What Our Graduates Do

PACS offered the knowledge of the theoretical frameworks behind the desire for a healthier economy and thriving communities that Nina cared so much about. PACS helped Nina engage in conversations with others that then further fueled her passion to learn more.

Kara has served in the Canadian military for 22 years. Her current position is the Africa Team Leader for the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command. Her work has taken her all over the world, from Bosnia to Afghanistan to the West Bank. Throughout her career, she has worked with artillery and air defense artillery, and more recently intelligence.

Kara believes that intelligence plays a significant role in the conflict. She says, “Intelligence and information are critical aspects of decision-making. Ignoring intelligence, or inventing information, can lead to catastrophic consequences.” At a strategic level, Kara explains, “Senior government and military officials need to have warning of conflicts so they can respond more efficiently.” That is the essence of what intelligence officers do. She works hard behind the scenes to make sure that the right people get the right information at the right time.

Kara firmly believes that there is no better education than experience. She thinks that it’s important to hear all points of view surrounding a conflict and to analyze the underlying issue. Kara asks questions like, “What are the grievances, human rights, or economic issues? What are the prevailing conditions regarding human insecurity that underpin the conflict?”

Only by exploring these different avenues of information can one truly get to the heart of the conflict, Kara explains. “Conflict resolution can only begin when these issues are acknowledged and addressed.”

 Michael found himself asking that exact same question during a course in his PACS career where students worked to develop proposals for non-profits, and worked to develop ways of measuring aspects of their work that is not simple, measuring how their work changes the lives of people.

 When asked about advice for future PACS students or soon-to-be PACS graduate Michael advised,

Entering her undergraduate program at the University of Waterloo, Stephanie Goertz had no idea how a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) minor would fit into her career or life. Looking back, she reflects that her PACS education is not something she can fit in a box or summarize easily but contributed to an overall perspective. This perspective and mindset have impacted her ongoing learning and how she can connect with others to make a change in her community.

Steph received a degree in Anthropology with a Peace and Conflict Studies minor. Since graduating she has collected several careers and become an activist in her community. In 2019, she stepped into politics by running in the federal elections for the green party and now in 2022 is running for municipal council. The last several years of engaging with grassroots groups and not-for-profits, such as 50by30WR, Food System Round Table of Waterloo, Nith Valley EcoBoosters, Let’s Tree Wilmot, and Waterloo Region Grassroots Response to the Ukrainian Crisis, have taught her the interconnectivity between all levels of government.

Reflecting on her degree Steph says “truth comes when you enter the university and start taking all of these courses, figure out what is out there, and start finding the direction of who you want to be”. Part of the journey for Steph was running the UW DECA Chapter. As she continued her degree, PACS stood out as courses she thrived in; “as I started taking more PACS courses, I realized the benefit of them."

When asked how PACS has impacted her career and life, Steph replied:

"PACS is fundamental to how I engage in the world."

A perfect example of this is how she pulled together efforts to support Ukrainians fleeing to Canada engaging with hundreds of diverse volunteers who don’t normally get involved in their community by volunteering. Typically, what she has seen is the same dozen people volunteering in numerous groups but with these new efforts, it was amazing how many people came out to help. Steph reflects on her experiences being able to collaborate and engage people to help Ukraine: “[there was a] huge empowerment of so many people. It was so exciting, the door had never been opened for them before." Part of what the PACS program and ongoing learning in Peace and Conflict fields did for Steph was altering the way she viewed conflict and interactions overall, and this has impacted how she has been able to connect with people and make change happen.

Her involvement in municipal politics seemed to have happened the same way a lot of things happened for Steph: She sees an issue and steps up to do something, making a change in the process. Reflecting on her involvement in politics, which first took place in 2019, she recognizes the importance of her values reflecting once again in her Green Party’s focus has of working across party lines for the greater good echoes patterns of bringing people together for a cause in the same way the grassroots organization for Ukraine did.

"If I hadn’t had this degree in the first place, there’s no way I would be working with the people or projects I have been working with."

