News

Grebel's 60 Stories Project | Paul Born is the co-founder of the Tamarack Institute and for 20 years was the CEO/Co-CEO. An author of five books, he is also the co- founder of Vibrant Communities Canada. Paul is semi-retired and continues as a coach and trainer providing practical support to communities and organizations interested in achieving large-scale change. Paul is married to Marlene Epp and they have two sons, Lucas and Michael, and Daughter in laws, Betty and Laura. In his leisure time, Paul loves to volunteer in his community, cook Paella for large groups, visit with friends and go for long walks. He wishes he was a better golfer and plans to join the pickle ball craze. He is a member at Rockway Mennonite Church.

Grebel's 60 Stories Project | Hannah Redekop lived at Grebel from 2007-2010 and graduated from the Global Studies and Spanish Language and Literature programs at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2011. In 2013, she started full-time accompaniment and human rights documentation work with Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in Colombia. Hannah celebrated her 10th anniversary with CPT in 2023, working as a Communications Associate. She lives in Amman, Jordan with her partner Alaeddin Rahmeh. Together they founded Underground Amman, an arts and culture initiative that seeks to support and develop the hip hop and street art cultures in Amman through community-building events, activities, and jams, as well as a street art and graffiti walking tour. 

Grebel's 60 Stories Project | Mark Bender graduated from the Master of Mathematics program at the University of Waterloo in 1965 and completed further studies at Uppsala University. He now lives with his wife, Elsa, in Norrköping, Sweden. Mark retired from a long and fulfilling teaching career in Math and Physics in 2008. During his days as a retiree, Mark enjoys spending time with Elsa and his grandchildren, singing in Norrköping’s Chamber Choir, and exploring Sweden’s great outdoors.

Grebel's 60 Stories Project | Max lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario with his partner Amy and their two dogs. Since 2021, Max has worked as director of Pandora Press. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Social Accountability at NOSM University. Max is working on a trilogy of books on social critique including Postsecular History (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), Ontologies of Violence (Brill, 2023), and Critique of Conspiracism (Routledge, under contract). In his spare time, Max enjoys a good cup of coffee with an interesting book, walking his dogs in the forest, and getting out on the water during the sailboat racing season. 

The third Global Mennonite Peacebuilding Conference and Festival (GMP) took place on June 15-18, at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, VA. A diverse range of scholars, Mennonite practitioners, artists, and theologians from around the world were invited to share about their work for peace and listen to each other’s stories. 

Grebel's 60 Stories Project | Savio Wong graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1984 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. After graduation, he obtained his B.Ed. degree from the University of Western Ontario and embarked on a fulfilling teaching career at Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School in Baden, where he taught for 32 years until his retirement. During the first half of his teaching career, Savio taught both Computer Science and Mathematics, and in the latter half, he transitioned to becoming a full-time Teacher-Librarian. In his retirement, he continues to indulge in his two passions: books and travel. 

On a bright morning in April, Eva Booker and a team of student volunteers rolled out a 25-foot-wide tarp across Grebel’s front lawn in preparation for the College’s recent green initiative: a pollinator garden.

“My life would’ve been totally different if it weren’t for the support of the Grebel community,” said Tom Iagovet, a third-year student double majoring in Computer Science and Combinatorics and Optimization. Tom has been connected to Grebel since his first year in university. He has made many friends at Grebel, actively involved himself in many extracurricular opportunities, and he deeply connected with Grebel’s values and traditions — ultimately transforming his student experience.  

When Timothy Khoo was choosing a university, he was looking for something that stood out. “I kept hearing about this Mennonite residence from my family and church community, and it piqued my interest,” he said. Tim is now a second-year Honours Physics student at the University of Waterloo and a returning upper-year student at Conrad Grebel University College.  

Conrad Grebel University College has set a 35% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030, supported by Sustainable Waterloo Region’s Impact Network. This is Grebel’s first target as a Pledging Partner, matching the University of Waterloo’s GHG reduction goal.