Share your news! We invite all Waterloo Arts alumni to submit a class note with any personal or professional updates (in about 75 words), which we will be happy to include in a future issue of Arts & Letters.
Michael Hancock (PhD ’16, English Language and Literature) and Charlotte Clarke (BA ’03, English Rhetoric and Professional Writing, MA ’08 English Rhetoric and Communication Design) were married on April 22, 2023 at the Princess Twin Cinemas in Waterloo, Ontario. Michael is a sessional lecturer with the University of Waterloo English department, and Charlotte is a communications officer, donor engagement in Advancement and External Relations at Wilfrid Laurier University. They live in Kitchener with their cats Russell and Jerry. (Photo: Lori-Anne Crewe, Cast & Crewe Photography/Film)
1970s and 80s
Timothy Paleczny (BA ’77, English, MA’85 English), after graduation co-founded and led Blood & Aphorisms, a Toronto fiction magazine from 1991 to 1997. Now he is an Author with two published novels, A Life on Water & The Tale of Indigo. While writing these two novels, Timothy travelled to destinations where his stories were based off.
1990s
Michele Austin (BA ’99, Political Science) is still leaning on the lessons learned from her Political Science degree every single day. Michele joined Bell Canada as Vice President, Public Affairs in March 2023. Recognized as a global leader in public policy, Michele arrived at Bell from Twitter Inc., where she served as Director of Public Policy (U.S. and Canada) for five fabulous years. At Twitter, Michele had the very unique experience of testifying at public hearings in both Ottawa and Washington D.C. She is still happily married to Dale Austin (BA' 88, Political Science). They have three grown children.
2000s
Joanna Woo (BA ’09, Psychology) joins LayerZero in Vancouver as their first HR Manager! LayerZero is a web3 startup with a valuation of $3B. Joanna brings over a decade of tech startup experience and will be building out LayerZero's HR function as the company continues to scale and grow.
2010s
Prashanth Chandrapal (BA ‘11, Legal Studies) has joined the University of Waterloo as an Adjunct Professor, where he will be teaching a Legal Studies course in fall 2023. Life comes full circle, as he returns to the halls of SJU, SLC, DC, and DP, that hold some of his fondest memories. Prashanth is also Counsel, Investigation Services & Professional Regulation, at the Law Society of Ontario.
Kevin Farrugie’s(BA ’12 Fine Arts) time at the Waterloo led him to practice as an Art Therapist and Psychotherapist for five years before transitioning back into the field of design when the pandemic hit. Since then, Kevin has created his own freelance business, working on placemaking design projects for many companies such as Toyota, Conestoga College and United College. Kevin continues to support the field of therapy by working on design work for local therapy services like Tessellate Child and Family Therapy and Popple Psychology Services. Check out Kevin's website.
Tyron Telang (BA ’13 Political Science and Business) recently graduated from the MBA program at Ivey Business School (Western University). He was awarded the Fred Metter Consulting Impact Award for his accomplishments in formulating a growth strategy for a Toronto-based healthcare company, and the Sidney May Memorial Award for outstanding leadership. In April, Tyron taught an intensive two-week business course and coached 15 technology entrepreneurs in Bangalore, India—a global powerhouse in entrepreneurship and innovation.
Victoria Stacey (BA ’15, Arts and Business, Speech Communication) is excited to share that she has recently transitioned into the role of People & Culture Lead at We The Collective, engaging with the creative community in North America and helping to foster and grow community internally. This builds on Victoria’s passion for engaging creative communities through my artisan markets, workshops, and creative events in Toronto.
Salman Jivani (BA ’11, MA’17, English Rhetoric & Communication Design) joined University of Waterloo’s Advancement team earlier this year as Associate Vice-President, Engagement. Previously, he was the Director of Development, Annual and Leadership Giving at the University of Calgary. Salman’s return to Waterloo also marks a move back to Ontario from Calgary, where he was based for the last five years. Salman began his successful fundraising career at Waterloo’s as a student caller in 2010, later joining the Annual Giving team building meaningful relationships with donors and alumni.
Bridget King (BA ’15, Political Science and Business) was recently promoted to Senior Managing Consultant, Talent Transformation at IBM Consulting. Bridget started her journey at IBM as a co-op student in 2013, rejoining after graduation and has spent the last 8 years leading IBM's Early Talent Acquisition team for North America. In her new role, Bridget will be working with IBM's clients to accelerate their HR transformation journey and navigate organizational transformation and change.
Irene Lai (BA ’18, Speech Communication and Business) was called to the Bar of Ontario and is joining Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP as an Associate Lawyer with the Business Law (Capital Markets and M&A) Group in Toronto. Following her bachelor’s degree at UWaterloo, she earned a Juris Doctor degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Masters in Business Administration degree from Schulich School of Business at York University, where she served as Co-President of the JD/MBA Students’ Association.
2020s
Spencer Ericson (BA '21, Psychology) is happy to be using her degree to make a difference! Spencer's first job was with UWaterloo Advancement, helping donors to the school. In June, she started leading an organization called SoGive. With bespoke research, SoGive helps donors find the most effective giving opportunities aligned with their values.