Math volunteers from L to R: Sasha Fay (BMath '10), Patrick Hayes (BMath '12), Kristy Gao (BCS '22), Bjorn Gehard Nordin (BMath '15), Vicki Iverson (BMath '06), Mei Ng (BMath '94), Dave Jaworski (BMath '88) and Interim Dean Kevin Hare (BMath '97)
In 2019, Faculty of Mathematics volunteers gave nearly 8000 hours to committees, mentoring, speaking, launching events and spreading the love of math. In honour of National Volunteer Week (April 19-25), we took the opportunity to share some of the remarkable stories of our alumni (and future alumni) who help to advance the work of the Faculty on campus and across the globe.
Here are a few things they shared:
"I want to be for young women, what I needed when I was younger.
I didn’t grow up with a lot of technology and having a female mentor in data science was not possible in Trinidad when I was younger. Now, I want to make sure that young women who come from a similar background can ask me the personal questions they have to align their career. I also use this time to amplify young women who show a strong interest in data science and help them get started.
[And] meeting young women who have a drive to succeed only inspires you more. Now, meeting young women from Waterloo’s Math Faculty is a wonderful experience. You will be challenged, inspired and leave a better person than you came in!"
SASHA FAY, BMATH '10, SENIOR MANAGER, ANALYTICS AT CINEPLEX
Volunteer roles: International Women's Day Pacesetters Forum; Speed mentoring; Technovation; Women in STEM panel
"Math was my passion from a young age.
When I knew Math was what I wanted to study, Waterloo was the obvious choice.
[Volunteering has] been a great opportunity for me to meet other alumni in San Francisco and hear about the great things they are accomplishing after they graduated. I had a great time coming to Waterloo to speak to students about what I learned at UW that helped me found a startup. It was a great experience and since then I've enjoyed collaborating with UW whenever I can."
PATRICK HAYES, BMATH '12, CO-FOUNDER AND CTO, SIGOPT
"I wish there had been a group like Women in Computer Science (WiCS) when I was on campus.
One of my main inspirations for volunteering is to help people see some of the joy that I've gotten out of my career as a computer scientist and an entrepreneur, in the hopes that they will love it as much as I do. I especially like volunteering my time to teach young females to code, or pursue studies in STEM, as well as coaching aspiring entrepreneurs.
I've volunteered my time to speak at Waterloo events a number of times, discussing my experiences as a female entrepreneur and computer scientist, in the hopes of inspiring others. I especially like some of the initiatives that Waterloo has for getting young females involved in computer science, math and other STEM fields."
VICKI IVERSON, BMATH '06, CO-FOUNDER & CTO, IVERSOFT
Volunteer roles: J. W. Graham Medal (Selection Committee Member); Technovation (mentor); #WeBelongInTech – Saluting the Female Trailblazer (speaker); advocate for women in technology and actively encourages youth to pursue careers in STEM.
"My pride to be a Waterloo graduate is the key driver for me to volunteer.
I was also touched by the group of passionate UWaterloo alumni who work so hard for the alumni association. Their commitment motivated me to volunteer. Having the opportunity to meet so many interesting and renowned UWaterloo staff, faculty and alumni is one great benefits of volunteering. Working with such a passionate group of alumni, volunteering becomes a fun time, spent with friends who share the same values as you!"
MEI NG, BMATH '94, GLOBAL INNOVATIONS PROJECT MANAGER, SHELL
Volunteer roles: VP of Engagement, UWaterloo Alumni Hong Kong Chapter; Chair, Committee Member of Mathematics Dean's Lecture in HK (2019); 50th and 60th anniversary celebration dinner (Hong Kong)
"On volunteering with the University of Waterloo…
Waterloo has been a leading-edge university since opening in 1957. (On a side note: my brother started in Biology at UW in 1964, six weeks after I was born, and he carved my name in a desk during a lecture, later telling me to go to UW and find that desk!)
However, Waterloo did not get there by resting on its laurels. It stays leading-edge by never standing still. I am proud to be part of the Board of Governors to play a part and work with the great leadership at the university."
DAVE JAWORSKY, BMATH '88, MAYOR, CITY OF WATERLOO
Volunteer roles: Inaugural FIRST Robotics Waterloo Fundraising Committee; 2003-2008 Advisory Committee Member for Wireless Research Chair (Faculty of Engineering); 2014-present Board of Governors
"On COVID-19…
Just because the world is standing still with the COVID-19 situation, doesn't mean you can't volunteer! Many school organizations, especially tech-related organizations like Blueprint or Hack the North, can operate remotely. It's also a great way to stay connected during these potentially lonely times."
KRISTY GAO (SHE/HER), COMPUTER SCIENCE '22
Volunteer roles: Hack the North - Logistics & Backend; StarterHacks – Logistics; Mathsoc - First Year Rep & Council; Math Orientation - Devisor & Orientation Leader; UW Hip Hop; Queer++ - Founder; Tech+ - Mentor
"On the positive benefits of volunteering…
Try it! Start with small steps, maybe find a friend and share your passions with them. You might be surprised what volunteer activities are out there and align with those passions. You’ll also learn valuable skills that will help you later in life. Those skills have certainly helped me and it’s never too late to get started."
