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My colleagues and I often say that the value of a Waterloo degree is not only based on the university itself. It’s more dynamic than that. It’s based on the accomplishments of our alumni. When our grads are happy, contributing members of society, people take notice. Employers with the potential to hire our co-op students and alumni begin thinking about recruitment strategies; prospective students are intrigued and want to discover more; the international media wants to share their stories; and so much more.

Graduation is a milestone that every Waterloo student looks forward to and it means different things to each one of them. Unsure of what it means to you? Let us break it down! Over the next few weeks, our “GRADS” blog series will delve into what it means to be a graduate of this fine institution (geese and all).

On Thursday April 25, Pat Duguay and I embarked on our west coast swing. With a full schedule of events and meetings with alumni, we knew it would be a busy trip – but we were ready! Actually, I should say Pat was ready and I was hoping I didn’t forget anything. I really wanted everything to go well, especially since the President and V.P. Advancement were travelling with us and attending all of the events we had planned.

St. Jerome’s University (SJU) has launched an innovative tool aimed at entertaining and engaging a new breed of tech-savvy donors. We teamed up with HuStream Video, a video production agency based out of Kelowna, BC.  HuStream has produced videos for student recruitment in the past and we’re excited to use their technology as a donor engagement tool.

Looking back, graduation was a huge milestone and an exciting time in my life, but it was also daunting. You start to think about your future, and the unknown. Being in a co-op program, I was aware that I should have started job searching well before convocation. However, the craziness of fourth-year courses meant that I never got to it. As convocation came and went, the pressure was on to find a job.

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. 

Have you ever benefited from philanthropy? If you went to the University of Waterloo, the answer is yes. In reality, tuition only covers approximately 1/3 of the cost of our post-secondary education. The rest is covered by government funding and private donations. A huge portion of these donations come from Waterloo alumni.

What do basketballs, inflatables, and paper airplanes have in common? Fantastic Alumni Day.

Saturday, January 26 saw the PAC gymnasium filled with hundreds of smiling faces for our 14th annual event. And wow, what a fantastic day it was! More than 630 spirited Waterloo alumni, staff and faculty members, retirees, and their families cheered on the women’s and men’s Warriors basketball teams as they battled the Windsor Lancers.

Maria’s Social Development degree from Waterloo along with her passion for people and professional drive (pardon the pun) has transformed KIA Canada into one of the industry’s most socially responsible corporations.  So what exactly IS ‘Drive Change’?  It is a challenge - for individuals, communities and even KIA dealers to make their communities a better place. 

My road trip is of a different type. My colleague Jenn and I (“the beauties”) have embarked on a two city tour in what we have affectionately nicknamed “the beast”, a Nissan Pathfinder that, to two girls who normally drive compact cars, seems enormous! The first stop on our trip was Kingston Ontario, home of the Royal Military College of Canada, Fort Henry, and the best Caesar salad I’ve ever had.