Arts is so proud to introduce our 2024 Alumni Award winners: Nadia Hohn (BA '01 Psychology), Alumni Achievement Award recipient, and Kirsten Mosey (BA '22 Political Science), Rising Star Alumni Award recipient. Awarded each year in all six Waterloo faculties, Alumni Awards recognize our exceptional graduates and their unique efforts to build a better world through their industries and local communities. A warm UWaterloo congratulations to the 2024 Arts winners!
Nadia Hohn BA ’01, Faculty of Arts 2024 Alumni Achievement Award
Nadia L. Hohn is an award-winning author, educator, musician, aspiring illustrator, and advocate for diversity in children’s literature. Alongside her psychology degree from the University of Waterloo, she holds a Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Master of Education (MEd) from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph.
Combining activism with creativity, Nadia empowers Black children to see themselves in literature. Her acclaimed Malaika series—Malaika’s Costume (2016), Malaika’s Winter Carnival (2017), Malaika’s Surprise (2021), and Malaika, Carnival Queen (2023)—captures the joys and challenges of a young girl navigating two worlds. Malaika’s Costume was part of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, distributing over 550,000 copies to first graders across Canada. Nadia’s biographical works, such as Harriet Tubman: Freedom Fighter (2018) and A Likkle Miss Lou (2019), honour cultural icons. Her writing has appeared in publications like Psychology Today, Quill & Quire, Owl, Chickadee, and ByBlacks.
Nadia’s recent accolades include the 2024 Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award. She also founded Sankofa’s Pen and SCBWI BIPOC Talk, supporting diverse writers and illustrators. As a Toronto District School Board teacher, she continues to inspire through her books and global engagements at schools, libraries, and festivals.
Kirsten Mosey BA ’22, Faculty of Arts 2024 Rising Star Alumni Award
Kirsten Mosey is a passionate advocate, accomplished researcher, and emerging leader in international policy. A recent graduate of the University of Waterloo with a BA in political science, Kirsten now serves as a Policy Officer in the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Division at Global Affairs Canada, where she works to advance global security and disarmament initiatives, with a specific focus on nuclear disarmament.
As one of 10 individuals selected from over 6,500 applicants, Kirsten served as a United Nations Youth Champion for Disarmament during her undergraduate studies. In this role, she addressed government leaders, UN staff, students, and the Conference on Disarmament, advocating for inclusive and sustainable disarmament policies. Kirsten has published extensively, with contributions to Project Ploughshares and the Sankofa Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, and self-published An Intersectional Guide to Disarmament.
Kirsten’s professional experience includes over two years working with universities and non-profits in roles such as communications assistant, researcher, and field aid worker in refugee camps in Southern Europe. Her commitment to addressing forced migration, inequality, and global disarmament reflects her dedication to social equity and peacebuilding.