I am in my first co-op work term as the Communication and Marketing Assistant for the Alumni Relations department of the University of Waterloo.
I have loved cycling for as long as I can remember. Growing up in a rural area, riding my bike was among my favorite recreational activities, and, as it is for many children, gave me my first taste of independence and the freedom to move myself around.
In 1971, I enrolled at University of Waterloo at age 15, the youngest student ever up to that time at UWaterloo. After obtaining my BSc in 1976, I met Dr. Stephen Hawking who gave me the life-long resolve to persevere against any odds.
It is International Education Week (IEW). The University of Waterloo celebrates IEW with more than 100 countries around the world. When graduating from Waterloo, never in a million years would I have predicted that I would be writing an UWaterloo article from Australia.
When I stopped to think about my answer to the question “Why do I volunteer?” The answer really comes down to it making me feel good. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can support myself and I am healthy enough to do pretty much anything I want to do.
I am often asked why I do the work I do. While studying Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, the most common question I received was “Why, as a woman, did you choose to study engineering?” Over time, my response evolved to a finely tuned sound bite that I could recite in my sleep, if needed.
I’m not much of a gambler, so it’s quite unlikely that you’ll find me in a casino or even buying a lottery ticket as the odds are stacked against me and I’m not one to bet on good luck.
In the past, Alumni Relations has shared behind the scene stories of what goes into making the University’s bi-annual convocation activities such a success. What we haven’t shared is the student story.
Graduating in 2013 with a Master of Public Health and holding current faculty appointments at the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and the International Space University, Alumnus Dr. Farhan M. Asrar has been pivotal in examining how outer space can further help the fight against the Ebola outbreak.
Written by Niket Soni (BSc ’13)