BJORN GERHARD NORDIN, BMATH ’15, DIRECTOR, CAPITAL MARKETS, AMERICAN EXPRESS
Volunteer roles: Alumni Chapter Executive volunteer for the University of Waterloo in New York City (present); Math Society; Warrior Academic Leadership Community; Numerous positions at Renison
"On Networking…
I‘m a member of the JW Graham Medal selection committee, of which I was a recipient in 2016 (don't worry, I joined the selection committee AFTER winning!) I love the spirit of this award, in celebrating the characteristics of Wes Graham, including entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation. It's fantastic seeing and celebrating Waterloo graduates who are truly amazing in their field.
Volunteering your time is not a selfless act! By that I mean, yes you are giving your time to benefit others, but what you get in return, the feeling of making a difference and helping people, pays back dividends that far exceed the effort you put in. Pro tip: I also secretly use it as a networking opportunity with other business owners and people in a position to give back!"
VICKI IVERSON, BMATH ’06, CO-FOUNDER & CTO, IVERSOFT
Volunteer roles: J. W. Graham Medal (Selection Committee Member); Technovation (mentor); #WeBelongInTech – Saluting the Female Trailblazer (speaker); advocate for women in technology and actively encourages youth to pursue careers in STEM.
"I fully credit my volunteerism for giving me the community understanding and background that is essential in my role as mayor. I encourage students to befriend me on LinkedIn, as they’ll instantly have over 5000 ‘2nd connections’."
DAVE JAWORSKY, BMATH '88, MAYOR, CITY OF WATERLOO
Volunteer roles: Inaugural FIRST Robotics Waterloo Fundraising Committee; 2003-2008 Advisory Committee Member for Wireless Research Chair (Faculty of Engineering); 2014-present Board of Governors
Our appreciation for our volunteers’ contributions every day is great, but in trying times such as those of late, it is profound. More recently, volunteers stepped forward to make possible a very special virtual celebration for our Math Class of 2020 and a global celebration of International Women in Math Day on May 12th. Their prompt and selfless efforts in support of current and graduating students remind us of the impact we can have when we combine our strengths to serve the greater good.
We would like to express our deep appreciation to:
- Jose Avilez (BMath '20)
- Amélie Bélanger (PhD '08) Associate Director, Global Analytics & Financial Engineering, Scotiabank
- Anne-Marie Canning, Culturalpreneur and Gender Empowerment Philanthropist
- Jeromy Carriere (BMath '95) Director of Engineering, Facebook Incorporated
- Kim Davidson (BMath '81) President and CEO, SideFX Software
- Professor Charmaine Dean (PhD '88) Vice-President, Research & International, University of Waterloo
- Paul do Forno (BMath '95) Managing Director, Commerce & Content Practice, Deloitte
- Cindy L. Forbes (BMath '79) EVP & Chief Analytics Officer, Manulife Financial
- Patricia Gauthier (BMath '87) Senior Digital Transformation & International Business Development Executive, Magellan Consulting Group
- Professor Ghazal Geshnizjani, Research Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
- Natalie Gordon (BMath '04) Founder and CEO, Baby List
- James Hamilton (MMath '97) Vice President & Distinguished Engineer, Amazon.com Inc.
- Jennifer Hamilton (MMath '97) Software Design Engineer, Microsoft Corporation
- Assistant Professor Xi He, University of Waterloo
- Susan Heystee (BMath '86) Senior Vice President, Global OEM, Verizon Telematics Inc.
- Michelle Hung (BMath '08) Founder and author, The Sassy Investor
- Mike Jutan (BMath '07) R&D Engineer, Lucasfilm's VFX and animation studio Industrial Light & Magic
- Rudy Karsan (BMath '79) Founder, Karlani Capital
- Vanna Krantz (BMath '91) CFO, Bamtech Media, CFO and Senior VP of Disney Streaming Services, The Walt Disney Company
- Julie Lassonde, Director, GMP Capital Inc.
- Professor Anita Layton, Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine and Professor of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Pharmacy and Biology, University of Waterloo
- Professor Debbie Leung, University Research Chair for the Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo
- Alan Yi-Lun Li (BMath '20)
- Keer Liu, 2019 Co-op Student of the Year, Faculty of Mathematics
- Paul MacLellan (BMath '95) CEO, Medical Advantage Group
- Dave McKay (BMath '87) President & CEO, RBC Financial Group
- Joanne McKinely (MMath '02) Software Engineer, Google Canada
- Dr. Norah McRae, Associate Provost, Co-operative and Experiential Education, University of Waterloo
- Zaham Mustaq (BMath '17) Product Management, Royal Bank of Canada
- Sam Pasupalak (BMath '08) Entrepreneur in Residence, Inovia Capital
- Satish Rai (BMath '86) Chief Investment Officer, OMERS
- Andres Garcia Rodriguez (BMath '20)
- Jeannie Sager, Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
- Paul Salvini (BMath '92) CEO, Accelerator Centre
- Carolyn Schuetz (BMath '86) Global COO, HSBC Holdings
- Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, CEO & Founder, Profound Impact
- Falah Shazib (BMath '20)
- Joyce Sinclair (BMath '76)
- Professor Larry Smith (MA '75), Director, The Problem Lab (Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business) & Adjunct Associate Professor of Economics (Arts), University of Waterloo
- Jenny Sun (BMath '19)
- Dora Vell (MMath '87) CEO, Vell Executive Search
- Yuqian Wang, President, Math Society
- Clara Xi, Editor, mathNEWS
- Danny Zhang (BMath '03, MMath '05) Co-founder & CTO, Wish.com