When asked what advice she had for future students, Steph paused and considered. She talks about the difference in spaces that people will encounter after graduating. While PACS can seem like a very specific major she encourages students to not get caught up in specific fields they immediately associate with PACS, but instead to:

"Get involved but be aware your goals and direction will shift and change as you gain experience."

These words echo her path and experience in life with involvement in numerous different endeavors. She goes on to say that people will not always believe in you or what you are doing but you need to be confident in who you are.

"If you are going to address root issues and problems you sometimes need to stand in uncomfortable spaces."

Here she pauses and concludes her thought; “have faith” and elaborates “you will find people who agree, and you will find people who don’t”, but to Steph, this all seems to be part of the journey.

Upon graduation from Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Grebel and the UWaterloo, Taylor Doss (BA 2019) was hired at the House of Friendship’s Charles Street Men’s Shelter and is currently working at the YW Emergency Shelter in Kitchener.

Through his work, Taylor has noticed the way conflict-centered roles can affect mental health, and how his PACS courses prepared him for that reality. As an emergency shelter worker, one of his responsibilities is leading a conflict resolution workshop. “We go over strategies for how to engage in healthy communication with other people,” he explained.

Rozana is currently finishing her Masters of Teaching at OISE (Ontario Institute for Students of Education) at the University of Toronto. She learns about the pedagogy of teaching and learning while practicing teaching during her four-month blocks. Her goal is to become an elementary school teacher and she is well on her way.

Rozana credits the PACS courses she took during her undergrad with helping enrich her experience in schools while dealing with children of all ages. It also equipped her with the knowledge and resources to teach about peace. Recently, in light of the Syrian refugee crisis, Rozana organized and assisted her Grade 5 students in writing postcards to Syrian refugee children. They welcomed the children to Canada and offered them positive and heartwarming wishes.

“I believe it is important for all students in PACS to realize the unlimited options the program has to offer,” she says. The multidisciplinarity of the program is critical and Rozana believes it will complement any field one chooses to pursue.  She adds that the PACS program “Will help you grow both as an individual and a universal citizen.”

Brenda is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Anthropology at the University of British Columbia, studying environmental conflict from an inter-cultural conflict perspective. Using the Site C hydro dam project in the Peace River region of British Columbia as a case study, Brenda is attempting to bring an anthropological perspective on the environment, with applied world view conflict transformation approaches. Her dissertation is based on more than a year of ethnographic fieldwork in Fort St John, where she attended public hearings, rallies, fundraisers, and community events, along with conducting interviews, all related to the environmental assessment process with people on both sides of the conflict. Brenda says, “As environmental challenges become more and more urgent, I believe it is vital to facilitate conflicting parties in hearing each other out and to pay attention to whose voices are being heard.

Chris Hiller has been captivated with questions of justice since she was a kid. As a child, Chris felt an impulse to address injustice, engaging in social justice actions and leadership programs within her church and community. When she came to the University of Waterloo for her undergrad, she found PACS: a place that served as a launching point for her to explore questions of justice and peace through a range of disciplines, and in a way that was very grounding for her.

She found that Conrad Grebel provided her with a community that supported her values and aspirations, and this was exceptionally valuable to her as a student.

After graduating from UWaterloo in 1990 with a BA Honours in Psychology and a PACS minor, Chris remained in the Waterloo region for some time exploring different avenues of peace work. She found herself involved with faith and justice groups, activism against the Gulf War, and organizations addressing violence against women and girls. From there, Chris went to Washington D.C. as a Voluntary Service Worker with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) and served as the Coordinator of Adult Education for Community of Hope, a community development organization committed to creating opportunities for low-income families experiencing homelessness. This work fully immersed Chris in efforts to grapple with race, racism, and white privilege. Coming back to Canada, Chris worked with Frontier College as the Coordinator of its national Family Literacy Program, where she supported provincial trainers in working with newcomer, low income, and Indigenous communities to create local literacy supports.

