KI Alumni Experiences

Sam is a 2016 BKI grad who is working with the implementation science team at Nova Scotia Health as a Health Outcomes Scientist. There, Sam conducts rigorous mixed-methods evaluations of healthcare interventions and programs within Nova Scotia as well as broad implementation research. Prior to this role, Sam completed a PhD in Health Sciences from Carleton University and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto/University Health Network.

Sam says, "Knowledge Integration helped build the skills required for me to effectively communicate with interdisciplinary groups, critically evaluate data, and implement evidence-based programs."

Click on Sam's profile to learn more about his experience and the courses he took in KI!

Laura is a 2012 BKI grad working at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a Policy and Programs Analyst with the Fertilizer Safety Section. During her time in KI, Laura completed a minor in Biology before obtaining a Master of Science in Biology.

Laura has worked for both the provincial and federal governments and developed a passion for plants while working in the agriculture sector. In addition to her current role, she serves as Community Liason on the Board of Directors for the North Grenville Learning Center.

Click on Laura's profile to learn more about her story!

Evaleen is a 2015 BKI grad who is self-employed as a Lawyer and Consultant at her business, Hellinga Law & Consulting. While in Knowledge Integration, Evaleen completed minors in Philosophy and Psychology. After graduation, she worked for a design and strategy consulting firm for a couple of years and then completed her JD at Osgoode Hall Law School.

Evaleen shares that she, "regularly uses the critical thinking and interdisciplinary problem-solving skills she developed in KI to support and advocate for her clients."

Click on Evaleen's profile to learn more about her story!

Clarice is a 2016 BKI grad working at Athlon Studios as a Senior Design Lead. While in KI, she completed the Collaborative Design Specialization and a minor in Spanish. She then went on to pursue the Interaction Design Essentials Certificate from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2017.

As a Senior Design Lead, Clarice has transitioned from the day-to-day craft of creating design work to leading design teams through projects and managing relationships with clients.

Click on Clarice's profile to learn more about her story!

Joshua is a 2018 BKI grad working as a teacher at the Waterloo Collegiate Institute. After completing his KI degree with a minor in French, Joshua obtained a Masters in Teaching at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. He now teaches History, Law, and French at Waterloo Collegiate Institute and spends his Julys with the Shad summer program.

Joshua shares that KI's high school outreach, "inspired his teaching journey; the program’s design inquiry focus, academic flexibility, and passionate community made it a clear choice for his undergraduate education."

Click on Joshua's profile to learn more about Joshua's story!

Erin is a 2017 BKI grad who has been working as a lawyer at the Kitchener Crown Attorney's office since 2021 after her call to the bar and completing her JD from Queen's University. Erin is recently working on a team that deals primarily with youth accused people, as well as people whose mental health has a nexus with their offending behaviour.

She says, "KI taught me so much about making connections and communicating at different levels. Those are skills I employ every day in my advocacy."

Click on Erin's profile to learn more about her story!

Joan is a 2012 BKI grad who is working as an Energy & Carbon Manager at Wester University. In this role, they work to decarbonize Western's campus and operations. In undergrad, she completed a concurrent degree with Knowledge Integration and Systems Design Engineering with a French minor.

Before their current role, Joan worked as a user experience designer at a tech start up and tried out grad school before she shifted into energy management.

Click on Joan's profile to learn more about their story!

Raya is a 2016 BKI grad working as a Senior Design Researcher at RBC, and also as a nutritionist. Raya thanks Knowledge Integration for helping her get into the design research field, by teaching her how to communicate across disciplines and think critically.

Raya shares, "I can't tell you how many doors it has opened with employers looking for the skills you will learn. It also taught me that finding purpose in your passions is important, which ultimately pushed me to also becoming a nutritionist and starting my own business."

Trystan is a 2012 BKI grad working at Harvard University as a Postdoctoral Fellow of Embedded EthiCS.

