In the spirit of Valentine's Day, explore stories of alumni who found love on campus — with others and with their work
If it was going to happen, it would be at the Student Life Centre (SLC), where two individuals who were going for a fun drama night would meet. Sarah Cheng (BAFM '09, MAcc '09) and Brian Cheng (BAFM '09, MAcc '09) remember laughing a lot as they spent their early years together at Waterloo. They've been married for about 13 years and Sarah still tells Brian to pick up his socks.
“In blending my two passions together, I can be the flouncy, flamboyant professional that younger Kyne needed to see.” Kyne Santos (BMath ’21) came to Waterloo to study mathematics, but also found a love for drag. After graduation, Kyne continued to juggle both passions as a drag queen who creates educational math content.
Why choose one when you can have both? Amy Lei (BAFM '18) started working with TD Securities when she was an undergrad, thanks to the amazing co-op program the University of Waterloo provides. It gave her valuable skills, and unearthed a passion for investment banking. While in her undergrad she also became a teaching assistant for a private equity course, taught by Steve Balaban: “I jumped at the opportunity. I knew I was going to love teaching but at the time, I didn’t understand the magnitude of the fun, excitement, and feelings of fulfillment I was actually going to experience." Continuing to stay in contact with Steve after graduation, she eventually joined his firm called Mink Capital, in a role that combines equity advisory, consulting and education.
Co-op is a time where students can venture out and start their careers, but some may encounter a life-changing opportunity. Julia (BA '05, MAcc '05) and Patrick Klann (BMath '05, MAcc '05), first met during co-op interviews. Patrick was trying to change interviews because he had a conflicting one, and asked Julia if she would swap with him. Over the two-week interview period, they saw each other often, and it became clear they had something special. They have been married for almost 20 years and still have many more memories to commemorate together. A long overdue vacation is in store for them in the future.
Attending the University of Waterloo for the amazing co-op opportunities, Madison McBay (BSc '22) studied in the Health Studies program. Madison was able to use her co-op experiences and turn them into her own passion for the health care system. She co-founded a business called TAMVOES, an online platform that allows individuals to store and share personal health information with their family members and health care professionals. Even after she moved on from TAMVOES, she continued her passion and work in health technolgy; "Looking ahead, I can only imagine the advances that are yet to come."
A home, community and support network. That’s what Lannois Carrol-Woolery (BASc ’97) and Anandi Carroll-Woolery (BMath ‘02) found when they came to the University of Waterloo. Lannois came to Waterloo from Jamaica and Anandi from Trinidad, leading them both to join the Association of Caribbean Students. They met through the association, and soon got married. They fostered a home and community with others living in the married students residence — many of whom were also international students.
Amy Tai (BASc ’22) was told that she wasn’t smart enough to pursue an education in engineering by her high school teacher. However, her passion for engineering only grew as she proved her teacher wrong. An active student in both academics and extracurricular activities, Amy mentored and motivated students to consider STEM education. Following through with her passion for management engineering she focused her master's research on cancer detection.