Five years after receiving her undergraduate degree, Chris went back to school to receive an MA in Sociology and Equity Studies from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. It was during this time that Chris began to explore intersecting relations of power, analyzing how systems of race, gender, class, and colonialism work to position particular bodies as marginal and vulnerable to violence, and questioning how such systems might be challenged. After that degree, Chris worked briefly with an organization serving newcomer women, and was then hired by the Anglican Church of Canada to coordinate a national program of education and advocacy in support of Indigenous land, treaty, and inherent rights. This work enabled her to collaborate with Indigenous and ecumenical partners in advocating for changes to federal Aboriginal policy; it also gave her opportunity to work alongside of Indigenous Elders, Indigenous church and community leaders, and Indigenous activists in holding the Church and broader society accountable for the colonial past and present, and in envisioning and working towards right relations.     

From there, Chris returned to school to pursue a PhD in Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University. At that time, her research involved interviewing non-Indigenous solidarity activists.  She sought to understand the experiences and processes by which settler Canadians come to rethink their identities, place, and responsibilities, both in light of settler colonial history and in relation to Indigenous peoples and their lands, sovereignty, and rights. After graduating, Chris worked for a time as Assistant Professor at Algoma University, where she prepared social work students to work in remote, northern, and Indigenous communities. Since returning to Guelph in 2016, she has worked as a researcher and part-time professor; this past fall, she was thrilled to come back to Grebel to teach a new course in Indigenous-settler conflict and peacebuilding for the MPACS program.  Her research continues to focus on Indigenous-settler relations, asking questions about what decolonization, reconciliation, and Treaty relations demand of us—in university classrooms and structures, in policy discussions and political debates, and in people-to-people relationships.  Just as she did as a child, Chris continues to be compelled by questions of how to move people towards justice:

These beliefs held by his grandfather are beliefs that Simon adopted, and while his grandfather triggered Simon’s interests of thinking in a global context, his time at PACS created an environment that fostered those interests and allowed Simon to explore them as future career options. In PACS classes Simon found that he was particularly interested in topics of international conflict, and managing conflict between countries.

Simon currently works as a Research Fellow with the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) within their Global Security and Politics Program, and has been doing so since the completion of his PhD in 2012. In this position Simon facilitates dialogue between foreign policy professionals and national governments in consultations on sensitive policy issues including national security and refugee law. This role means that Simon is consistently working to manage relationships between people with fundamentally different values and beliefs.

Erin spent a year with the organization One World where she first was travelling with a group, living in communities in Guatemala. As a part of this portion of the internship the group focused on learning about group dynamics including effective communication, intercultural communication, and problem solving – much of what Erin was learning in her PACS courses. For the next part of her internship Erin was living in El Salvador in a small community at the base of a mountain with a woman who had lost most of her family to war. Erin was integrated strongly into the community in this portion, participating primarily in the everyday life of the members of the community she was now living in. The final section of the trip Erin spent in Nicaragua continuing to live in the community and doing work with a women’s collective focusing on health care and education. The focus of Erin’s experience was learning from the people around her and learning from the community she found herself in.

After returning from her internship and graduating from UWaterloo, Erin was then faced with the decision all graduating students are faced with: what next? For Erin that next step was teacher’s college. Unsure of exactly what she wanted Erin decided that the practical component of Bachelor of Education would give her more hands on skills and more direction for her future.

Almost 18 years later, it would seem that Erin made the right choice. In 2001 she started teaching Religion full-time for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board at St. David Catholic Secondary School where she remained for 16 years, first as a Religion teacher and then a guidance counsellor.  The past two years Erin has spent as Vice-Principal at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Cambridge.

Erin puts her PACS education into action daily, constantly in communication with people and building relationships with students, families and staff.  Her career and vocation as a Catholic educator allows her to keep faith, peace and justice in the forefront.  Recently her school has begun a partnership with Community Justice Initiatives (CJI) to establish a culture of restorative practices within the school community.  Additionally, she is excited to be in the early planning stages of a service/learning program for students focusing on social justice that will include a global experience. 

 When asked about advice for future PACS students or soon to be PACS graduates Erin said,

Working with the university, Sam’s role is to maintain, administer, and implement changes to current student records. He also coordinates, processes, and codes Petitions for Exceptions to Academic Regulations for Arts students. While this may not seem exciting, accurate administration of student records is paramount to ensuring that UWaterloo maintains its high standard of operational integrity. His work with Petitions for Exceptions to Academic Regulations helps provide accommodations and exceptions from standard policy to students who have experienced extenuating circumstances.