He says, "The combination of cross-disciplinary theory and organizational practice, as well as the general open-mindedness about other disciplines and specializations that KI instills, are skills I use every day. A significant part of my own KI degree was focused on social and ethical issues around science & technology, which of course also comes in handy."

Click on Trystan's profile to learn more about his work!

Alexandra is a 2014 BKI grad working as a Senior UX Researcher at Adobe, in New York. In this role, Alexandra works on post-production collaborative editing software for video and photography files. This means Alexandra evaluates features that support collaborative sharing and editing.

Jamie is a 2016 BKI grad working as a OBGYN Resident Physician at the University of Saskatchewan/Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Jamie shares, "I'm a very happy T-shaped physician-learner. The skills of learning how to learn, explaining complex topics in simple ways, and communicating in inter and multi-disciplinary spaces are things I took from KI and continue to apply in my working life as a clinician and surgeon."

Meredith is a 2020 BKI grad completing a post-graduate program in Publishing - Book, Magazine, and Electronic at Centennial College. In this program, students work together to publish a magazine called On the Danforth.

Meredith shares, "the skills I learned in collaboration and communication have come in particularly handy for this project! My ability to actively listen and to problem solve have allowed me and my team to be successful in this project."

Krista is a 2016 BKI grad who is as an substitute elementary school teacher at the Limestone District School Board.

Krista says, "KI shaped the way I think about so many things related to teaching! It's important to integrate subjects and ensure students learn content as well as transferable skills like collaboration."

Alexandra is a 2014 BKI grad who is working at the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Math as Research Partnerships Officer. Alexandra finds her KI training has aided her in working with professionals from a variety of backgrounds and expertise.

She says, "My role requires me to make connections between skills and interests of experts and the needs or requirements of industry partners, where they seemingly may not exist. I can do this with my KI background!"

Click on Alexandra's profile to learn more about her work!

Bryson is a 2015 BKI grad who is a Partner at Surge, a specialized advisory firm. In this role, Bryson applies a large-scale collaborative problem-solving methodology to help Fortune 500 companies solve complex challenges and realize opportunities. Bryson says, "I can honestly say I'm employed in my field of study." 

Alex is a 2019 BKI grad working as a Development Representative at Winning by Design. Alex is changing directions after having worked as a Content Strategist at Spectus.aiBusiness. In his role at Spectus, a location intelligence platform, he was producing content about geospatial analytics and data privacy. Now, he's headed into something totally different: a sales role at a B2B SaaS revenue consulting company.

Alex says, "KI afforded with a growth mindset. Since graduating, I've approached a range of opportunities with an open mind. I'm excited to continue developing my skills across domains."

This 2012 BKI grad is working at Deloitte as a Senior Business Analyst in the Human Capital Consulting service. During her KI studies, she worked in the summer after her third year in Student Talent Acquisition at Talisman Energy Inc; was a runner-up in the campus-wide i3 Challenge; and helped run the successful Combining Two Cultures 2012 conference.

Click on this grad's profile to learn more about her story and the courses she took in KI!

This 2012 BKI grad is working in the Climate, Biodiversity and Water Division in the Environment Directorate as a Policy Analyst. As a KI student, she completed a Mathematics minor and Option in International Relations, and participated in the Beyond Borders program. After graduation, she went on to complete a Masters in Comparative International Studies and a PhD in Political Economy at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Click on this grad's profile to learn more about her story and the courses she took!

Matthew is a 2015 BKI grad working as Chief of Staff with the Region of Waterloo. Matthew holds a Master's degree from the London School of Economics and was a 2018-19 Action Canada Fellow with the Public Policy Forum. Prior to his current position, he was director of policy and senior advisor to three cabinet ministers. He has worked and volunteered with organizations including the British Consulate, Sustainable Waterloo Region, and Churchill Society for Parliamentary Democracy.

Click on Matthew' profile to learn more about his story!