Waterloo Pharmacy welcomes the Rx2025 class to the alumni community
On Friday, October 24, 2025, Waterloo Pharmacy hosted an in-person convocation reception to honour the class of 2025. Friends, family, faculty, and staff gathered to congratulate the students and celebrate their achievements. Andrea Edginton, Hallman Director opened the reception and we were happy to have Chris Houser, Dean of Science, speak to the graduates on their accomplishments.
We would like to congratulate the following graduate candidates: PhD graduate Rahul Karuturi, along with our MSc graduates Kaidy Orellana and Jiahao Zhao.
During the reception, the following awards were presented:
School of Pharmacy Fourth Year Awards:
- Lisa McLean Award Professional Practice Award (for success in the professional practice sequence and in memory of Lisa McLean, the School’s first Professional Practice Lab Co-ordinator): Brian Hui
- Dr. Charlie Bayliff Memorial Award (for an exemplary student pursuing a residency, established in memory of Charlie Bayliff): Lindsay Zhao
- Fresenius Kabi Canada Student Leadership Award (for a student leader pursuing a hospital pharmacy career): Viktoria Cubelic
- Dr. Frank and Juliana Wong Patient Care Rotation Awards (to support students with a strong commitment to serving their region when on patient-care rotations): Katie Dunn, Trusha Patel and Pantea Saboni
Mortar and Pestle Awards (recognizing students who graduate top of their class):
- Ann Atta Alla
- Viktoria Cubelic
- Jasleen Dev
- Katie Dunn
- Amanda Facey
- Hailey Granger
- Carolyne Lavellee
- Victoria Nguyen
- Valentina Pham
- April Rilley
- Pantea Saboni
- Anna Sharow
Denise Kreutzwiser at the 2025 Fall Faculty of Science convocation ceremony
After the reception the students walked across the stage on main campus for the Fall 2025 Faculty of Science convocation ceremony where Denise Kreutzwiser (Rx2011) gave the keynote address.
“Since leaving pharmacy school, I’ve discovered that perseverance is about having the courage to keep going, even when the path ahead is uncertain, extraordinarily steep, or peppered with enormous potholes,” Kreutzwiser says. “I’ve learned that you will face setbacks, failures, and moments of self-doubt. More importantly, I’ve learned that this is normal. The road to success is never a straight line. Rather, it is filled with twists, turns, and obstacles that sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere and make you question your abilities and choices. The University of Waterloo instills perseverance, so just remember that you have the tools to overcome these moments of doubt.”
Kreutzwiser challenges the class of Rx2025 to embrace the power of perseverance in their own lives:
- Set big, bold goals and pursue them with unwavering determination
- Step out of your comfort zone - be audacious and take the path less travelled
- Innovate
- Embrace the challenges encountered and be a problem-solver
- When you face setbacks, don’t let them define you, but instead use the setbacks to propel you forward
We are also proud to celebrate longtime School of Pharmacy adjunct faculty member, Elaine Lillie, on her designation as a 2025 Honorary Member of the University.
We were delighted to have the graduating class and their family and friends back at Waterloo Pharmacy to celebrate their achievements. Thank you to those who joined us in-person to celebrate the class of 2025!