What
does
it
mean
to
be
a
Waterloo
grad?
To
be
a
grad
and
a
staff
member
here
at
Waterloo?
To
be
a
grad,
staff,
and
the
second
generation
in
my
family
to
graduate
from
Waterloo?
It
means
I
am
three
times
lucky!
When
I
was
exploring
my
post-secondary
options,
I
was
drawn
to
Waterloo
because
of
how
highly
both
my
parents
spoke
of
their
university.
They
had
always
shown
pride
in
their
alma
mater,
and
I
thought
they
were
pretty
smart
–
so
my
decision
seemed
an
easy
one.
Five
years
and
six
co-op
terms
later
when
I
graduated,
I
was
just
as
full
of
pride.
I
was
confident
I
had
received
the
very
best
education
out
there,
and
was
proud
to
call
Waterloo
my
university.
Fast
forward
eight
years
and
I
found
myself
once
again
choosing
from
a
number
of
top-notch
organizations,
this
time
for
the
next
step
in
my
career.
Waterloo
was
among
them
and
it
didn’t
take
much
consideration
before
I
knew
where
I
wanted
to
be.
I
packed
up
my
things
from
Toronto
and
again
made
the
move
to
Waterloo,
to
join
the
Office
of
Advancement
as
part
of
the
Annual
Giving
team.
I
was
so
excited
to
be
back
at
Waterloo.
In
part,
I
felt
as
though
I
had
never
left.
Once
you
become
a
Waterloo
alum,
you
are
immediately
part
of
a
community
of
people
with
shared
experiences
and
shared
pride.
Waterloo
had
stayed
connected
with
me
through
the
years
I
was
away
and
now
I
was
back,
ready
to
support
the
University
in
a
hands-on
way.
How
lucky
am
I,
as
a
fundraiser,
to
be
able
to
raise
money
for
an
institution
so
dear
to
my
heart?
An
institution
that
helped
shape
me
as
a
person?
A
dream
come
true
for
any
one
of
us
in
the
profession.
I
have
been
here
for
just
over
a
year
and
I
have
to
say
it
has
been
one
of
my
most
satisfying
career
choices
yet.
Actually,
I
should
have
said
I’m
four
times
lucky.
I’m
also
a
donor
to
the
University.
I
have
the
opportunity
to
make
a
financial
gift
that
I
know
directly
impacts
students
in
very
real
ways.
I
see
it
every
day:
students
reading
books
that
have
been
purchased
with
donated
funds,
learning
from
people
whose
positions
have
been
funded
by
private
support,
having
experiences
on
and
off
campus
that
are
only
possible
because
of
donations
from
alumni
like
us.
As
a
proud
alum,
and
as
any
good
fundraiser
would
do,
I
encourage
you
to
consider
making
a
gift
to
our
university
this
year.
Whether
you
are
near
or
far,
we
are
all
a
part
of
the
Waterloo
community
and
share
in
the
responsibility
of
maintaining
our
reputation
of
excellence
and
supporting
our
students.
Please
join
me,
my
parents,
and
thousands
of
other
alumni
who
have
chosen
to
support
our
great
university—and
if
you
make
your
gift
by
December
31st
you
will
receive
a
charitable
tax
receipt
for
2013.
So
what
does
it
mean
to
have
all
these
special
relationships
with
Waterloo?
It
means
I
get
to
celebrate
every
day
how
wonderful
this
school
is.
It
means
I
am
a
part
of
a
strong
community
of
people
who
support
our
students,
and
each
other.
It
means
I
have
the
best
alma
mater
and
the
best
job
ever.