Alumnus and former volleyball Waterloo Warrior Aleks Poldma (BASc ’14) is the co-founder of Hydrated World, an apparel company working to combat the water crisis in Africa.
Every item purchased provides someone with access to 1L of safe water per day for 25 years. Aleks is also Project Manager at Enviro-Stewards.
Alumni Relations met up with Aleks to ask him some questions and talk about life after Waterloo.
Name:
Aleks Poldma
Profession:
Project Manager of Energy Conservation Projects at Enviro-Stewards Inc., Co-founder Hydrated World Inc.
The first thing I look at when I wake up is:
My phone, then my gym clothes.
The last thing I Googled was:
Hostels in Nicaragua.
If I were to change professions, I would:
Do something involved with sports – either coaching, personal training, or a gym teacher.
The most challenging aspect of my career is:
Wearing many hats at once – whether it be at Enviro-Stewards doing project work, project management, business development, and helping with business strategy, or at Hydrated World working on sales, operations, branding, and marketing all at once.
The thing I remember most about my time at Waterloo is:
Battling day in and day out with the volleyball boys and spending 20 hours per day locked in a room with Spencer Kelly (BASc ’14) and Ben Wiseman (BASc’14) during exams.
The best thing about being a Waterloo Warrior was:
Meeting so many incredible people: teammates, coaches, and trainers - and going on this long, 5-year journey with them all. Sport teaches you so much about your limits, your strengths, your weaknesses, and what is really important in life.
One piece of advice I'd give young alumni is:
Do not stop learning. Just because university is over, it does not mean you should coast or go through the motions. Continuously learn, challenge yourself, try new things.
If I could have dinner with anyone in the world deceased or alive it would be (and why):
It would be my family and friends – one big dinner party! It is almost impossible to get all the people that mean so much to me and who have shaped me into the person I am today together. It would probably end in a dance party.
The worst job I've ever had was:
I took a job as a telemarketer in grade 7. It lasted about 3 hours.
The last book I read was:
Open by Andre Agassi. I love reading about athletes, and their lives inside and outside of sport.
The best part of my career is:
I can be an entrepreneur. Even as an employee at Enviro-Stewards, I have the opportunity to be my own boss and work on many aspects of the business.
My favourite movie is:
Crazy, Stupid, Love.
My favourite co-op job was (and why):
Being a first-year engineering TA. I was able to see being a student from a different perspective, and I was able to help first-year students with their studies, but also life in general as a first-year UWaterloo engineering student.
What I hope to be doing when I retire is:
Having fun every single day and doing what I love. Not sure what that will be if/when I retire, but it would include some sort of passion project and a whole lot of family time.
Every item purchased provides someone with access to 1L of safe water per day for 25 years. Aleks is also Project Manager at 
The best thing about being a Waterloo Warrior was:
