Community

When Steve Innocente (BSc ’96) parlayed his craft brewing hobby into an award-winning business, he also tapped into the opportunity to reconnect with Waterloo as a co-op employer, vendor, and faculty member.

After graduating, Steve eventually wound up in Scotland, where he earned a PhD in Molecular Biology.

“I was going to be a professor and have my own lab,” he says.

Former St. Paul’s residence don and alumnus Scott Ste Marie (BES ’13) is the host of the YouTube channel and website Depression to Expression, which explores the causes of depression and anxiety and provides proven techniques to overcome symptoms. Drawing upon his own struggles, Scott provides viewers with proven tools to combat their mental illness and provide a community of support.

When Michael Symonds (BMath ’00) talks about finding study space on the sixth floor of the Math and Computer building, it sounds like he’s letting you in on a secret. “There’s about a thousand doors,” he says, “and if you’re a student, you kind of know the four that are unlocked.”

Alumnus Mike Farwell (BA ’97) is the host of the Mike Farwell Show on 570 News, the voice of the Kitchener Rangers, and a force in the Waterloo Region. As leader of the Farwell4Hire campaign, Mike takes on various jobs given by members of the community each year in return for a donation to Cystic Fibrosis research, currently having raised $183,000 for the cause.

Learn more about Mike’s story:

Karima Ladhani (BMath ’10) began her journey in the public service and health sector as a volunteer at various institutions devoted to improving public health outcomes while an undergrad at Waterloo.

Driven by interdisciplinary approaches to health, and a commitment to helping mothers and children, she founded Barakat Bundle a curated bundle of life-saving solutions and health education to support mothers and their newborns and prevent infant and maternal mortality in South Asia.

Tom Fejes (BMath ’86) has been a monthly donor to the Waterloo Warriors Football program since 2002.

While not a former student-athlete himself, Tom became a dedicated donor after attending the football game in London that saw the Warriors defeat the Western Mustangs for their first Yates Cup victory in 1997. After witnessing the victory, Tom was impressed by the dedication of the student-athletes, and wanted to help alleviate the costs of running the football program anyway he could.

Trapeze artist Xander Taylor (BSc ’09) recently joined Cirque du Soleil's show TOTEM, performing his duo trapeze act with partner Mélanie Dupuis for their European tour. No stranger to the stage, Xander began his journey as a performer at an early age as an artistic gymnast and a Canadian competitive diver. He was also involved in theatre and public speaking competitions.

When I pulled my daughter's name, Christina Hörst (MA '10), for our Christmas 2017 gift exchange, I recognized I now had fresh motivation to pull a stalled project off the shelf. Her thesis was originally in French, as the title makes obvious: Discours Protestant et Parcours Féminin dans Delphine (1802) de Madame de Staël.

Now in 2018, I work full time at the University of British Columbia as a Residence Coordinator supervising student staff, managing a house and much more.