow her new passion as an entrepreneur and self-employed business partner.

“The education program at StMU helped prepare me for the entrepreneurial world. Teachers naturally have creative minds and have various management techniques in their tool kit that can work with both children and adults. Instead of managing a classroom, I manage a team. The most significant part of the education program that has helped me grow as an entrepreneur was acquiring the skills and knowledge to really get to know myself, figure out what I value, how I want to lead, and recognize what is important to me,” says Erin.

One of the most satisfying feelings for Erin is the fact that she has created something that became her passion. She always enjoyed craft beer but building a brewery wasn’t on her radar until her partner decided to follow his dream.

“Born Brewing Co. started as my partner’s dream and became my passion along the way. I always loved Craft Beer, I just didn’t know I’d end up running a business in this industry! What inspires me most is that I was a part of creating something to make the community a better place. Building an environment that gives people a feeling of community and togetherness is very satisfying. It is also a great platform to share values and what’s important to us. I get to choose what charities and business’s we partner with and I love doing that.”

At the end of April, Born Brewing Co. will be celebrating their 4^th anniversary over the course of 4 days. Each day will represent their taproom’s 4 pillars: beer, community, local businesses and dog-friendliness. “We will be partnering with and featuring a few of our favourite local businesses including artists, creators and food trucks!”

For more information on Erin and Born Brewing Co. you can go to their website at: www.borncoloradobrewing.com or follow them on Instagram at: @bornbrewingco.

We are very proud at St. Mary’s University to hear and share stories such as these about our alumni. We would like to thank Erin for allowing us to share her passion and continued success as a business partner. If you would like to share your stories please reach out to Randi.palyga@stmu.ca. We would love to hear what you’ve been up to since graduating at StMU!