Sam credits PACS as being a sticking point for why he was accepted for this position. He learned useful negotiation techniques, mediation, and communication strategies that he consistently uses when interacting with students, faculty, and staff. Further, knowledge regarding different cultures, religious beliefs and practices, and conflict theory aids in navigating the wealth of diversity that is present within the student body and general community. He firmly believes that the PACS program embodies empathy, compassion, and understanding, as its key values are integrated into every alumni.

Assisting students, faculty, and staff is the most rewarding aspect of his position. The work his committee does makes a genuine difference in students’ lives and can offer them a second chance. “I am proud to say that without the wealth of knowledge and experience PACS facilitated, I wouldn’t be here today!” says Sam.

Economic immigration pathways hold enormous potential. Of the 400,000 new immigrants Canada is targeting for 2021, more than 50% will be selected because of economic factors (ex: job or trade). Considering this data, Sandra is supporting a small pilot project, making sure that skilled refugees can fit into this economic segment. The project aims to eliminate discrimination and unintentional barriers in recruitment and immigration processes to increase the likelihood of refugees immigrating through employment.

This act is an inspiration to social activists everywhere as Sandra is not only making society a better place but deconstructing root issues in various systems – such as screening and recruiting processes in addition to helping those seek refuge in Canada. Her project limits discrimination in the screening process and maximizes the likelihood of immigration through employment.

Sandra indicates that even though this may be an ideal position for a PACS student, it didn’t just happen. She went through various positions over the years and has currently been in this position for two years. She encourages PACS students to take any PACS opportunities that may come their way – whether it’s an internship, volunteer, part-time position, or a full-time position.

Will is the Fundraising Coordinator at Operation Groundswell. This is a non-profit organization that facilitates international learning-service programs for anyone between the ages of 18 and 30. We will focus on helping participants fundraise a portion of the money they need to participate in Operational Groundswell programs. The money that they raise is called the Community Contribution, which goes directly to the communities which Operation Groundswell works with.

This is significant to Will for a few reasons. He feels that the programs that Operation Groundswell provides are life-changing for participants. Secondly, and according to Will most importantly, the funds raised for the community contribution helps to support communities that Operation Groundswell works with across the globe. These provide amazing impacts for partner organizations, and since all of the projects are community requested, they ensure that they have the maximum positive impact and are giving the community what they need.

Recently, Will has helped a future participant in raising enough money to participate in the program. After she was concerned that she would be unable to go, Will provided strategies and ideas for fundraising that she could implement. When he checked in with her only a week later, she had exceeded her goal. “She was so happy- not only because she was able to go, but because of how proud she felt for reaching her goal!”

Ellery is the Assistant Manager at Ten Thousand Villages, in their Niagra-on-the-Lake location. Ten Thousand Villages is a not-for-profit fair trade organization that creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries, to earn an income by bringing their products to North American markets. In her role as assistant manager, Ellery is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store, communicating artisan stories to customers and raising awareness about the significance of fair trade in a variety of settings, such as schools, churches, and small groups and organizations. Sharing her passion for fair trade and social justice is Ellery’s favorite part of the job. She says, “It was truly a gift to see daily hand-crafted items from all over the world, to hear the stories behind them and know that those who created them worked in safe conditions, with fair pay.”

Ellery is now working through a teacher’s college, preparing to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. “I have already seen the immense value of having a PACS background, as I’ve drawn upon the skills I learned in the classroom to help students navigate through interpersonal conflict,” Ellery said. She hopes to take every opportunity to encourage students to think about social justice, equality, human dignity, and restorative justice.

Leah is a Country Representative for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Nepal. Along with her co-representative, Leah is a leader in MCC’s development and relief work in Nepal. Their team of Nepal and international staff, work with Nepal organizations to run projects related to agriculture, health, education, and disaster response in communities across the country.

