uWaterloo alumni west coast swing

What do the Consul General of Los Angeles, an engineer @ Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic, the CTO of Christie Digital, and a Professor in Earth & Environmental Sciences all have in common? They are all special guest speakers at alumni events this week and next along the west coast…ish. And all but the Professor are ‘glad to be grad’ Waterloo alumni.

That’s right – we’re heading out on the road again this time with Waterloo’s President Feridun Hamdullahpur in tow. Alumni in Menlo Park, Los Angeles, and Calgary Alberta will be invited to mix, mingle and spend some time in the company of their fellow graduates. The President of the University will bring greetings and provide a campus update, and then our speakers will tell their respective stories.

For David Fransen, BA’76, MA’77, hosting the event in Los Angeles at his official residence as Consul General of Canada, it’ll be a chance to talk about Canadians in Los Angeles. For Paul Salvini, BMath’92 and Chief Technology Officer @ Christie Digital, he’ll have an opportunity to talk about the far reaching impact on the ever changing technology scene here @ home, supported by Waterloo’s amazing VeloCity Garage. At Facebook’s Official Headquarters in Menlo Park, California, alumni will hear Research & Development Engineer @ ILM Mike Jutan, BMath’07 (pictured left) talk about his co-op experience and how it influenced his career path and landed him in Silicon Valley. Then for a germane change of pace we head up to Calgary to learn about "Upheaval in Canada's energy world: Why shale gas, shale oil, and environmental issues are changing Canada's energy future" delivered by Waterloo’s own Professor Maurice Dusseault from Earth & Environmental Science.

For our team in alumni affairs, these trips are an opportunity to get out and talk to our grads about the various ways that we can provide meaningful engagement that matters most to them. In the ten years that I’ve been managing our events and outreach I have had the privilege of meeting thousands upon thousands of Waterloo’s incredible alumni. They are amazing, to put it mildly. Our alumni remind me with every interaction, why our school is so different. ‘The Waterloo Way’ produces amazing graduates, with amazing stories.

I remember a story an alumnus told me at an event once – he said that the moment he began his career it was evident how different an education @ Waterloo was from the education his colleague’s received at other schools. Waterloo grads are hard-wired as resilient problem solvers, game changers and innovators…and I guess that kind of thing becomes evident at Monday morning meetings.

For our alumni in Los Angeles, Menlo Park & Calgary – I hope you’ll come out to our events this week and next. I want to hear your story! See you then…