Aly Ostrowski made her way to the Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program at Conrad Grebel University College as a way to continue her passion for peace studies.
Michael Southcott found his way to the Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program at Conrad Grebel University College after completing his undergraduate degree in Global Studies and Political Science at Wilfred Laurier University. In his final year at Laurier, Michael did an international exchange in the Netherlands at Radboud University, where he focused mainly on Political Science.
Extremely motivated and passionate, Maria Oliver found her way to the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) world after spending summers participating in NGO work. Now in her final year of PACS, Maria has a keen interest in continuing this international development work.
Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo is pleased to be offering a new course titled “Refugees and Forced Migration” in Winter 2016. This course will assist students in understanding and responding to the current global refugee crisis.
The Spring 2015 edition of Grebel Now, the newsletter for Conrad Grebel University College, was recently published. Included in this publication is an article by Rachel Reist, the Field Study and Internship Coordinator for PACS, on the lasting impact of international travel. The full article is below, and the Spring 2015 Grebel Now can be accessed online.
PACS students spend a lot of time learning, growing and getting ready for what comes next. With graduation in our midst, for many it's time to find out what 'next' is. Graduates go on to do exciting and innovative things, finding opportunities to put what they’ve learned in the classroom to use in the real world. Catherine You completed a PACS diploma in 2012 and her studies were the first step in her path to a career in social enterprise and international development. Upon completion of a Bachelors of Math at the University of Waterloo, Catherine started her career as an IT Risk Advisory Services Associate for an IT consultancy firm. However, she soon realized that she was looking for more: something more fulfilling, something more meaningful. Having taken a few courses in the PACS discipline during her undergraduate degree, Catherine was drawn back to the University of Waterloo to pursue a Diploma in PACS.
Chinenye Chukwuma-Nwuba is one of several international students currently enrolled in the MPACS program at Conrad Grebel. Growing up in Nigeria during times of relative peace and then violence, Chinenye brings her own perspective and experience to the program to gain a deeper understanding of what conflict is and how it develops:
I’ve seen the
good and bad side of my lovely country… For a while everything was okay, and then sometime in 2000 our lives turned upside down and there were religious riots. We lost a couple of friends, relatives and lost some of our belongings. When you witness this sort of thing, it stays with you… It’s something I wake up to everyday and think about. I think that's what pushed me to want to understand people more and want to understand the dynamics of conflict: how people change, why people change.
Rachel Urban-Shipley is a fourth year PACS student, with minors in Music and Psychology. She originally came to UW to study peace and conflict studies for her interest in mediation, but as she learned more about the field and other issues within PACS, her options and interests have also grown.
Jessica was drawn to the MPACS program because of its interdisciplinary nature and to further explore what she feels “is something of a calling, to look at peaceful solutions to significant problems”. She completed her undergraduate degree at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, and then came to Conrad Grebel for the MPACS program after working for a few years with a consulting firm.
As she nears the end of the 16-month program, Jessica is able to reflect on her time here. Through the small classes and flexible program design, Jessica found that it was:
An opportunity to study what you really feel passionate about and research the things you really love.
This is the sixth installment of a monthly feature on the PACS website. This monthly profile of PACS and MPACS students will give a small snapshot into the pursuits and experiences of our students.
Having first attended college to become a paramedic, to then pursuing a certificate in Indigenous learning at Algoma University in Sault St. Marie, to now studying PACS at Conrad Grebel with a political science minor, Hilary Sadowsky has a passion for learning. Although the PACS program wasn’t as clear cut about peace as she thought it would be, the flexibility and interdisciplinary nature of it was the right fit for her. She took advantage of the ability to petition courses from other disciplines to truly mold the program to match her needs and interests. She says,
Petitioning courses or overriding prerequisites has allowed me to do so much with my degree. I have never, not once, taken a course that I did not want to take, in my university career.