Leah loves supporting people and organizations who are passionate about making positive change. In her role, she works on managing MCC’s resources, while also looking for ways to further develop the ability of the partner organizations, to reach the most vulnerable and marginalized in Nepal society.

The recent earthquakes in Nepal had a huge effect on Leah’s role and required hard work and dedication in a stressful time. After the earthquakes, the immediate priority for Leah was ensuring that all team members were safe, and finding shelter for them during the several days of aftershock. Leah and her team also needed to learn how their partner organizations and communities they worked in, were affected and had to communicate this information to MCC. She also did several media interviews to raise awareness of the disaster, and to encourage donations to support MCC’s relief and recovery work. Leah says, “Within a day, we started meeting with partner organizations to make plans to distribute relief supplies to rural areas affected by the earthquakes. Through the hard work of our staff, partners, and local volunteers, MCC Nepal was the first agency to provide relief supplies in some communities. I'm very proud of this!”

For the past six months, Gibo has been completing his internship at Welcome Home Refugee House in Waterloo. This role is similar to his previous role as residence don at Conrad Grebel; he lives with people and gets to know them while looking after the house and making sure everything is running smoothly. The other part of his role is to introduce people to life in Canada and support them through small milestones like taking the bus, practicing English, getting to appointments, and doing paperwork.

The refugees who have stayed at Welcome Home during Gibo’s time, have come from all over the world. There are people from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Palestine, Somalia, Uganda, and Angola. Welcome Home focuses primarily on newly arrived refugees, allowing people to make lasting relationships with each other, oftentimes moving out together. Welcome Home has room for up to five single women and five single men, as well as a separate family unit for one family. In total, Gibo has seen 20 different people in the six months he has been working there.

The PACS refugee class taught by Marlene Epp is one Gibo credits with preparing him for this role. The speakers she invited into the classroom had a large impact on him; this is where he met his current employer. The class also helped him become more confident and prepared him for this position.

When finished with this internship, Gibo plans to work in international peacebuilding. His strong desire to travel is fueled by his love of learning about people and other cultures.

Stephanie works as a consultant for the Rotary Peace Centre in Thailand at Chulalongkorn University, as well as the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers. For the Rotary Peace Centre, Stephanie has been working on creating video interviews of the Rotary fellows studying in Thailand. She’s also helped with the administration of field studies in Cambodia and Northern Thailand. For the Network, Stephanie has been aiding the Director of Religion and Inclusivity with a program where faith leaders come together and learn about religious extremism. Leaders typically come from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

A lot of the work she does for both organizations includes logistics, as well as video work. During her PACS undergrad, Stephanie often took the opportunity to create unique videos instead of essays. This has helped her to develop her passion and skill with video work, which she now uses every day.

Stephanie has found her work with Rotary to be extremely valuable. She’s been able to learn a lot and meet fascinating people working in peace studies. Stephanie also finds that her work is significant to the world in general. Promoting peace education is important for the future of conflict resolution, and the Rotary Peace Centre’s Centre for Peace Studies provides a space for community leaders to learn from diverse perspectives and discuss the promotion of peace.

Recently, Stephanie had the opportunity to work on a video project researching the conflict in the south of Thailand. She worked with a group of professors, as they interviewed and told the stories of people involved, relating to the topics of gender, reconciliation, mediation, and conflict analysis.

John is a Minister at Chemainus United Church, part of the United Church of Canada. In this role, he is responsible for guiding the spiritual, ritual, and mission work of the congregation. This is important to John because he believes that people have a deep yearning for a safe place to explore their spiritual side. John believes that this exploration is best done in communities and that a good community not only responds to the needs of its people but also the people beyond its boundaries. Therefore, John works within his community, as well as engages in outreach.

Recently, John facilitated a series for his church called “Who is My Neighbor?” where he invited four different neighbors into the conversation, in place of a regular sermon. They hosted a Muslim scholar, a former homeless healing touch practitioner, a native elder, and a farmer engaged in drug and alcohol rehabilitation work. John expressed that this experience transformed the community and allowed everyone to gain a new perspective on people different from themselves.