Alumni

By Rachel Reist, PACS Undergraduate Academic and Administrative Officer & Internship Coordinator

Academic advisors at UWaterloo are often the first point of contact for students who are concerned about their mental health but not sure where to go or what to do. What I have found to be the best technique in my advising practice over the last six years is “shut up and listen.”

When Nina Bailey-Dick began at the University of Waterloo (1992-1999) she knew that it was community development that interested her, and since the university did not offer this as a program, she chose to purse a General Arts degree with a PACS option; taking courses that would prepare her for working in community development.

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.

“PACS opened my mind and fuelled my passion for peace work,"

Michael Hunter joined Peace and Conflict Studies as a mature student in 2004 to pursue an undergraduate degree, up until that point having not completed a degree during his professional career.