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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.

As the university’s 105th convocation quickly approaches, I feel I must take the time to instill one last piece of knowledge on the grads of 2012. Some of you may know this, but indulge me for a moment.

Reunion 2012 happened on Saturday, September 29 and what a success! This year we welcomed over 7000 alumni, staff, faculty, students, and community members on campus for a wide variety of events. I’ll go into more detail but would like to start with some background first.

Now you’re probably wondering why the Office of Alumni Relations would need, or want, to start a blog. Good question.  The answer is simply because on top of all the fabulous events we host around the world, we have a ton of neat things to share with you.

Working in Alumni Affairs means that we are all relatively well-versed with the proper usage of what, as it turns out, is a pretty confusing word.  I wanted to write this blog entry to address the proper use of this mysterious noun and at the same time, perhaps save some innocent souls from the scourge of incorrect usage. 

First things first, we’ll get the obvious out of the way. 

Addy Cameron-Huff (BSc '09, Biomedical Sciences) has developed software for a U.S. presidential campaign, and a new online portal tracking the political process at the Ontario Legislature. He also runs a software and app development firm called Summerhill Design.

Charmaine Hammond's (BA '95, Social Development) dog, Toby, is the basis for two books: Toby the Pet Therapy dog & His Hospital Friends, and Toby Says Be a Buddy, Not a Bully. In honour of Toby's recent passing, Charmaine is launching A Million Acts of Kindness - Toby's Global Mission. The goal is to bring kindness to the forefront in family, community, workplace, and ultimately, the world.