News

“University is a place where new struggles and challenges arise, and it is easy to get lost and distracted,” Merveille Mwankin reflected at the end of her first year attending the University of Waterloo. “As a Christian community, Grebel has helped and continues to help me nurture my faith by surrounding me with other believers and providing Anabaptist-Mennonite values such as love, peace, non-violence, and justice.”

Faith plays a central role in Sarah Driediger’s life. It has helped her meet new people, grow as a person, and reflect on experiences. Sarah is a first-year virtual resident at Conrad Grebel University College studying Biomedical Sciences. Several members of her family attended Grebel before her, and while growing up, they told her many exciting stories about the College.

A fun and enjoyable experience. An awesome way to spend a weekend. One hundred-percent student-run, put together during a pandemic, with so much work put in by the cast and production teams. And best of all, a “once in a lifetime opportunity! This is the first time Big Fish the Musical will be presented as a movie,” Grebel student, and member of the musical production team, Hannah Bernstein said.

Since 1964, Conrad Grebel University College has implemented numerous upgrades and additions into campus. Although the washrooms are among the improved facilities, their accessibility was lacking. More specifically, power-operated doors and washrooms that are easy-to-access are welcome improvements to those with mobility issues. The 2020 “Welcoming Washrooms” project aimed to make this happen.

Rewarding experiences, everlasting friendships, skill-developing opportunities, and even a chance at love—“after everything the Grebel community has given me, giving back in the way of leadership just makes sense,” said Grebel resident, Josh Rampersad.

In September 2020, Grebel’s new kitchen and one section of the dining room expansion were completed just in time for fall term residents to enjoy the more spacious communal area. Since then, the new spaces have received much praise.

History, identity, faith, and culture. The Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies provide the opportunity to explore topics related to these four key themes in relation to Mennonites. Conrad Grebel University College is pleased to continue the annual tradition of hosting these presentations in a new virtual format.

Pandemic. Isolation. Stressful politics. Long winter. “Pancakes seem to be the obvious answer,” joked Master of Theological Studies student Christa Van Daele.

Conrad Grebel University College thrives on community, and with all the COVID restrictions in place, staff and students are always looking for creative ways to stay connected.

Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo provides countless opportunities for students to get involved in the community and gain valuable experiences. Hannah Bernstein, a third year Nanotechnology Engineering student, has taken advantage of the many activities Grebel has to offer.

Along with the new Mennonite Hymnal Voices Together, members of the Mennonite Church have been working on another exciting project. Together in Worship is website with free worship resources for church leaders. While this is a binational project, the Conrad Grebel University College community was highly involved in the creation of this website.