Four former independent-school students reflect on what their schools taught them.

BRUCE CROXON

Ridley College

Career notes: Entrepreneur Bruce Croxon first made his mark as a digital pioneer when he co-founded an early tech startup that came to be known as Lavalife in 1988. The online dating site sold for more than $150-million, and he co-founded Round13, a company dedicated to investing in growth-stage digital companies. A regular for three seasons on CBCs Dragons Den, he also owns Vida, a chain of spas on the West Coast. He sits on the board of the Trans Canada Trail and supports several not-for-profit organizations, including Anaphylaxis Canada.

School recollections: Ridley taught me the value of working as part of a team to achieve a common goal, Mr. Croxon says. The friends I made there remain my closest confidants.

LARYSSA PATTEN

Bishop Strachan School

Career notes: A senior scientist for NATO, Laryssa Patten worked at the Canadian Space Agency in the late 1990s. There, as a satellite mission planner, she trained astronauts in the use of Canadian robotics on the International Space Station. In 2003, she moved to Europe to pursue an MBA at the University of Rotterdam after receiving her M.A. in aerospace engineering. Since 2011, she provides space support to military operations in the Hague, Netherlands.

School recollections: A big part of my success can be attributed to my experience at BSS, in class and outside, Ms. Patten said at the BSS awards dinner where she was given this years Distinguished Old Girl Award. I am very pleased and proud to be in a position to inspire other young women to set and achieve their goals.

CORY GOLDBERG

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From Dragon to doctor, private-school alumni on what they learned