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Adey Gebrehiwot is a final year Arts and Business student majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), whose passion for social and environmental justice is palpable. Although Adey always envisioned attending law school, she realized her career interests involved promoting community well-being and systemic change. A few weeks after enrolling in PACS 201: Roots of Conflict, Violence, and Peace, Adey was intrigued and found herself declaring a PACS major and Legal Studies minor.

Chiara McLean, a 4th year Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) student at Conrad Grebel University College based at the University of Waterloo, is passionate about global affairs. As Chiara began studying at Waterloo, she knew her educational path involved a Political Science major and Communication Studies minor. In her first year, Chiara heard a friend mention they were enrolled in PACS 101: Peace is Everybody's Business and that it was an interesting course. Curious to know more about PACS, she enrolled in PACS 201: Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace and PACS 203: A History of Peace Movements in her second year of undergraduate studies. In her third year, she decided the program would complement her academic plans. With an interest in international relations and affairs, Chiara sought opportunities through co-op and volunteering that were challenging yet rewarding. 

Alice Chu is accustomed to winding roads. Now an attorney and an entrepreneur who franchises bakehouse Hazukido throughout Canada, Alice’s experience studying at the University of Waterloo provided a foundation for the pursuit of her interests.  

Alice, who attained a Bachelor of Arts and Business in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) in 2018, recalled starting her degree as an Economics major. As her interest in Economics waned, she decided to take several courses from other programs. While in PACS courses, she “felt like the instructors and the professors were invested in their cohort and in their class.” Alice sought community during her time as an undergraduate student, and intimate class sizes were an important aspect of her undergraduate experience. The class sizes, alongside the program being aligned with her skillset, later motivated her to declare a PACS major. 

The journey of figuring out what you want to do after high school isn’t linear, and Abigail Persaud is an example of how seizing new opportunities can lead to the most profound experiences of self-discovery and impact. As she completes her final term of her undergraduate degree at the University of Waterloo, the experiences she has gained through her time at the university have provided a strong foundation for her to be a part of the meaningful change that Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) alumni are making around the world. 

Abigail Persaud, a 4th-year Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) student, explored global opportunities through the Beyond Borders program at St. Jerome’s and completed a co-op term working abroad in Uganda. The Beyond Borders program provides students with an international service-learning experience where they can explore new cultures and discover alternative perspectives and ways of life around the world. She worked with Reach One Touch One Ministries (ROTOM) in Mukono, Uganda, a non-for-profit organization that supports international fellowship to provide care to older adults and the grandchildren that depend on them in both Uganda and Ethiopia. As an Intergenerational Support Worker, she provided direct hands-on support in Uganda.  

Her experience working abroad gave her a new perspective on how she approaches work and how peace and conflict studies can fit into that.

If there’s anyone who likes breaking down barriers and seeing what’s on the other side, it’s Benny Skinner (BA 2019, MA 2023). They are a human rights advocate, award-winning rugby player on an inclusivity-driven Premier League team, and Indigenous Research Advisor who positively affects the world through activism. Benny’s commitment to social justice was enhanced by Conrad Grebel University College’s Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) program, the place where they learned how to challenge and change a society where injustice runs deep.

"It's hard to describe, but it hit me right in the heart. I just thought, sometimes things can look one way, but then with a little more context or information, it can completely change your perspective," reflected Nancy Williams(last to the right) on a statue she saw at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City during a multi-day student seminar hosted by Mennonite Central Committee. The statue, pictured on the left, was recovered from the 1945 Nagasaki bombing. "How can something look so perfect from one side but then on the other side, you know there's just absolute tragedy?"

“I have this personal mantra, which is that information needs to serve for transformation,” says Lorena Rodriguez (‘15), a graduate of the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program. Specializing in peacebuilding communication in humanitarian and development contexts, this mantra serves her well: the transformative power of outreach, advocacy and public policy to create meaningful change in complex environments and vulnerable communities is precisely what drives Lorena’s work.

Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) alumni Sage Streight looks back on her time as a PACS student fondly, and the program’s teachings continue to inform her work today. After graduating from the University of Waterloo in 2019, with a major in PACS and a minor in Legal Studies, Sage pursued a law career. She graduated from the University of Ottawa’s law school in 2023 and by 2024, she was a fully licensed lawyer. She now works as a criminal prosecutor and assistant crown attorney in Kingston, Ontario.

Since she began her studies in the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program in September, Theresa Strutt has been reflecting critically on the way that peace processes can both combat and reinforce existing structural inequalities in our society.

In the grand scheme of our complex world, it is challenging to decide where you, as an individual, can make the greatest impact. For Peace and Conflict Studies alumni Michelle Jackett, making a difference meant finding her niche, building her expertise, and going all-in.