As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we asked you to share favourite stories and memories of your time at Applied Health Sciences (AHS). Here’s a great selection from your fellow alumni. Keep those stories coming — we’re celebrating until April 2018.
Deborah Pageau
(née Waters, BSc ’77, Dance)
Too many wonderful memories to mention, but a few standouts:
- My first Oktoberfest, touch football on the Common, learning to wear jeans to class
- Having to master a new skill for Motor Learning, and royally embarrassing myself with my superlative incompetence at squash
- Acing the dreaded fourth-year thesis
- The amazement and pride of walking across the stage to receive my degree
- Meeting my dear classmates Mary Rupert, Cindy Brnjas and Sue Green, as well as my own Mr. Right, Gerry Pageau (BASc ’78, Chemical Engineering)
Eric Celentano
(BSc ’79, Kinesiology)
Kinesiology was in its infancy when I arrived in 1975, and the faculty were young and enthusiastic. I enjoyed so many of the professors and was fortunate enough to stay in touch with many of them throughout my career in industrial ergonomics and medical equipment sales. Now in retirement, I’m happy to stay in touch with program developments and faculty members and continue to be interested in the future of kinesiology.
Cathy Stevulak
(BA ’77, Recreation and Business)
Forty years ago when I graduated from Recreation I had no idea I would become a documentary filmmaker and tell the story of a group of women in Bangladesh. But when I look back at what I learned at Waterloo, it makes perfect sense. There I learned to go beyond the boundaries of what I knew, to experiment, and to trust that research, knowledge-sharing and a network of mentors can open opportunities beyond imagining. I also met an amazing group of friends with whom I am close to this day. Today, thanks to everyone’s support, THREADS has been screening at film festivals around the world, including Canada.
Cathy’s film, THREADS, tells the story of a visionary leader who liberates herself and others from social and economic hardship by creating timeless works of embroidered art.
Photo credit: Kantha Productions LLC
Larry Schwartz
(BSc ’74, Kinesiology)
I would like to honour my classmates from the co-op class of ’74, many of whom were unfailingly kind and compassionate when they heard I was struggling with a major depression. I now work to advocate for others who live with mental illness and am thrilled to see that UWaterloo has taken the initiative to enhance mental health services and initiatives for today’s young people. To this day, I am proud to have graduated from Applied Health Sciences and the prestigious University of Waterloo.
Maxine Stewart
(BSc ’89, Kinesiology)
After graduating from AHS, I trained first as a chiropractor (Logan University, MO), then as a nurse (Hardin-Simmons University, TX), and later as a family nurse practitioner (D’Youville College, NY). Today I am proud to care for many homeless and disenfranchised individuals in Buffalo, NY and to serve as adjunct professor of chiropractic at D’Youville. I give part credit for my passion for serving others and my academic and professional success to UWaterloo. The rest goes to God and my family. Though I haven’t made it back for many years, I miss the campus and the many people who inspired me.
Merryn Maynard
(MSc ’16, Public Health and Health Systems)
My thesis supervisor encouraged me to connect with relevant community organizations at all phases of my research on student food insecurity in Canada. This was definitely “applied” science — I was constantly being challenged to answer the “so what?” question. How would I be contributing, not just to a body of knowledge, but to public health in Canada? During this time I connected with Meal Exchange, a Toronto-based not-for-profit working in the student food-insecurity space. I now have a fantastic job with them which allows me to act as an advocate and raise awareness of student food insecurity across the country — all using the research skills I learned in grad school.
We want to hear from you!
Be a part of our 50th anniversary Stories Project – submit your favourite AHS memories, photos and/or videos online today.
