When Toby Wu ’21 reflects on the last few years, he recognizes how his time at St. Michaels University School laid the foundation for a demanding and rewarding university experience — one that included championship success, academic growth and a significant setback.
After SMUS, the student-athlete headed to the University of California, Berkeley, to play rugby in one of the top collegiate programs in North America. While there he helped them win their first national title in nearly a decade, worked through a major back injury and surgery, earned a degree in economics, and began building a career in AI tech sales.
As he considers the journey that shaped him, Toby is also looking ahead to his younger brother, Tommy, beginning at SMUS as a Grade 9 boarder next fall. It brings him back to where his own SMUS story began.
Passing the Torch
“I always feel like a big part of my success today is because of SMUS,”said Toby, who was a four-year student in Bolton House. “I learned a lot, I grew a lot there, and it really prepared me for college and my working life.”
Originally from Vancouver, Toby started at SMUS in Grade 8 as a boarder with a brief stint in the United States to try football. After realizing it was not the right fit, he returned to SMUS in Grade 10 and stayed through graduation.
Tommy, currently studying in Beijing, is looking ahead to his own SMUS experience and has been asking what to expect. Toby has shared that SMUS is a place where students who put in the work are well supported, and he looks forward to seeing how his brother’s path will unfold in its own way.
Discovering Rugby and Mentorship at SMUS
When Toby arrived at SMUS the young athlete had only a passing understanding of rugby, but the school’s strong program was quick to draw him in.
“SMUS is where I started my rugby career,” he said. “Coach Kuklinski was the person who really got me into it.”
Long-serving teacher and coach Bruce Kuklinski introduced Toby to the sport and set him on a path he had not expected. He also found mentorship in multiple areas of his life, with Clayton Daum playing a central role as his houseparent, rugby coach and Spanish teacher. Under Daum’s guidance and the strength of the SMUS rugby program, Toby developed quickly, earning opportunities to compete at elite high school and provincial levels.
Alongside coaching and mentorship, Toby also began developing the self-discipline that would carry him through the challenges ahead. Even during his high school years, he looked for ways to push himself beyond structured practices.
“It was late, maybe 9 p.m., and I remember Mr. Driscoll keeping an eye on me outside, while I was doing jump rope and sprints before check-in time,” he said. “Those moments really built my discipline.”
That habit of showing up early and putting in extra work became a quiet foundation that would later prove essential as he navigated the demands of collegiate athletics and recovery from injury.
Prepared for University Life
Academically, Toby found the transition to UC Berkeley smoother than he expected. Strong foundations in writing, research and analytical thinking gave him confidence when tackling first-year coursework.
A key influence was economics teacher Graham Lilly, whose passion for the subject helped shape the teenager's academic direction and introduced him to ways of thinking that felt both challenging and motivating.
“Because of his class,” Toby said, “I pursued economics in college and ended up completing my degree in economics with a minor in data science.”
AP Seminar and AP Research further prepared Toby, who learned how to build and structure research papers, a skill many classmates lacked and were learning for the first time.
A New Level of Rugby and a Championship Moment
At UC Berkeley, Toby stepped into a high performance sports environment that pushed him, with structured strength and conditioning programs and a level of intensity that expanded on what he had known at SMUS.
Midway through his time at university, his progress was interrupted when a serious back injury during a game required surgery and a year of recovery.
“I couldn’t run for six months,” Toby said. “I had to go from crawling to walking to playing again, piece by piece.”
The setback reshaped his approach to the sport. By the time he returned, Toby carried a deeper resilience and a clearer sense of what it meant to earn his place on the team.
That understanding made winning a national championship with UC Berkeley especially meaningful. It was the program’s first title in nine years.
“Every year we were so close to getting it, but this year we were all on the same page. Training schedules, diet, we were all aligned. It came down to which team wanted it more, and we did. It closed out my rugby career on a high note, which is the best I could ask for.”
From the Pitch to Tech Sales
With rugby now on pause as he manages the long-term impacts of injury, Toby has shifted his competitive energy toward his career in AI tech sales.
He discovered the field after several internships, including one at the global investment firm Franklin Templeton, and quickly recognized a familiar rhythm: the daily grind, the need to perform under pressure and the satisfaction of steady improvement.
“So many college athletes go into sales because the competitive aspect feels familiar,” he said. “No matter how well you did or didn’t do yesterday, today is a new day.”
That mindset continues to shape his approach. He enjoys the people-focused nature of the work, from helping clients understand solutions to building relationships and shared goals. Looking ahead, Toby hopes to continue growing within tech sales, with the long-term goal of stepping into a leadership role where he can help guide and motivate others.
Advice for SMUS Student-Athletes
Toby reflected on advice he would give to current student-athletes pursuing varsity sports. The path, he said, demands a willingness to learn, adapt and show up consistently. Natural ability can only take you so far.
Physical preparation is part of that discipline. “Treat your body like a sports car,” he said, explaining that what an athlete eats, how they train and how well they rest all determine how they perform over time.
Equally important is mental strength, something he learned through injury and recovery. Journaling, reflecting on progress and trusting the work already done helped him stay grounded during setbacks and reminded him that confidence and success come from being prepared both physically and mentally.
In the end, Toby hopes future SMUS students recognize the value of the support around them. SMUS, he said, is full of teachers and coaches who want students to succeed. It is the same network that shaped his own experience and will soon guide his brother as he begins his.
