News

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.

For one night, Studio 180’s production of The Normal Heart at the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre was an event for uWaterloo alumni and students to come together to support a theatre company which got started right here at the university. Not only that, Studio 180 is also celebrating its’ 10^th anniversary, so celebrating this milestone with the uWaterloo community was only fitting.

From Nov. 2-11^th I had the opportunity to travel to Asia with the Director of Alumni Affairs, Jason Coolman, and an amazing team of staff from across campus. We hosted a total of four Alumni events in Asia, with each one being unique to the host city and the alumni in the area!

Convocation is a very personal experience for all those involved – the graduates, their supportive families, friends who are proud of their accomplishments, and of course, Waterloo’s faculty and staff members (it’s the whole reason we come to work after all). It takes on a different meaning and significance for everyone. Some see it as the end of a chapter; others see it as the most exciting time in their life. Whatever the perspective, there are moments from the day that will be remembered for a lifetime and I’d like to share a few that stand out for me.