Asif Poonja shares the milestones that helped him grow a successful career and become a global business leader
Most alumni visit campus to relive memories, but for Candy Cheung (BES ’09) and Emmanuel Poon (BA ’10) Waterloo became the setting for something new. When they got engaged, they chose the campus where they first met as the backdrop for their milestone.
“We travelled all the way from Hong Kong to visit family and attend my sister’s graduation, and we thought, why not add a trip to Waterloo. It felt meaningful to us.”
For alumni like Jaqueline Tso (BASc ’02), Diana Vangelisti (BES ’84, MA ’89) and Larry Galajda (BASc ’76), graduation didn’t mark the end of their Waterloo journey. Instead, it sparked new ways to stay connected and deepen their black and gold pride.
Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman, the first Black female president of the Ontario Medical Association, sees herself as a bridge builder.
A clinical immunologist and allergist, she initially studied surgery in medical school before realizing that her love for communicating with patients made her ideally suited for clinical work. It’s her MMath in Biostatistics (’03) from the University of Waterloo, however, that has given her such a unique perspective.
For the first time ever, Forbes’ 30 Under 30 produced a “local Toronto” list, which features four individuals with connections to the University of Waterloo. The list highlights some of the most entrepreneurial minds in Toronto, who work in industries like technology, finance, health, sports and the arts.
The game-changers named to this inaugural list have been making a significant impact with their businesses across the finance, creative and health-science industries.
Kathy Hay earned her BA with a major in Psychology in 1998 — but it wasn’t a straight line from start to finish. Beginning her undergrad studies in 1979, she paused university to pursue a career in banking. Nearly 20 years later she completed her degree through Waterloo’s distance learning option. Now as a former banker, Kathy has brought a strategic and business lens to her roles in the not-for-profit charitable sector.
While she excelled in econometrics during her undergraduate studies at Waterloo, Susan Shu Chang soon established her expertise in applied machine learning and game development – the two main strands of her astonishing range of expertise in the tech space. Today, just four years since she graduated with her BA Hons, she is a Principal Data Scientist at Clearco, a finance-tech company that provides growth capital for online businesses.
When Stephen Garrett (OD ’80) recalls his days playing basketball, one memory stands out.
“The first time I'd ever been on an airplane was with the Warriors,” says Stephen. “We were playing in a tournament in Winnipeg and we flew there and it was a huge thrill for me.”
He is quick to admit that it might not sound like much to others, but, for Stephen, it illustrates a larger point. Playing basketball for Waterloo was about more than just the games. It was about new experiences and life lessons. It was a window to the world.