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Over the past fifty years, Conrad Grebel University College Professor Emerita Hildi Froese Tiessen has been a champion of Mennonite literature. She has authored over eighty contributions to the field of Mennonite writing, including over sixty essays and book chapters, more than a dozen edited collections of special issues of journals, and a host of scholarly introductions, reviews, and encyclopedia articles. Her book, "On Mennonite/s Writing", is her first collection of work, consisting of eighteen essays that detail her encounters with Mennonite literature across Canada and the United States, nuanced close readings of major literary figures, and late career reflections on the changing nature of the field itself.  

For Kalkidan Ararso, a second year Arts and Business student at the University of Waterloo, the transition to university life was grounded in support and community. “Once I got a glimpse of the people and support system there, I formed an instant connection.”

Lori Guenther Reesor has experience as an author, speaker, and fundraising coach. After a spiritually enlightening experience during a student co-op term in Egypt, Lori has explored what it means to be generous. She also has three years of pastoral experience, and is an active member of Hamilton Mennonite Church. Her book, Growing a Generous Church, is filled with stories of how people learned generosity. The Reesor family is well known in the Grebel community; Lori met her husband, Barry, at Grebel, and both their children, Emma and Peter, also lived at Grebel. Emma followed in her parents' footsteps and met her husband, Thomas, at Grebel. 

Hingman Leung is a strategist, problem solver, and storyteller. She has more than 14 years of strategic policy analysis and intercultural relationship expertise, and has produced multiple films that touch on a variety of themes, namely society's mistreatment of food-waste management, and promoting racial/gender diversity. Hingman graduated with a joint honours degree in Environmental Studies and Music and plays recreationally in a band.  

Ian Stokes-Rees is a partner at Boston Consulting Group and previously worked as an Engineering Manager at DecisionSoft, a Research Associate at Harvard Medical School, and a Computational Scientist and Product Manager at Anaconda Inc.. He studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and did his PhD in Computational Physics at the University of Oxford. Through living abroad in England, France, and Tokyo, Ian is an advocate for lifelong learning and is constantly striving to expand his cultural perspective and identity. He has recently taken up amateur radio and enjoys connecting with people around the world, but similarly continues to enjoy the peace and solitude of nature through hiking, canoeing, and cross-country skiing with his wife Emily, a fellow Grebel alum. 

Paul Okoye is a business strategy consultant with a strong desire for social justice work. He graduated with a Master of Theological Studies degree, later serving as a sessional instructor and teaching Peace and Conflict Studies at the undergraduate level, as well as working as a trainer in Grebel’s Conflict Management Certificate program. He is also a member of Kitchener’s Equity and Anti-Racism Team. Above all, Paul values quality time with his family; he enjoys exploring scenic landscapes with his wife and embarking on adventures with his two children and their dog, Tucker.  

Ever since he attended Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC) at age 12, Conrad Grebel University College student Joel Woods has entrenched himself within Grebel’s music community. Through joining numerous clubs, he has connected with others sharing that same passion for music while also finding an outlet to express himself in an artistic fashion. For these reasons, Grebel is excited to congratulate Joel as the recipient of the Abner Martin Award, a scholarship awarded annually to a full-time student in a graduate or undergraduate music program who is also affiliated with a congregation in Mennonite Church Eastern Canada.

With concerns of climate change continuing to rise, the importance of finding innovative, environmentally sustainable alternatives has become a necessity. Heavy usage of non-renewable resources and an expanding carbon footprint are but a few of the many compromises taken in favour of quick, easy, and cheap means of operation. Subsequently, university graduates are expected to face a multitude of changes in the workforce due to a rapidly changing climate. The University of Waterloo has responded by forming the Accelerating Integration of Sustainability into Curriculum Project. The Curriculum Project aims to normalize environmentally sustainable competencies and systematically integrate them in all curricula within the University of Waterloo to prepare students for new environmental standards within the workforce.  

Nadia L. Hohn is a creative writer, educator, and artivist promoting diversity within children’s literature. She is author of the children’s book "Malaika’s Costume" which was awarded the 2021 TD Grade One Book Giveaway. Nadia has presented across the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Trinidad, Jamaica, and United Arab Emirates. In 2024 and 2025, Nadia will release her tenth and eleventh books, Patty Dreams and Getting to Grandma’s House respectively.  When she’s not lost in a story or concocting a tasty vegetarian dish, she is likely spending time in music and the arts, visiting family or friends, or daydreaming about her next adventure. She lives in Toronto where she teaches at an elementary school and several post-secondary institutions.  

A picnic and ping pong enthusiast, Njo Kong Kie is also a collaborative pianist and a composer for dance, drama and music theatre. He gave nearly 600 performances during his 16-year tenure as Musical Director with the Montreal contemporary dance company, La La La Human Steps. At Grebel, Kong Kie played for the various choirs and really enjoyed all the square-dancing opportunities.